Niall MacGalloway | University of St Andrews (original) (raw)

My doctoral research focuses on the Italian occupation of France during the Second World War. This tiny zone has often been overlooked by scholars in favour of the much larger German zone, or the Vichy government.

My approach to this topic will be largely thematic, looking at issues of government and governance, economic exploitation, civil resistance, Italianisation of the occupied territories, Franco-Italian relations, and collaboration, particularly in organisations such as the police. Throughout this project, comparisons will be made, where appropriate, with the German occupation in the north, as well as other Italian occupations in Europe to discover what was unique about the project. It will also allow historians studying other territories to find out what were common Italian practices and which measures were restricted to France.
I intend to examine hitherto unexplored themes, particularly ideas of sovereignty and legitimacy, as well as revisiting themes investigated by previous research. In this way, I hope to shed new light on the occupation, as well as moving it beyond the traditional idea that very little of consequence took place.
My research will be placed within the greater context of both Vichy France and Fascist Italy, showing that Italian actions within the zone were far more important than has previously been thought. I will also set Italian plans and projects for the territories into the broader framework of Italian actions in their other occupied territories.

My research is based upon archival sources, from both French and Italian archives. In France, I have relied upon the Archives Nationales, as well as the departemental archives in the Alpes-Maritimes and the municipales archives in Nice, Cannes and Menton. In Italy, I intend to conduct archival work in the Archivio Centrale dello Stato, as well as the Archivio Storico del Ministero degli Affari Esteri and the Ufficio Storico dello Stato Maggiore dell'Esercito. I also intend to carry out work in the Archivio Storico della Banca d'Italia and the Archive Historique de la Banque de France where papers are available.

More broadly, I am interested in the Second World War in Europe as a whole, particularly issues of collaboration and resistance and how societies dealt with occupation. I am also interested in Italian Fascism, post-war Italy, twentieth century France, and Europe in the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-centuries.
Supervisors: Stephen Tyre

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Edited Volumes by Niall MacGalloway

Between 1939 and 1943, the Italian armed forces occupied Albania and portions of France, Greece a... more Between 1939 and 1943, the Italian armed forces occupied Albania and portions of France, Greece and Yugoslavia. In September 1943 when Italy signed an armistice with the Allies, these territories were quickly occupied by Germany, ending Italian dreams of a European spazio vitale. Although these military occupations ended in failure for Italy, they represent an important aspect of the history of Fascism, military occupations, and the Second World War. This special issue aims to contribute to the historiography of Italian military occupations in Europe, particularly those which present original research. Suggested topics of interest are, but are not limited to: How were Italy’s occupied territories administrated? How did the occupied economies function? How did occupied populations experience the occupation, and how did the Italian armed forces and occupied populations interact? What plans did Fascism and Fascist theorists have for the spazio vitale? How did the Italo-German alliance function within Italy’s occupied territories, and how did competing agencies interact?

This special issue hopes to build upon an increasing historiographical body, and to bring to the forefront an often under-examined area of the Second World War

Chapters in Edited Volumes by Niall MacGalloway

Italy in the Second World War, Alternative Perspectives, 2018

Irredentismi. Politica, cultura e propaganda nell'Europa dei nazionalismi, 2016

As international relations between France and Italy soured in the 1930s, an increasing volume of ... more As international relations between France and Italy soured in the 1930s, an increasing volume of irredentist literature began to appear in Italian. These books, pamphlets and articles often examined the historical, linguistic and geographical links between Italy and the Alpes-Maritimes, Savoie and Corsica. This chapter intends to examine these publications, providing an overview of their content and to what extent their message was consumed by the Italian community in the territories themselves. It will also seek to understand how the Italian government developed the themes of these publications into semi-official Italian policy during the occupation of 1940-1943. Finally, this chapter will place these publications into the wider sphere of Italo-French relations during the 1930s and 1940s, and in the relations between French and Italian communities in France.

