alternatehistory.com

A Redux of my first ever timeline that got anywhere on this site.



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Introduction: The Century of Fascism

Impero Italiano, the Italian Empire, was perhaps one of the most formidable and influential military, political, and cultural forces of the 20th century. Her first enigmatic and widely admired, yet ruthless leader Benito Mussolini forged the Italian Empire after years of conflict, both political conflict in the 1930s, and eventually in the Second World War in the 1940s. In this piece, we look at the history of the Greater Italian Empire, the factors that led to her rise, her history as a third power in the Cold War, and her eventual decline and fall. According to the Duce Benito Mussolini, "The 20th Century will be the Century of Fascism.", a sentiment that scholars will likely be debating for decades, if not centuries to come. The lasting impact of Mussolini's fascism is still being felt in Southern Europe and Africa, as well as the Middle East, areas where the Greater Italian Empire held much influence. Now though, with Mussolini's century of fascism coming to a close, many are now looking back on Italy's history in the 20th century, wondering what will happen next, and how the past will be interpreted by the future. Now, we will cover this last century's history to remember those events.

While the first true roots of the Italian Empire can be found in Benito Mussolini's experience in the First World War, and his rise to power in the Kingdom of Italy, we will start instead with the point where Italy and the other great powers of Europe came together in the 1930s, and waited for what would eventually be the greatest conflict in human history. The 1930s saw Europe coming perilously close to war, the British, French, and Italians going up against the Germans diplomatically, fighting for the independence of Austria and the "Sanctity of Central Europe." as Galeazzo Ciano put it in his memoirs, where much of this information originates from. We begin this history in 1934, when German Führer Adolf Hitler announces a new foreign policy to unite his country with Austria, and when Benito Mussolini took a direct stand against Adolf Hitler with the backing of the Western European powers. While this chain of events would eventually lead to the Second World War, the time period of the 1930s was a period of diplomatic ruthlessness. Nations would back stab nations, alliances would form and crumble, and agreements would be broken often. This would only be topped by the ruthlessness of the 1940s.

Mussolini's Italy was once called by Franklin Delano Roosevelt "The last bulwark against National Socialism in Europe." in 1943, and by Churchill "A modern Roman Empire, a formidable enemy and a respectable ally.", and while their brief alliance would end in bitter rivalry, Stalin called Mussolini's Italy "A worthy ally." in a speech in 1945. While that praise would soon come to an end as the 1940s did, fascism throughout the Cold War thrived in many parts of the world, and even to this day, still does exist. Despite the dynamic eras of Benito Mussolini, Galeazzo Ciano, Italo Balbo, and Bruno Mussolini being long gone, when in hundreds of years historians look back on the 20th century, they will say that the Italian Empire and Fascism, whether you look back on it with contempt or pride, made a lasting impact on society and thought throughout the world. Here in these chapters will be a full story of their effect on the 20th century, and on the world we live in today.
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