1. Italy after the War:

1912 - 1913: universal male suffrage (1)
- rise of new parties - Catholic People's Party (Popolari)
                                - Socialist Party       (2)
- Italy's weak position at the Paris Conference (3)

1 + 2 + 3 => increasing political influence of the masses => socialist offensive (1919 - 1920)

Benito Mussolini - left the socialists before the war
                            - 1919: founded his own organization (Fasci di Combattimento) based on expansionist nationalism and hostility to socialists

1920: Slovene agitation in northeast Italy => fascist squadre responded with violence and crime against both Slovenes and socialists => the fascists supported by some liberals (G. Giolitti) => fascist deputies in parliament

October 1922: the March on Rome => Mussolini demanded to be named prime minister => king Victor Emmanuel III appointed him prime minister

2. The Fascist State:

1924: new electoral law => Mussolini obtains a fascist majority => fascist deputies criticized in the parliament by socialists (G. Matteoti) => Matteoti is assassinated => socialists, popolari and liberals secede from the parliament

1925: Mussolini announces that he will remain in power indefinitely => all opposition parties outlawed

1928: the Grand Council of Fascism regulates succession to the throne
- Fascist Youth Organization - to instill nationalism

1929: Concordat with the church => creation of Vatican as mini - state => large support of the Pope and the church for Mussolini

3. Foreign Affairs:

1922 - 1931: Italian brutal intervention in Libya

1935: with France's tacit support, Italy invaded east Africa and attacked Ethiopia => economic sanctions against Italy organized through the League of Nations => Italy supplied with raw materials from Germany

1936: Italian troops occupy Addis Ababa => Mussolini proclaims the empire => Mussolini begins the militarization of the economy => increasing dependency upon Germany

1936: Italian - German treaty (Rome - Berlin Axis)

1938: Italian anti - Semitic legislation

1939: Italian troops invaded Albania

June 1940: Italy entered World War II