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VI. Britain and Italy's Acquisition of the Dodecanese, 1912–1915

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2009

Richard Bosworth
Richard Bosworth
Affiliation:
University of Sydney
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Extract

Possession is nine-tenths of the law. Diplomacy confirms the fact. As an illustration no incident is better than the Italian retention of the Southern Sporades or Dodecanese group of Aegean Islands in the years immediately preceding the First World War. Italy, last and weakest of the Great Powers, was able to defy the expressed wishes of Britain, the dominant naval power on whose patronage Italy traditionally relied. Defiance of Britain was not accompanied by a corresponding surrender to Italy's Central Power allies. It triumphed through Italian skill at exploiting the above dictum: possession is nine-tenths of the law.

Type
Articles
Information
The Historical Journal , Volume 13 , Issue 4 , December 1970 , pp. 683 - 705
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1970

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References

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92 F.O. 371/1844/58267, 30 December 1913, Mallet to Grey.

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101 F.O. 371/1805/58804, 31 December 1913, Triple Alliance ambassadors to F.O. (BD X, i, 103).

102 F.O. 371/2112/107, 1 January 1914, Rodd to Grey.

103 F.O. 371/2112/1085, 8 January 1914, Bertie to Grey.

104 F.O. 371/2117/756,7 January 1914, Grey to Rodd;/1838,15 January 1914, Grey to Rodd.

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111 F.O. 371/2112/4568, 2 February 1914, Grey to Goschen; /5I79, 4 February 1914, Rodd to Grey.

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118 DDI 5 si, 803, 25 September 1914, San Giuliano to Tittoni, Carlotti.

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