Pact of Steel

The Pact of Steel (German: Stahlpakt; Italian: Patto d'Acciaio), known formally as the Pact of Friendship and Alliance between Germany and Italy, was originally intended to be a tripartite military alliance between Japan, Italy, and Germany. However, Japan wanted the focus of the pact to be aimed at the potential adversary Russia, while Italy and Germany wanted it aimed at Britain and France. Due to this disagreement, the pact was signed without Japan and became an agreement between Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany signed on May 22, 1939, by the foreign ministers of each country and witnessed by Count Galeazzo Ciano for Italy and Joachim von Ribbentrop for Germany.

The Pact consisted of two parts: the first section was an open declaration of continuing trust and cooperation between Germany and Italy while the second, a "Secret Supplementary Protocol" encouraged a union of policies concerning the military and economy. However, certain members of the Italian government, including the signatory Ciano, were opposed to the Pact.

It was Italian leader Benito Mussolini who dubbed the agreement "the Pact of Steel", after being told that its original name, "the Pact of Blood", would likely be received poorly in Italy.