Italy probably stays aligned with the Allies. WW2 may never happen.What if Mussolini never came to power? What would happen to Italy? How would this change their History, the course of WW2, and the entire world?
What POD prevent's Mussolini personally from becoming the Duce?
I suspect that another fascist may take power - it was all the rage.
Well for one thing - those trains wont be running on time
I suspect that another fascist may take power - it was all the rage.
But possibly the Italians stay on the Entente side which means that they are going to oppose any unification between Germany and Austria.
How strong is the Italian Left in this period? Would a prolonged period of weak Governments post war give the Italian Communists room to maneuver their way to a position of power?
If Hitler comes to power - Italy will be hostile. Weak, but hostile. Italy will oppose Germany over the Anschluss of Austria, and then over Sudtirol, but be reluctant to Do Anything. If the TL proceeds as OTL, with a war in 1939... Italy will be pro-Allied neutral, freeing the French Navy to operate in the Atlantic and additional French troops to fight in the north. Though very likely Italy will have much smaller Navy.
The pacification of Libya will drag on longer, probably, with a less ruthless Italy; or Italy may give up on Libya circa 1920.
Well for one thing - those trains wont be running on time![]()
Fascism didn't exist before Mussolini.
The name & the Italian model did not. But there were a number of proto Facist movements underway. Mussolini was drawing from widespread social and political trends when he formed his movement.
Fascism didn't exist before Mussolini.
I think you hurt D'Annunzio's feelings
Apart from the name 'Fascism' Mussolini invented virtually nothing - hell the idea of 'Fasci' organisations as popular movements in Italy go back to at least the 1890s. What he did do was take an amorphous bundle of ideas pioneered by a bunch of cocaine-snorting veterans led by a poet and turn into an organised and palatable political force.
So Blackshirted national-populists roaming Italy beating up socialists, liberals and strikers will still happen becaue Mussolini didn't invent it, under what name (squadrismo/legionismo/ligismo) is something else and whether they attain power or anything like it is up to alternate leaders and chance.