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Chapter 5: A Great War Put to Rest
Italy came into the Great War as the sixth most powerful European nation, a position which forced at least some consideration from the big five (United Kingdom, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia) though historically the nation had struggled to establish herself among extremely stiff competition. With a majority-rural population it was by no means an industrial powerhouse, however its pivotal location in the Central Mediterranean proved its greatest asset. It was believed that the war could swing in either side's favor depending on which side (if any) it joined. Choosing the Entente the Italian Front was a relatively stagnant affair, but this would change following the surge of German reinforcements that was to come.
To say the least France was not looking so good as 1917 trudged on. American aid was helpful, yes but it did not lead to any significant successes on the battlefield against Germany, and no significant successes didn't ease the army-crippling mutinies. Offensives continued to fare poorly, especially as Britain grew increasingly distracted with its campaigns in the Balkans and Middle East. The toll the conflict had taken on France was truly enormous, and Germany stubbornly still held French and Belgian land captured back in 1914.
The worst news came down in early-1918. Brest-Litovsk had been signed, Germany and Russia were officially at peace. A steady stream of German forces had been arriving in Italy in the weeks before, despite the tide to the West being limited by fighting far to the East in Anatolia and Bulgaria. Once arrived however the offensive down the peninsula dealt a crushing blow to the Allied cause. An already strained France was now met with Germans and Austro-Hungarians right next to their southern border. Demands to cease the fruitless fighting kept growing louder and more violent as Germany pressed forward.
France and Italy would surely collapse, leaving the United Kingdom with a difficult choice. Without Allied territory in the West any hope of final victory had seemingly been dashed. At the same time the Imperial Navy lacked the strength or the will to threaten the Isles. It's not like they held no leverage, the Ottomans had surrendered and Bulgaria likely would soon. On the other hand a campaign up Europe seemed more than a little fantastical. What if they could reach an agreement with the Kaiser?
The German leadership understood the situation all too well. Unlike their other major foes Britain could not be subjugated, let alone the United States. After the Royal Navy gained supremacy in the Sea of Marmara and captured Istanbul it was over for the Sultan. Bulgaria had conscripted an enormous percentage of their populace and couldn't fight on much longer. Austria-Hungary was a shadow of its prewar self. It would take time for breadbasket-Ukraine to mend the worsening food situation at home. With seemingly little left to gain for both opponents, peace talks began as a bitter and defeated France and Italy could only watch as Britain turned their back on the fall of Paris and Rome.