Journal Articles by Niall MacGalloway

Urban History, 2018

The Italo-French armistice of July 1940 brought an end to the brief period of conflict between It... more The Italo-French armistice of July 1940 brought an end to the brief period of conflict between Italy and France that had taken place after Mussolini's declaration of war in June of the same year. Disappointing Italian military performances left Italy with only a small strip of territory on the Italo-French border to occupy until the expansion of the occupation zone in November 1942. This article will explore urban planning projects in the largest of the Italian-occupied towns, Menton. It will argue that Italian urban planning projects formed a crucial layer of the long-term Italianization of the town and were indicative of wider Italian plans in the event of an Axis victory. It will demonstrate that hitherto underexplored post-war plans reveal not only how Italian planners hoped to reshape the region, but also how planners hoped that these changes would bind territories physically to Italy.

International Journal of Maritime History, 2018

The scuttling of the French fleet in November 1942 brought an abrupt end to a political tug of wa... more The scuttling of the French fleet in November 1942 brought an abrupt end to a political tug of war which had been ongoing since the Italian occupation of France began in 1940. The seizure of the French fleet had been explicitly forbidden by the Italo–French armistice, which represented the cornerstone of all Italo–French diplomatic transactions. This research note seeks to demonstrate the role played by the French fleet and its use as a political pawn by both sides to change the existing political structures. For France, the overhaul of the Italo–French armistice would offer greater political power and status, whilst for Italy a more encompassing agreement would allow greater exploitation of France both in a political and an economic sense. This research note argues that the status of the French fleet represented a crucial and often overlooked aspect of this struggle.

Diacronie. Studi di Storia Contemporanea , 2017

Retrospectives, May 20, 2013

Conference Presentations by Niall MacGalloway

When war broke out between Italy and France in June 1940, France was home to over one million Ita... more When war broke out between Italy and France in June 1940, France was home to over one million Italian immigrants and second- and third-generation Italians. Both prior to and during Italy’s enlargement of her zone of occupation in November 1942, the Fascist government launched a series of programs and propaganda campaigns in order to encourage the re-migration of Italians to the peninsula. This paper intends to present a brief overview of the actions taken by the Italian government and its motives, and suggest a number of reasons why the overwhelming majority of Italians chose to remain in France.

The position of Nice in the years immediately preceding and during the Second World War was one o... more The position of Nice in the years immediately preceding and during the Second World War was one of ambiguity and uncertainty for residents. A pre-war target of Fascist irredentism, the city was coveted by Rome before finally being occupied by Italy following the expansion of the Italian zone of occupation in November 1942. The large Italian community in the Alpes-Maritimes and the overtly political atmosphere of Nice meant that one’s sense of identity became intricately linked with political standing – whether this was intended or not. This paper intends to examine how sense of identity within Nice affected the political outlooks of those residing there. Inversely, it will also examine how the potential political implications led many to abandon their sense of national identity in favour of their political outlook, as well as how both these decisions affected Italo-French relations within the city.

The proximity of French territories such as Savoie, Nice and Corsica to the Italian border, and t... more The proximity of French territories such as Savoie, Nice and Corsica to the Italian border, and their histories as part of the Italian states, has resulted in the inevitable existence of Italian communities in these regions. Following the creation of the Fascist government in Italy, these communities grew as thousands of political exiles fled to France. This paper intends to explore the issues raised by these minorities and their contribution to an anti-Italian sentiment in parts of France. It will also address Fascist Italy’s use of these minorities as a political tool in irredentist politics. The unusual policy of encouraging irredentist sentiments in the pre-war era was not matched by Italian actions during the occupation of these same regions, when Rome tried to distance herself from political groups. The highly charged political atmosphere in these territories led to a reluctance to support these groups openly, whilst continuing to harbour the hope that they might win over the Italian population. Finally, it will place these policies within the broader context of Italian irredentist policies across Europe at this time.

The Italian occupation of France has been largely forgotten both in France and Italy, but also in... more The Italian occupation of France has been largely forgotten both in France and Italy, but also in Britain. This has been made possible only by an almost complete lack of commemoration, both at a national and regional level. The Second World War in France has been dominated by the German experience and occupation, reducing the Italian occupation as an almost “non-event”. The comparably gentle and non-obtrusive nature of the occupation has inevitably been one of the main reasons for this lack of commemoration, yet the regions occupied by Italy were particularly active during the period. The reasons for this lack of commemoration, therefore, are rooted in the exaggerated memory of the Resistance, the myth of that Italians were brava gente – good people, and the rapid re-establishment of Franco-Italian relations following the war. The paper also seeks to explain whether only “traumatic” events are worth commemorating, comparing the Italian and German occupations and their place in the national consciousness.

