Mussolini’s War: Fascist Italy from Triumph to Collapse: 1935-1943 

by John Gooch

A remarkable new history evoking the centrality of Italy to World War II, outlining the brief rise and triumph of the Fascists, followed by the disastrous fall of the Italian military campaign.

While staying closely aligned with Hitler, Mussolini remained carefully neutral until the summer of 1940. At that moment, with the wholly unexpected and sudden collapse of the French and British armies, Mussolini declared war on the Allies in the hope of making territorial gains in southern France and Africa. This decision proved a horrifying miscalculation, dooming Italy to its own prolonged and unwinnable war, immense casualties, and an Allied invasion in 1943 that ushered in a terrible new era for the country.

Interview with the Author

Speaking of Writers 
John Gooch – Mussolini’s War: Fascist Italy from Triumph to Collapse: 1933 – 1943
1/21/21            12 min

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