Mussolini & The Great Manmade River

A Nation that can not feed itself will Never be Free ========. Muammar al-Gaddafi --at the Ceremonial Ribbon Cutting celebrating the First Water from the Great Man Made River.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Manmade_River
?So what if Italy had found the Aquifer in the Twenties, and began having usable Irrigation Water by the mid Thirties?
 
Assuming Italy has the technology and the economic strength to undertake such a project, the next question is of political will. While major infrastructural projects were quite popular with the fascists, and this could potentially provide a lot of work for the masses - maybe even cushion Italy during the Depression - I can't see Mussolini making an unruly colonial outpost the focus of his infrastructural spending.

On the other hand, if Italy got a lucky break (which in fairness they probably deserve) we could see a substantial increase in the number of Italian settlers moving to Libya and an even more vicious campaign against the natives. When WWII rolls around, the North African theatre is utterly different as the irrigation project(s) will become key strategic goals of both the Allies and Axis. Overextended supply lines may be less of a problem too.
 
Assuming Italy has the technology and the economic strength to undertake such a project, the next question is of political will. While major infrastructural projects were quite popular with the fascists, and this could potentially provide a lot of work for the masses - maybe even cushion Italy during the Depression - I can't see Mussolini making an unruly colonial outpost the focus of his infrastructural spending.

You should check out some of the spending Italy did in Eritrea and Mogadishu, the spent a ton of money on infrastructure and prestige architecture inorder to turn it into a showpiece colony. If the technology was a available it would be much more practical for them to transform Libya, which has a larger Italian colonial base than their sparsely colonized territories on the horn of africa.
 
You should check out some of the spending Italy did in Eritrea and Mogadishu, the spent a ton of money on infrastructure and prestige architecture inorder to turn it into a showpiece colony. If the technology was a available it would be much more practical for them to transform Libya, which has a larger Italian colonial base than their sparsely colonized territories on the horn of africa.

You're quite right, I neglected Italian East Africa entirely.

So, instead of taking money from Italy, the irrigation projects and other increased investment in Libya come at the expense of spending in the Horn. In fact, the African focus will shift so decisively that Italy maybe never annexes Abyssinia. The League of Nations won't be so weakened either, although that is of debatable consequence.

Could Italy develop Libya and divert troops there to the point that they could actually take Egypt?
 
You're quite right, I neglected Italian East Africa entirely.

So, instead of taking money from Italy, the irrigation projects and other increased investment in Libya come at the expense of spending in the Horn. In fact, the African focus will shift so decisively that Italy maybe never annexes Abyssinia. The League of Nations won't be so weakened either, although that is of debatable consequence.

Could Italy develop Libya and divert troops there to the point that they could actually take Egypt?

If Italy dosen't invade Abyssinia then it stays in the Franco-British camp and won't be invading British influenced Egypt at all. You've probably aborted WW II as we know it, as there will probably be an intervention to prevent Anchluss, and the Nazis are defeated then.

It would lead to an interesting world, and one with a much richer Italy by the present day.
 

yourworstnightmare

Banned
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If Italy dosen't invade Abyssinia then it stays in the Franco-British camp and won't be invading British influenced Egypt at all. You've probably aborted WW II as we know it, as there will probably be an intervention to prevent Anchluss, and the Nazis are defeated then.

It would lead to an interesting world, and one with a much richer Italy by the present day.


He might still find his soulmate in Hitler during the Spanish Civil War, but the League of Nations would still have some credibility, and Italy would (probably) remain a member.
 
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