The Allied landings in North Africa in November 1942 brought about the invasion of the so-called ... more The Allied landings in North Africa in November 1942 brought about the invasion of the so-called French “Free Zone” by Axis forces. While German forces occupied the majority of the zone, the Italian Royal Army occupied the area up to the river Rhône. This paper focuses on policing within the city of Nice, which had long been a target of Italian irredentists. Specifically, it will focus on the idea of sovereignty within the city, using the police as a case point. While policing duties were left to the French, the Italians intervened when they felt it was necessary. This could range from investigating resistance activity to preventing the deportation of Jews. Moreover, the presence of OVRA – the Italian secret police – in the region allowed the Italians to operate outside French legal frameworks. This paper will therefore question who really retained sovereignty within Nice and attempt to place this within Franco-Italian relations.

This paper intends to examine the important, but often overlooked, concepts of legitimacy and sov... more This paper intends to examine the important, but often overlooked, concepts of legitimacy and sovereignty in Italian-occupied France during the Second World War. I intend to argue that many of the measures taken by both the Italian government and the Vichy French government were at least partially taken to ensure that they retained some degree of sovereignty in the territory. Moreover, I will argue that these measures are closely tied to the concept of legitimacy. For Italy, this meant trying to appear as a victor worthy of governing the territory, while for Vichy legitimacy meant ensuring that they could stand up to Italian demands.
The Italian occupation of France, in general, is an understudied aspect of the Second World War, particularly in English, but those studies which do focus on it rarely make examine legitimacy and sovereignty. I intend to examine this by looking at measures taken by both governments and demonstrating how many of these measures ultimately sought to justify the very governments who made them.

Book Reviews by Niall MacGalloway

Between 1939 and 1943, the Italian armed forces occupied Albania and portions of France, Greece a... more Between 1939 and 1943, the Italian armed forces occupied Albania and portions of France, Greece and Yugoslavia. In September 1943 when Italy signed an armistice with the Allies, these territories were quickly occupied by Germany, ending Italian dreams of a European spazio vitale. Although these military occupations ended in failure for Italy, they represent an important aspect of the history of Fascism, military occupations, and the Second World War. This special issue aims to contribute to the historiography of Italian military occupations in Europe, particularly those which present original research. Suggested topics of interest are, but are not limited to: How were Italy’s occupied territories administrated? How did the occupied economies function? How did occupied populations experience the occupation, and how did the Italian armed forces and occupied populations interact? What plans did Fascism and Fascist theorists have for the spazio vitale? How did the Italo-German alliance function within Italy’s occupied territories, and how did competing agencies interact?

This special issue hopes to build upon an increasing historiographical body, and to bring to the forefront an often under-examined area of the Second World War

Italy in the Second World War, Alternative Perspectives, 2018

Irredentismi. Politica, cultura e propaganda nell'Europa dei nazionalismi, 2016

As international relations between France and Italy soured in the 1930s, an increasing volume of ... more As international relations between France and Italy soured in the 1930s, an increasing volume of irredentist literature began to appear in Italian. These books, pamphlets and articles often examined the historical, linguistic and geographical links between Italy and the Alpes-Maritimes, Savoie and Corsica. This chapter intends to examine these publications, providing an overview of their content and to what extent their message was consumed by the Italian community in the territories themselves. It will also seek to understand how the Italian government developed the themes of these publications into semi-official Italian policy during the occupation of 1940-1943. Finally, this chapter will place these publications into the wider sphere of Italo-French relations during the 1930s and 1940s, and in the relations between French and Italian communities in France.

Urban History, 2018

The Italo-French armistice of July 1940 brought an end to the brief period of conflict between It... more The Italo-French armistice of July 1940 brought an end to the brief period of conflict between Italy and France that had taken place after Mussolini's declaration of war in June of the same year. Disappointing Italian military performances left Italy with only a small strip of territory on the Italo-French border to occupy until the expansion of the occupation zone in November 1942. This article will explore urban planning projects in the largest of the Italian-occupied towns, Menton. It will argue that Italian urban planning projects formed a crucial layer of the long-term Italianization of the town and were indicative of wider Italian plans in the event of an Axis victory. It will demonstrate that hitherto underexplored post-war plans reveal not only how Italian planners hoped to reshape the region, but also how planners hoped that these changes would bind territories physically to Italy.

