Italy

Civilization	Bonuses and Unique Units	Strategy
Italy was one of the original civilizations available for Empire Earth. Italian flag. Game description The separate kingdoms on the Italian peninsula and islands began to move toward unification in the 19th Century. Disputes with Austria and France over land were eventually resolved – sometimes through war. In 1870, final unification was achieved when Rome was established as the capital of Italy. When WWI broke out in 1914, Italy negotiated with both sides and ended up joining the Allies in the hopes of gaining more territory. Italian forces soon found themselves in a difficult defensive struggle for control of their Alpine border with Austria. In the end, the Allies were victorious, but the victory was costly for Italy. While she gained territory, she had lost 600,000 men and found herself in both political and economic crisis. It was against this troubled backdrop that Benito Mussolini rose to power. By forging key political alliances, Mussolini’s National Fascist Party came to dominate the Italian government. After an opposition leader was found murdered in 1924, Mussolini began transforming Italy into a fascist state in order to stay in power. Constitutional checks were abolished and the press came increasingly under governmental control. Mussolini also looked to increase Italy’s holdings in Africa, taking Ethiopia in 1936. Ties with Hitler’s Germany developed in the 1930s, frightening many Italians. But the Fascists were firmly in control and political opposition easily suppressed. The infamous Rome-Berlin Axis was founded in 1938. Despite the alliance, Mussolini did not enter WWII until June 1940, once again hoping for territorial gains. But the Italian people were not behind their fascist leader. When Allied forces invaded Italy in 1943, Mussolini was deposed and the former King restored. A few months later, Italy declared war on Germany.