The Fall of Mussolini: Italy, the Italians, and the Second World War

"The Fall of Mussolini" covers the tumultuous period in Italy from roughly the removal of Mussolini from power in July 1943 (much to to the surprise of many, by then King of Italy, etc., Victor Emmanuel III, after Italy's fortunes in the war turned) to his execution in April 1945 after he returns as a puppet of the Nazi Empire in September 1943. There is, of course, explanatory material on events ocurring before July 1943 and after April 1945 but the primary focus of the book is on this brief span and an attempt to explain how it led to Italy's shift from a pre-war pro-Fascist government to a post-war democracy (after abolition of the monarchy by nationwide referendum in 1946 despite the King's abdication shortly beforehand on May 9, 1946, coincidentally almost a year to the day that Germany had surrendered). The author's purpose is really twofold: (1) to debunk the myth generated by the Italian government(s), people, and historians after World War II that Italy was completely anti-Fascist during World War II with a resistance movement impeding and countering Mussolini's (and later Hitler's) every move; and (2) to present a social history of this turbulent period by showing the extraordinary pressures, risks, and decisions many Italians went through in an ever shifting political and military landscape. By the time the war ended Italy was in chaos as a result not only of the military struggles and invasions on two fronts (the Germans invading to occupy northern Italy and the Allies invading southern Italy first as conquerors, then as colloborators) but also by sectional political fighting among hard-core Italian Fascists, anti-Fascist rebels, Monarchists, Communists, and others that resembled civil wars. Overall, it is an interesting look at this aspect of World War II, particularly from the vantage point (and eyewitness accounts) of those who lived through it.