Galeazzo Ciano in the context of "Axis powers"

The Tripartite Pact, also known as the Berlin Pact, was an agreement between Germany, Italy, and Japan signed in Berlin on 27 September 1940 by, respectively, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Galeazzo Ciano, and Saburō Kurusu (in that order) and in the presence of Adolf Hitler. It was a defensive military alliance that was eventually joined by Hungary (20 November 1940), Romania (23 November 1940), Slovakia (24 November 1940), Bulgaria (1 March 1941), and Yugoslavia (25 March 1941). Yugoslavia's accession provoked a coup d'état in Belgrade two days later. Germany, Italy, and Hungary responded by invading Yugoslavia. The resulting Italo-German client state, known as the Independent State of Croatia, joined the pact on 15 June 1941.

The Tripartite Pact was, together with the Anti-Comintern Pact and the Pact of Steel, one of a number of agreements between Germany, Japan, Italy, and other countries of the Axis powers governing their relationship.

On 23 October 1936, a nine-point protocol was signed by Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany in Berlin. It was the first concrete expression of the Italo-German rapprochement that began earlier that year. It was signed by the foreign ministers Galeazzo Ciano and Konstantin von Neurath. On the same day in Berlin, the Anti-Comintern Pact between Germany and Japan was initialed by Ambassador-at-Large Joachim von Ribbentrop and Ambassador Kintomo Mushanokoji.

Ciano's visit to Germany was his first trip abroad as foreign minister. He met von Neurath on 21 October and the two conferred over the next two days. Following the signing of the protocol, Ciano met German Führer Adolf Hitler at his retreat in Berchtesgaden on the Austrian border. He gave Hitler stolen British cabinet correspondence in an effort to turn Hitler against the British. Hitler confirmed the Mediterranean as Italy's sphere of influence and told Ciano that Germany would be ready for war in three years.

The Pact of Steel (German: Stahlpakt, Italian: Patto d'Acciaio), formally known as the Pact of Friendship and Alliance between Germany and Italy (German: Freundschafts- und Bündnispakt zwischen Deutschland und Italien, Italian: Patto di amicizia e di alleanza fra l'Italia e la Germania), was a military and political alliance between Germany and Italy, signed in 1939.

The pact was initially drafted as a tripartite military alliance between Japan, Italy and Germany. While Japan wanted the focus of the pact to be aimed at the Soviet Union, Italy and Germany wanted the focus of it to be aimed at the British Empire and France. Due to that disagreement, the pact was signed without Japan and, as a result, it became an agreement which only existed between Italy and Germany, signed on 22 May 1939 by foreign ministers Joachim von Ribbentrop of Germany and Galeazzo Ciano of Italy.

On December 11, 1941, Italy declared war on the United States. The declaration followed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor four days earlier, and came the same day as Germany's declaration of war against the United States. Benito Mussolini publicly made the announcement in Rome on December 11. Shortly before Mussolini's speech, Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano delivered the news to the head U.S. diplomat in Italy, George Wadsworth II.

The Italian, German, and Japanese governments had all signed the Tripartite Pact in 1940, formally allying the three powers with one another. Italy and Germany also signed the Pact of Steel military alliance in 1939. Italy had declared war on the United Kingdom and France on June 10, 1940, as Mussolini implemented the Pact of Steel and leveraged the German alliance to win advantages for Italy. Prior to Hitler's declaration of war against America there was little, if any, doubt that Italy would once again "follow Germany's lead."

Costanzo Ciano, 1st Count of Cortellazzo (Italian: [koˈstantso ˈtʃaːno]; 30 August 1876 – 26 June 1939) was an Italian naval officer and politician. He was the father of the former Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Galeazzo Ciano.