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Benito Mussolini is appointed Prime Minister of Italy
Fascist Party establishes Mussolini as Prime Minister among fears of Communism -
Benito Mussolini establishes himself as Dictator of Italy
Mussolini gives a speech to Parliament establishing how he has supreme power in Italy. -
First Italian Racial Laws are Passed
The Italian Racial Laws removed Italian Jews civil rights, removing them from government positions and the military. While Jews were put into Italian Concentration Camps, Italian Jews were not included. The Jews place in camps were given basic needs and not abused for the most part until Germany's occupation of Italy. -
Italy joins the war on the Axis side
As France's defeat becomes inevitable, Italy joins the war on Germany's side. They join in order to start a parallel war to Germany's attacks on Britain. The countries targeted by Italy are Egypt, Greece, Yugoslavia, and Northern Africa. This was done by concentrating troops to battle British and French troops in Northern Africa and the Mediterranean. -
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Italian People Live With Food Shortages
Italian people live with extreme food shortages in order to feed the military. In cities, often the only way to acquire food was through the black market. While this is not an outright act by the home front, a lack of rebellion is cause to believe this was a sacrifice they simply dealt with. (Cant add photos to Timespans) -
Italians Begin to Resist Fascist Leadership
With the invasion of Allied forced in Italy, The Italian people begin to show some resistance toward their fascist leadership. Previous to this, no resistance towards their leaders or the war had been shown. Resistance was carried out through anti-Fascism and anti-war propaganda. -
Invasion of Sicily
U.S. and British troops invade Sicily through amphibious movements along with aerial attacks. Italian and German troops occupying Sicily lose, with around 22,000 axis casualties. Overall there are around 330,000 casualties, with the majority being American and British. It drove Italy from the war, and set a precedence for coalition planning in the war. -
Germany Occupies Italy
Germany's occupation of Italy began the deportation and murder of around 8,000 of Italy's Jewish population. Italy was a relatively safe place for the Jewish up until German occupation. Fascist Government was mostly not anti-Semitic, allowing Jews to live fairly normal lives. -
Allies invasion of Italy
Allied forces amphibiously overtook the Italian mainland following the invasion of Sicily. The allied forces won, but not before losing 12,000 soldiers and taking 3,500 of the Axis' men. The Invasion of Italy was the first step to fighting back against Germany and the Axis powers, following the initial attacks on Sicily. -
Italy Surrenders to the Allies
A representative of Marshal Pietro Badoglio, the Italian Prime Minister since Mussolini's downfall, signs an armistice agreement with the allies following the invasion of Italy. Italy then joins the Allied Powers in the war. -
Italy Declares War on Germany
One month after Surrendering to the Allies, Italy declared war on its once partner Germany. This is due to Hitler's plan to invade Italy and growing resentment towards the Axis powers by the people of Italy. -
Battle of Monte Cassino
Allied forces battled the Axis in Monte Cassino in an attempt to break through in order to reach Rome. The Allies lost around 55,000 men, while the Axis, primarily Germans, only lost about 22,000 men. The ancient abbey of Monte Cassino was destroyed by Allied bombing, destroying an important part of history. The Allied powers had a straight shot to Rome after their victory however, and Germany had to retreat to Hitler's Defensive Line. -
Battle of Anzio begins
The allied troops attack Anzio, resulting in an Allied victory after 6 months of fighting on the beaches. The allies lost 43,000 men, with the Axis losing 40,000 by the battles end. The battle of Anzio matters because the Allies took back Rome from the Axis powers and was the first battle Italy participated in since declaring war on Germany. -
Germany Surrenders
Germany Surrenders to the Allied powers, Italy Included following an Allied push into Berlin, with Britain and the U.S. coming from the west and the Soviet Union from the East. The surrender was shortly after Hitler's suicide in his bunker in Berlin. -
Italy Rebuilds
With the war over, Italy needed to move forward. Following the 1946 election, an Italian Constitution was created. Italy received large amounts of money through the U.S.' Marshall plan, helping to rebuild its industry and agricultural life, in turn rebuilding Italy's economy. -
Fascist Party is Overthrown
The Italian people overthrow the Fascist Regime in the 1946 elections following the war. A Christian Democracy was chosen as the new way of Government, and is still in place today. Fascism was overthrown as the people were unhappy with decisions in the War and wanted a say in their lives.
