Italy, 1918-45: The first appearance of Fascism

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Italy was unstable because unification had only been completed in 1870, the war strained the economy, and political governments were weak. Between 1919 and 1922 there were five different governments, …

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Many Italians felt cheated because they did not get all the territory they expected. Italy lost close on 700,000 men in the war, and disappointment over Fiume became a major grievance even though it w…

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Gabriele d'Annunzio was a famous romantic poet who marched with supporters and occupied Fiume before the Yugoslavs could take it. He held it for 15 months until removed by the army under Giolitti's or…

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The lira fell from 5 to the dollar in 1914 to 28 to the dollar in 1921, and the cost of living increased at least five times. About 2.5 million ex-servicemen had difficulty finding jobs, so war hardsh…

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Votes for all men and proportional representation produced many parties in parliament. After the May 1921 election there were at least nine parties represented, so coalition governments were unstable …

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The Italian Communist Party was formed in January 1921. It mattered because many property owners feared revolution, even though the strikes and factory occupations were already fading and the left was…

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Mussolini was born in 1883, the son of a blacksmith in the Romagna. He worked as a stonemason's mate and a primary-school teacher, began as a socialist, edited Avanti, and later started Il Popolo d'It…

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He broke with the socialists because they opposed Italian intervention in the war. After the failure of the 1919 election and the collapse of left-wing support for revolution, he shifted to defending …