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Formation of the Grand Council of Fascism
The Grand Council of Fascism was the main body of Mussolini's regime in Italy. Mussolini set up this council to make it seem that his decisions were not his alone, but really he was the puppeteer of the council. The council had little executive power. Signor Volpe was the Fascist deputy. -
Rise of Benito Mussolini
Mussolini began his rise to power when he returned home in 1918 from serving in WWI. To solve the economic and politiclal crisis in Italy, he suggested the appointment of a dictator, and that he may be the man for it. This gained him popularity, and the fascist party was created. A fascist uprising began in 1922, and the king of Italy summoned Mussolini, with the outcome being Mussolini becoming prime minister of Italy. He used this power to become a dictator, and his power was secured in 1924. -
How the Home Front helped out
- Italian factories were pushed to the limit with trying to produce enough ammunition, weapons, ships, and rations for the war effort. Civilians had to ration certain food items like meats, butter and cereals so that larger rations could be sent to the soldiers.
- Civilians would write letters to their loved ones in the war and this helped boost the morale of the soldiers.
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The Holocaust in Italy
Under the pressure of Nazi Germany, Italy persecuted, deported, and murdered Jews. However, there were many military authorities who were unwilling to do this, and this resulted in Italy being somewhat safe for Jews. -
Italy joins WWII
Prior to Italy joining the war, it had seemed that France was about to fall to Germany and end the war. Mussolini wanted his share of the glory and was hoping for some territory, so he made the decision to enter Italy into the war on the Axis side. -
Battle of the Alps
This battle did not result in much of a territorial gain for either side. The French were able to hold off the Italian forces, and the assault dwindled out in a few days.
The Italian army suffered 640 deaths.
This battle was the first major Italian engagement of the war, and the unpreparedness of the Italian army really set the tone for the rest of Italy's time in the war. -
Battle of Britain
Italy was on the losing side of this battle. Italy's Regia Aeronautica played a fairly significant role in this battle.
The number of Italian deaths is unknown, but they did contribute around 170 planes to the effort.
This battle was significant for Italy because it showed fellow axis powers that Italy could contribute. -
Battle of Morava-Ivan
This battle was between Italy and Greece. It resulted in a win for Greece.
There is an unknown amount of killed and wounded for Italy, but multiple sources claim major losses, with at least 1,000 captured.
This was Greece's first major offensive against Italy, and it was a great success that started major loss in territory for Italy. -
Invasion of Sicily
The Invasion of Sicily was the first move of the Allies' Italian Campaign. It took 38 days for the Allies to drive German and Italian troops from Sicily. This battle was a loss for Italy.
4,678 Italian troopes were killed, 32,500 wounded, and 116,861 captured and missing.
The occupation of Sicily by the Allies was the start of their attempt at removing Italy from the war. -
End of Fascist Regime in Italy
Nearing the end of summer, the Fascist regime could no longer command any obedience. Benito Mussolini is voted out of power by his own Grand Council and is arrested. The Fascist Party and main Fascist institutions were dissolved. -
Armistice of Cassibile
This was when Italy surrendered to the Allies. At this point, Italy joined the Allies and ended up on the winning side of the war. -
Operation Axis
Shortly after Italy surrendered to the Allies, Hitler commanded Germany to invade Italy. The hope was to keep Italian navy vessels out of the hands of the Allies. Italian troops surrendered to German troops, and those that resisted were killed. This resulted in 1,646 Italian soldiers murdered by the Germans, and the 5,000 that surrendered ended up getting shot as well. -
Italy politically after WWII
Following the fall of the fascist government, the monarchy was abolished and a bicameral parliamentary republic was put into place. The Christian Democracy political party became the dominant party in Italy for 48 years. -
Why Italy did so Poorly in the War
Many of the Italian marshals were only given their rank because of their support for Mussolini rather than skill. Italy lacked the necessary industrial capacity and natural resources to produce enough artillery, aircraft, ships, and rations.
