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2004
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Balance 30s (Twentieth century decade) Thirties (Twentieth century decade) 1930s Hostilities Conflict, Armed (War) Wars Armed conflict (War) Fighting Guns Cannon Military intervention Germany--Rearmament German rearmament Frenchmen (French people) Guns Small arms Human face Council of Europe countries Balancing (Physics) Balance (Physics) Balance Central Europe Brits Britishers Britons (British) British people Staffs, Military Military staffs General staffs Liberty of expression Free expression Expression, Freedom of Shape Forms (Shapes)Citer ce document
Jean Vanwelkenhuyzen, « Le rêve de Stresa (1re partie) », Revue historique des Armées (documents), ID : 10.3406/rharm.2004.5574
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The interwar era is not only the story of a slide towards a new rending-asunder of Europe. The first half of the 1930s saw a final series of efforts to put a stop to the rising tide of peril. Mussolini suggested a 'Four Power Pact' associating Germany with the search for a détente to dissipate the contentious issues born out of the Great War. Hitler's arrival in power dispelled this mirage. German rearmament became blatant. Seeking to ward off fate, Mussolini invited France and Great Britain to act in concert with Italy. From this initiative emerged the illusory 'Stresa Front'. The United Kingdom avoided making the slightest commitment. Its interests were worldwide, central Europe looked to the British like a hornet's nest, and they lacked the means necessary for a military intervention. The episode was reduced to conversations between the French and Italian military staffs. A plan for common action started to take shape for the event of a German initiative. But if the Italians pushed this, France was hesitant. Excessively divergent interests dragged them apart. Furthermore, in the states that enjoyed a freedom of expression, the political authorities were ensnared by the dominant strands of opinion. Their publics preferred butter to guns. All the politicians could do was save face, whilst the balance of forces continued to shift steadily to the detriment of the democracies.