World War II ~ Lesson 2 Italy
After World War I, Benito Mussolini started a Fascist party in Italy. Many of the young men in his party wore black shirts and carried guns and clubs. They walked the streets beating up people who did not believe in their ideas. |
Symbol of the Fascist Party |
Benito Mussolini
Mussolini promised to bring back the greatness of Rome. In 1922, Mussolini marched on Rome. The Black Shirts, Mussolini and his army, took control of the government. They became a secret police force. They beat and killed anyone who spoke out against Mussolini's Fascist party.
In 1935, Mussolini's army invaded the small African nation of Ethiopia. The Italians had modern weapons and the Ethiopians fought with spears. The League of Nations tried to stop Italy, but it did no good. Italy left the League.
In 1936, the German army was also on the move. They marched into the land west of the Rhine River in Europe.
In 1936, Germany, Italy, and Japan signed a treaty in which they agreed to help each other in time of war. The three nations became known as the Axis Powers.
