late '38: 4 '39: 3 '40: 1 '41: 1 '42+: 0 We tend to take for granted Italy's eventual entry into the war as an ally of Germany. However, in World War I Italy had also been initially allied with Germany, and had declined to enter the war. The threat Great Britain and France presented to the Italian coast were no doubt serious considerations. Eventually, in WWI Italy declared war as an Ally on the promise of certain real estate to be taken from the Austro-Hungarian empire. To some extent these same considerations apply at the beginning of World War II. At the end of World War I Italy got what she wanted from Austria. When Mussolini came to power, his fascist politics, and more importantly cooperation in Spain, led to an alignment with Hitler. Together they supported Franco in Spain against the Soviet supported Republicans. Italy had meanwhile expanded a large but shaky empire in Africa with the conquest of Ethiopia. So, as World War II opened, this empire was potentially vulnerable to the Allies should Italy enter the war, aside from the peril of a long, Mediterranean coast vulnerable to Allied naval superiority. Italy stayed neutral. The fall of France changed the balance of power. Italy entered, expecting to be able to capitalize on allied weakness. Thus, Italy's political leanings depend on the perception of balance of power, particularly naval power in the Mediterranean. So, the fall of either Britain or France, or serious weakening of either, would likely bring Italian entry as an ally of Germany. Sufficient Allied strength might bring Italy in as an Ally, though this would likely require a change of government. The enormous potential of the future allies, the USA and USSR, would not necessarily be considered, as a peace would be expected that would give Italy a cheap gain. Entry of the US into the war would likely prevent a still neutral Italy from joining the Axis, and might induce her to eventually become Allied. Yet, the ability of Mussolini to correctly gauge relative strengths can be seen in the results of his offensives, particularly that against Greece. Adding Politics to Your WWII Game A Model Introduction Poland Great Britain France, Belgium, Holland Italy USSR USA Spain and Portugal Hungary and Romainia Yugoslavia and Bulgaria Greece and Turkey Finland Norway, Sweden, and Denmark Political Event Table Treaties Back to Table of Contents -- Against the Odds vol. 1 no. 2 Back to Against the Odds List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2003 by LPS. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com * Buy this back issue or subscribe to Against the Odds direct from LPS.