Pact of Steel

The Pact of Steel (German: Stahlpakt; Italian: Patto d'Acciaio), formally the Pact of Friendship and Alliance between Germany and Italy, was an agreement between Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany signed on May 22, 1939 by the foreign ministers of both countries: Count Galeazzo Ciano for Italy and Joachim von Ribbentrop for Germany.

The pact had two parts. The first was the formal text, which said that both countries would continue helping each other. The second had both countries agree to have the same military and economy policies and was called the "Secret Supplementary Protocol".[1]

The pact's name was decided by Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini, who thought that its original name, "Pact of Blood", would be unpopular in his country.

Notes

  1. ↑ A translation of the text of the Pact of Steel Archived 2011-07-20 at the Wayback Machine attributed to Office of United States Chief of Counsel for Prosecution of Axis Criminality, Nazi Conspiracy and Aggression, 8 vols. and 2 suppl. vols. (Government Printing Office, Washington, 1946-1948), V, 453, Doc. No. 2818-PS. Translation hosted by Richard H. Immerman Archived 2011-12-26 at the Wayback Machine, Department of History, Temple University.