The Myth of Italian Treason

Written by an unknown author

We often hear, unfortunately even from some "luminaries", of an Italian betrayal in reference to the First World War. But Italy did not betray anyone; rather, it was Italy that was betrayed.

Austro-Hungarian Abuses

Italy was linked to Germany and Austria-Hungary by a treaty known as the Triple Alliance, signed for the first time in 1882.

The treaty provided that in the event of an attack on any of the contracting parties by another great power, the other contracting parties would have to come to the aid of the assaulted state.

The treaty was designed to counter another alliance, the Triple Entente, between France, the United Kingdom and the Russian Empire, which in fact encircled Austria and Germany.

The Triple Alliance was therefore a product of its time, signed not for any supposed good relations between the contracting parties, but for purely geopolitical reasons.

Italy in particular hoped for two objectives to be reached through its alliance with Austria: 1) to mitigate the Austrian policy of denationalizing the Italian populations in the unredeemed Italian lands under Habsburg rule; and 2) to obtain some of those lands, later, through diplomatic means.

In fact, the Alliance treaty, in Article 7, provides that if Italy or Austria were forced to change the territorial structure of the Balkans, then the other party would be entitled to territorial compensation.

And this is exactly what happened in 1908, when Austria-Hungary unilaterally annexed Bosnia, formerly an Ottoman province.

Italy rightly demanded that Article 7 be respected, and that territories be ceded in compensation, but although both Austria and Germany recognized the validity of the Italian claim, Italy was asked to wait until the next renewal of the treaty. Austria then cited excuses — childish to say the least — when that deadline arrived in 1912.

In spite of this, Italy signed the 1912 treaty, which recognized Italian sovereignty over Libya, torn away from the dying Ottoman Empire that same year.

The Nature of the Treaty

The treaty itself was defensive; in no article does it provide for commitment of any military help in a war initiated by one of the contracting parties.

And who, effectively, initiated the First World War? Austria-Hungary, when it attacked Serbia.

Italy had no obligation to join Austria in such an adventure, nor was Italy bound in any way to support Austria diplomatically nor with neutrality, and Austria very well knew it too.

In fact, in the months immediately following the outbreak of the war, the Austrians began to heavily fortify the border with Italy — a clear sign that Italy's supposed "ally" did not trust Italy at all.

Given these facts, who betrayed who?