| | Italy
The Country history
Italy’s participation in World War I extracted a heavy price. Economic and political instability made it easy for Benito Mussolini to seize power and establish his fascist reign over the country in 1922. The Fascist movement lasted for 21 years during which a totalitarian regime was put into place and earlier ties with France and the United Kingdom gave way to an alliance with Nazi Germany. When the Allies invaded Italy in 1943, Mussolini's dictatorship collapsed and the country was liberated from fascism. In 1946, Italy became a republic by plebiscite; in the following year, a new constitution was drafted, which went into effect in 1948.
Italy was a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. |
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