By Anne Copley

From 1922 Italy was ruled as a fascist state by Benito Mussolini, one of the originators of the doctrine. Although politically aligned with Germany, Italy didn't enter the 2nd World War at its inception, but only in May 1940, after Hitler's successes in France. By doing so, Mussolini subjected his country to "a nadir of national prestige so profound that it appeared to jeopardize the very existence of the country."

Amongst Italians, support for Fascism, and subsequently the War, was waning by 1940. Membership of the Party was often only for show or in order to be able to continue in their profession.

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Fonte: The Italian American Journal