To the left, caricatures of a fallen King Albert of Belgium, Tsar Nicholas of Russia, President Poincare of France, generic (?) caricatures of an English man and a Japanese soldier, Kings Peter of Serbia, and Nikola of Montenegro engaging in a tug of war, the rope being held on the right by a German (in gray) and an Austro-Hungarian soldier. Between the teams and behind the rope stands the diminutive caped figure of King Victor Emmanuel of Italy, all hat, mustache, and chin.
Das Europaische Gleichgewicht 1914The European Equilibrium, 1914
"In mid-April [1915] Salandra decided to sound out 'the state of public opinion' in the event of Italy's intervention. The vast majority of prefect reports indicated strong neutralist sentiment. One historian concludes that when the king, Salandra, and Sonnino authorized the signature of the Pact of London, there could have been no doubt in their minds that the overwhelming majority of Italians 'would have stayed Imperiali's hand [the actual signer] had a plebiscite been held on the issue of war or peace.' Another adds an important further observation: The prefect reports 'give a general impression of a country with little desire to go to war, but unlikely to offer active opposition.'"
The third member, with Germany and Austria-Hungary, of the Triple Alliance, Italy had concluded that Austria-Hungary's war on Serbia was not defensive and did not compel Italy to join the war to defend its Alliance partner. Within Italy there was significant irredentist support for seizing ethnically Italian territory from Austria-Hungary, particularly Trentino and the city of Trieste. Prime Minister Antonio Salandra and Foreign Minister Sidney Sonnino were strong supporters of the war to which King Victor Emmanuel had to agree. On April 26, 1915, the Italian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Guglielmo Imperiali, signed the Pact of London on behalf of Italy, committing it to enter the war on the side of the Entente Allies a month later.
Decisions for War, 1914-1917 by Richard F. Hamilton and Holger H. Herwig, page 198, copyright © Richard F. Hamilton & Holger H. Herwig 2004, publisher: Cambridge University Press, publication date: 2004
1915-04-16, 1915, April, Italy, Salandra, Antonio Salandra, Treaty of London, Secret Treaty of London, Pact of London
