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source six
Letter from Dino Grandi, Italian ambassador in London, to Galeazzo Ciano, Foreign Minister and Mussolini’s son-in-law, 6 November 1936, on Italian-German relations
(Catalogue ref: FO 371/49934, copy of document found in Mussolini’s villa by Allied troops in 1945.)
FO 371/49934; letter from Grandi to Ciano on Italian-German relations, 1936 FO 371/49934; letter from Grandi to Ciano on Italian-German relations, 1936
6a 6b              
Transcript
FO 371/49934; letter from Grandi to Ciano on Italian-German relations, 1936

Questions
  1. According to this source, how have relations changed between Italy and Germany?

  2. What is Britain’s attitude to Italy?

  3. Have Britain and France managed to maintain the balance of power in Europe? Give reasons to support your answer.

  4. Does Grandi sound positive or negative towards closer relations between fascist Italy and Germany?

  5. This letter was written in 1936. In 1943, both Grandi and Ciano were on the Grand Council that voted to depose Mussolini (Ciano was later executed for treason). What events between 1936 and 1943 might have changed Grandi’s viewpoint?
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