Racism Within the Axis: Sexual Intercourse and Marriage Plans Between Italians and Germans, 1940–3

Abstract

In an investigation of the internal functioning of the German-Italian coalition, an important question is to what degree the Axis Powers were divided by race ideology when it was directed not at a third party, but at the Italians and Germans themselves: How did the Germans communicate to their coalition partner that a ‘mixing of the races’ was not acceptable to them? How did the Italians react? What diplomatic complications arose and how were they resolved? These questions remained hypothetical until 1941, since women and men from the two regimes had little opportunity to meet. The question, however, gains relevance after the Economic Agreement of 26 February 1941 was signed. The agreement stipulated that in exchange for the delivery of raw materials, the Italians would provide 204,000 workers to be deployed in the German armaments industry. The Italian workforce in the German Reich grew rapidly within just a few months, turning what had been a mere hypothetical concern into a real issue: What role did the National Socialist race ideology play when Germans and Italians met and took a liking to one another?