Italian Defeat First Since Napoleon

Northern Advocate, 1 October 1943, Page 5

Italian Defeat First Since Napoleon

.Italy has, not been totally defeated since the reign of Napoleon, who marched his armies into the country in .1796—an interval of 117 years till the capitulation of the Italian Empire today. From _ the partition of Charlemagne's empire in Sill to the unification of Italy in 3570. Hie peninsula of Italy was the scene of an endless succession of fends. Savage wars were carried on between duchies, petty monarchies and struggling republics, or between sections of. the country and foreign masters, particularly the House of Hapsburg. For centuries Hie city of Rome and adjacent territory was subject to the rule of the Pope. The outbreak of the French Revolution found Italy completely broken up into petty States organised as little republics, or governed by the Pope or by rulers subservient to Austria.

French troops under the command of Louis Napoleon poured over the Alps and drove the Austrians out of all Italy with the exception of Venice. 'When Napoleon became Emperor ho organised the greater part of Italy into kingdoms and placed bis relatives upon the thrones. After the downfall of Napoleon and his regime, the Congress of Vienna re-established the Austrian influence.

During the ensuing half-century, an earnest desire for a free, united arid independent country arose, favour, Mazzini, Garibaldi and other Italians gave their lives to the work of achieving this result. Orgariisritioris known its the Carbonari Charcoal-. Burners) and Young Italy pushed on this work. Victor Emmanuel, King of Sardinia, arid his Prime Minister, Count favour, the Italian Bismarck, raised the Kingdom of Savoy to much the same status in Italy as Prussia and Brandenburg attained in Germany. By dint of iris careful and cunning tintics of joining the winning side, Victor Emmanuel raised the status and calmed the internal strife of his country. Italy's kingdom became complete in IS7O.

Successive riots and internal revolts have taken place within Italy until the present, flay. Italy played an important part in the Great War, as on May 21, 1015, she joined the Allies and declared war on Austria.

After the Great, War, many Italians became adherents of Socialism. Seeing his opportunity in an Italy now overrun with hotbeds of rebels against the • law and politics of the country, a ' loader arose from the veterans returned from the wai tie was Benito Mussolini, who organised the Faseisti to ostensibly counteract the tendency toward Communism. Invited by the King to become Premier! and form a Cabinet in 1922, Mussolini took charge nt the nine most important portfolios himself. Virtual dictator then, Mussolini did not become complete ruler until 1922. when the Italian Senate passed a law making the Fascist Grand Council a. part of tlie Govefmpent. Mussolini and his regime reigned supreme in Italy until his abdication on July 20, 1912, when Marshal Badoglio and the King of Italy (Victor Emmanuel) took over the guidance of the State. According to a census taken in 1931, Italy's population numbers 41,220,481.