International Journal of Maritime History, 2018

The scuttling of the French fleet in November 1942 brought an abrupt end to a political tug of wa... more The scuttling of the French fleet in November 1942 brought an abrupt end to a political tug of war which had been ongoing since the Italian occupation of France began in 1940. The seizure of the French fleet had been explicitly forbidden by the Italo–French armistice, which represented the cornerstone of all Italo–French diplomatic transactions. This research note seeks to demonstrate the role played by the French fleet and its use as a political pawn by both sides to change the existing political structures. For France, the overhaul of the Italo–French armistice would offer greater political power and status, whilst for Italy a more encompassing agreement would allow greater exploitation of France both in a political and an economic sense. This research note argues that the status of the French fleet represented a crucial and often overlooked aspect of this struggle.

Diacronie. Studi di Storia Contemporanea , 2017

Retrospectives, May 20, 2013

When war broke out between Italy and France in June 1940, France was home to over one million Ita... more When war broke out between Italy and France in June 1940, France was home to over one million Italian immigrants and second- and third-generation Italians. Both prior to and during Italy’s enlargement of her zone of occupation in November 1942, the Fascist government launched a series of programs and propaganda campaigns in order to encourage the re-migration of Italians to the peninsula. This paper intends to present a brief overview of the actions taken by the Italian government and its motives, and suggest a number of reasons why the overwhelming majority of Italians chose to remain in France.

The position of Nice in the years immediately preceding and during the Second World War was one o... more The position of Nice in the years immediately preceding and during the Second World War was one of ambiguity and uncertainty for residents. A pre-war target of Fascist irredentism, the city was coveted by Rome before finally being occupied by Italy following the expansion of the Italian zone of occupation in November 1942. The large Italian community in the Alpes-Maritimes and the overtly political atmosphere of Nice meant that one’s sense of identity became intricately linked with political standing – whether this was intended or not. This paper intends to examine how sense of identity within Nice affected the political outlooks of those residing there. Inversely, it will also examine how the potential political implications led many to abandon their sense of national identity in favour of their political outlook, as well as how both these decisions affected Italo-French relations within the city.

The proximity of French territories such as Savoie, Nice and Corsica to the Italian border, and t... more The proximity of French territories such as Savoie, Nice and Corsica to the Italian border, and their histories as part of the Italian states, has resulted in the inevitable existence of Italian communities in these regions. Following the creation of the Fascist government in Italy, these communities grew as thousands of political exiles fled to France. This paper intends to explore the issues raised by these minorities and their contribution to an anti-Italian sentiment in parts of France. It will also address Fascist Italy’s use of these minorities as a political tool in irredentist politics. The unusual policy of encouraging irredentist sentiments in the pre-war era was not matched by Italian actions during the occupation of these same regions, when Rome tried to distance herself from political groups. The highly charged political atmosphere in these territories led to a reluctance to support these groups openly, whilst continuing to harbour the hope that they might win over the Italian population. Finally, it will place these policies within the broader context of Italian irredentist policies across Europe at this time.

The Italian occupation of France has been largely forgotten both in France and Italy, but also in... more The Italian occupation of France has been largely forgotten both in France and Italy, but also in Britain. This has been made possible only by an almost complete lack of commemoration, both at a national and regional level. The Second World War in France has been dominated by the German experience and occupation, reducing the Italian occupation as an almost “non-event”. The comparably gentle and non-obtrusive nature of the occupation has inevitably been one of the main reasons for this lack of commemoration, yet the regions occupied by Italy were particularly active during the period. The reasons for this lack of commemoration, therefore, are rooted in the exaggerated memory of the Resistance, the myth of that Italians were brava gente – good people, and the rapid re-establishment of Franco-Italian relations following the war. The paper also seeks to explain whether only “traumatic” events are worth commemorating, comparing the Italian and German occupations and their place in the national consciousness.

