Fascist Cultural Diplomacy and Italian Foreign Policy in Norway from the 1930s until the Second World War

Abstract

This article aims to highlight the diplomatic relations between Italy and Norway during the fascist period, until the regime collapsed at the end of the Second World War. In particular, the paper seeks to reconstruct the main features of Mussolini’s foreign policy, how it was perceived in Norway, how and how the propaganda machine of the Italian authorities tried to influence the image of fascism in Norway. The analysis of the relations between these two states will follow the constraints of foreign policy, which was characterized by alternating phases of openness and secrecy. Consequently, rather than a single phase, there were many stages in the diplomatic relations between the two countries. Cultural diplomacy played a significant role in the two countries’ relations; these included numerous events and trips to Italy, organized by the fascist regime, for Norwegian intellectuals. These served to overcome the geographical distance, and showed a new face for Italy, which was more cultured and linked to its cultural heritage.