Mussolini

The first treaty of the peaceful 1920s in which Mussolini was included was the Locarno Treaty of 1925. Mussolini, contrary to belief, played a major role in the Locarno talks. For instance, Mussolini settled differences with the British Foreign Secretary Chamberlain. The agreement: 1) guaranteed Germany's western frontier as long as the Rhineland stayed de-militarized. 2) guarenteed that Germany was a member of the League of Nations. 3) It guaranteed German-French borders and German-Belgian borders. 4) Britain and Italy would support the non-aggressor if conflict arose. The weakness of Locarno was that Germany's eastern neighbors and their borders were not guaranteed against Germany. And as we'll come to see, this little problem reared its ugly head. As Lamb noted, "Mussolini genuinely believed, as did the other Powers, that Locarno improved the chances of a lasting peace in Europe" (82). Because of Locarno, Mussolini achieved recognition as a great leader of a great power.
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