The Allied landings in North Africa in November 1942 brought about the invasion of the so-called ... more The Allied landings in North Africa in November 1942 brought about the invasion of the so-called French “Free Zone” by Axis forces. While German forces occupied the majority of the zone, the Italian Royal Army occupied the area up to the river Rhône. This paper focuses on policing within the city of Nice, which had long been a target of Italian irredentists. Specifically, it will focus on the idea of sovereignty within the city, using the police as a case point. While policing duties were left to the French, the Italians intervened when they felt it was necessary. This could range from investigating resistance activity to preventing the deportation of Jews. Moreover, the presence of OVRA – the Italian secret police – in the region allowed the Italians to operate outside French legal frameworks. This paper will therefore question who really retained sovereignty within Nice and attempt to place this within Franco-Italian relations.

This paper intends to examine the important, but often overlooked, concepts of legitimacy and sov... more This paper intends to examine the important, but often overlooked, concepts of legitimacy and sovereignty in Italian-occupied France during the Second World War. I intend to argue that many of the measures taken by both the Italian government and the Vichy French government were at least partially taken to ensure that they retained some degree of sovereignty in the territory. Moreover, I will argue that these measures are closely tied to the concept of legitimacy. For Italy, this meant trying to appear as a victor worthy of governing the territory, while for Vichy legitimacy meant ensuring that they could stand up to Italian demands.
The Italian occupation of France, in general, is an understudied aspect of the Second World War, particularly in English, but those studies which do focus on it rarely make examine legitimacy and sovereignty. I intend to examine this by looking at measures taken by both governments and demonstrating how many of these measures ultimately sought to justify the very governments who made them.

Diacronie. Studi di Storia Contemporanea, Dec 2014

Politics, Religion & Ideology, 2014

Modern & Contemporary France, 2014

French History, 2014

A short report on a research trip to Nice made in March 2013. This trip was funded by the Society... more A short report on a research trip to Nice made in March 2013. This trip was funded by the Society for the Study of French History (SSFH).

University of St Andrews, Jun 1, 2016

Diacronie. Studi di Storia Contemporanea, 2014

In the initial months following the fall of France, Britain placed great hopes in resistance grou... more In the initial months following the fall of France, Britain placed great hopes in resistance groups aiding them in lib- erating the continent. By the time Britain finally re-entered Europe via Sicily, the situation of the war had changed drastically. This study seeks to examine official British pol- icy towards the resistance that sprung up across Italy from 1943 onwards. In particular, it explores the idea that alt- hough Britain was, in theory, against collaborating with Communist groups, practical reasons forced them to do so. Moreover, the study examines to what extent Britain hoped to keep traditional elites and key figures in power, such as the King and Marshall Badoglio, in order to pro- vide a bulwark against Communism, despite widespread Italian opposition. These actions will be, briefly, contrasted and compared with those in Greece and Yugoslavia where, in all three countries, Britain hoped to restore these nations to their pre-war status for fear that they would fall into...

Italy and the Second World War, 2018

International Journal of Maritime History, 2018

The scuttling of the French fleet in November 1942 brought an abrupt end to a political tug of wa... more The scuttling of the French fleet in November 1942 brought an abrupt end to a political tug of war which had been ongoing since the Italian occupation of France began in 1940. The seizure of the French fleet had been explicitly forbidden by the Italo–French armistice, which represented the cornerstone of all Italo–French diplomatic transactions. This research note seeks to demonstrate the role played by the French fleet and its use as a political pawn by both sides to change the existing political structures. For France, the overhaul of the Italo–French armistice would offer greater political power and status, whilst for Italy a more encompassing agreement would allow greater exploitation of France both in a political and an economic sense. This research note argues that the status of the French fleet represented a crucial and often overlooked aspect of this struggle.

Politics, Religion & Ideology, 2014

Modern & Contemporary France, 2014

Urban History, 2017

ABSTRACT:The Italo-French armistice of July 1940 brought an end to the brief period of conflict b... more ABSTRACT:The Italo-French armistice of July 1940 brought an end to the brief period of conflict between Italy and France that had taken place after Mussolini's declaration of war in June of the same year. Disappointing Italian military performances left Italy with only a small strip of territory on the Italo-French border to occupy until the expansion of the occupation zone in November 1942. This article will explore urban planning projects in the largest of the Italian-occupied towns, Menton. It will argue that Italian urban planning projects formed a crucial layer of the long-term Italianization of the town and were indicative of wider Italian plans in the event of an Axis victory. It will demonstrate that hitherto underexplored post-war plans reveal not only how Italian planners hoped to reshape the region, but also how planners hoped that these changes would bind territories physically to Italy.