Mussolini and Reshaping the State

Abstract This chapter considers Mussolini’s aims to raise Italy to the first rank of great nations, and in particular the part international expansion and colonialism played in this. Despite his antipathy to the international order created out of the Versailles Treaty, for the first thirteen years after he came to power, he effectively had to rely upon diplomatic activity to raise Italy’s status, and it was not until October 1935 that Mussolini deployed the military to take a new territory with the invasion of Ethiopia, which was followed by participation on the nationalist side in the Spanish civil war in July 1936. Notwithstanding important reservations about Hitler, thereafter Mussolini became increasingly drawn to an offensive alliance with Germany cemented by the Pact of Steel in May 1939 that led to Italy entering the World War in June 1940 in what became a parallel war aligned to Germany. Italy failed to realize any of its territorial ambitions, lost all of its colonies and saw the country surrender in May 1943 by which time Mussolini had been dismissed. Italy never had the economic capacity for Mussolini’s military ambitions but his failings as a military strategist and commander notably amplified this.