John bull’s power in the great war. Italian diplomats’ views on neutrality

Abstract

This article deals with Italian diplomats’ main views on the neutrality issue in connection with the British naval policy in the Mediterranean. Between August 1914 and May 1915, Italian policymakers were persuaded of a triumph of «might is right» over «right is might». Generally, British global interferences with communications and trade revolved around neutrality as a position of weak states in international relations incompatible 
with pre-war expansive nationalism. According to the deviating interpretation of the national interest, there were two modalities of neutrality: «active neutrality» applied to bordering neutral states in Europe and the United States of America; and «passive neutrality» applied to peripheral neutrals like South American states. In the Mediterranean theatre, the Spanish cabinet’s interpretation of neutrality policy was the antithesis of the Italian positions before the intervento. Neutrality seemed to preclude aspirations of international recognition and power, so it would only be a starting point for Italy.