Kingdom of Italy

## **Modern Day**

King Ferdinand III after being killed in 1934 and his successor killing himself brought an unstable political Italy. The Italian economy though recovering from the market crash isn’t the best as hyperinflation is everywhere and the seemingly polar opposites of the radical left and right groups might take control of Italy soon and explode into Civil war. Benito Mussolini, for the most part, despises the current monarchy calling it a shame. The current monarch King Alfonso the 2nd is a weak and easily swayed leader. The Italian state has a good tourist industry and is fairly modernized and industrialized. For the most part, the up and coming elections of 1938 and 1942 could change Italy forever.

## **History**

### **Italian Unification**

In 1815 the first military action in Italy happened, Sardinia-Piedmont would officially invade Genoa bring an end to the trade city’s nation. The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies would be formed as Naples and Sicily would officially unite together. Other than that a 30-year span of peace happened while both sides gradually grew their influence. When the revolts of 1848 came things changed in Italy as a seeming call of Unification grew. Ferdinand the II of the Two Sicilies did not take this well, and even Pope Pius IX fled to the Two Sicilies bonding the two during the revolution. Meanwhile, Sicily would declare independence and the revolt soon was crushed. By 1849 an absolute monarchy occurred in the Two Sicilies after the revolts led to parliament being banished. The Two Sicilies would grow distant from both France and Spain until 1852, that is when Ferdinand II was killed by a soldier. Francis II was crowned King, he unlike his father knew that the Two Sicilies could not survive without a parliament so he re-enabled one, so his people didn't overthrow him. Austria was pushed out of expanding more into Italy after the defeat at Milan. Soon Sardinia-Piedmont had fully united the North with means of peace and military. The Two Sicilies, however, had a card on their side. The Papel States’s pope after spending exile in the Two Sicilies bonded with the government, allowing a closer relationship and eventually the unification of the two in 1859 while the Pope only held control of Rome and the surrounding areas. Only 4 states remained the Austrians in Venice, the Two Sicilies, San Marino, and Sardinia-Piedmont. Soon Sardina declared war on the Two Sicilies taking Palermo with a naval force and soon taking half of Sicily, but they were soon kicked out. The Sicilian Army would advance into Sardinia-Piedmont with support from the British since there was already a lot of investors there. Sardinia-Piedmont would soon surrender and be overrun and eventually annexed and the Kingdom of Italy was formed under Francis II in 1861.

### **Golden Age of Italy**

In 1869 the pope joined the Kingdom of Italy supporting the Italian brotherhood and officially uniting it. Italy would undergo a new renaissance as artists and cultural icons of the past would come back. Italy would industrialize fast, and slow down poverty and embrace their culture. Soon Italian explorers would go claim Libya and East Africa for Italy in the Conference of Berlin.

### **Franco-Italian War and aftermath**

In 1889 Francis II died of health problems, and soon his brother took his place as King Alfonso the 1st of Italy. Soon Italy would be humiliated in the Franco-Italian war losing a lot of colonies and land to the French. A minor socialist uprising would occur in Sicily following the war but it was put down. They would sell Somalia to recover its economy and soon joined the Bristol Pact in 1905 to combat the French in a future war.

### **3rd Anglo-Spanish war and the 1920’s**

Italy would regain its glory by hitting back the Spanish who controlled a chunk of their land a couple of hundred years ago. Italy, for the most part, goes unaffected in the late 1910s and ’20s. Rapid economic growth would happen during the time and more investment would go into what’s left of their Libyan colony.

### **Age of Extremists(1934-)**

When King Alfonso died in 1934 and the economic crisis the country broke. Ferdinand Ist of Italy rose to the throne and only 3 months later he was shot and killed by an anarchist. So unprepared Prince Ranieri his brother became King. Ranieri fearing he would be killed like his brother soon enacted strict laws that parliament didn’t agree with, and soon deposed him to a mere figurehead losing all his power. Ranieri soon committed suicide in 1935, and Ferdinand’s nephew who was 35 became the King Alfonso the 2nd. There were two major threats to Italy, the Italian Socialist party led by Benito Mussolini of the Maximalist faction, and the Nationalist faction led by Roberto Farinacci though socialism is more popular.

## **Military**

### **Army**

The Italian army holds at a good amount of 500,000 men and can fully mobilize more than twice of that. Most of Italy’s army is on the Austrian and French borders, with a considerable 100,000 stationed in Libya. Italy has been at the forefront of mechanized troops and armored cars or tanks.

### **Navy**

For the most part, the Italian navy is large, with forces stationed in the Baerlic islands and Libya. 3 of Italy’s biggest military ports are Naples, Tripoli, and Palma. Spanish naval presences have been weakened ever since the last war and Spain is mostly focused in the Atlantic leaving Italy’s only rival in the navy is France.

### **Air-Force**

Italy is not famous for its air force. They do have a decent size one though, mostly from British designed or bought planes. Italian air-fields are mostly based in Libya and Sicily.

## **Politics**

There are three main political parties. Ever since the Market Crash things have not been the same. The leftist-led by Benito Mussolini carries the Italian Socialist Party. Mussolini’s Maximalist faction has been growing in numbers and has become Italy’s second-biggest party behind the democratic side which is currently barely more popular. Roberto Farinacci is the leader of the National Italian Front which is basically a right-wing group and it does have a lot of supporters though the socialist bullies them with their “Red Shirts”. The Communist Party of Italy is a breakaway party from the main Socialist party and for the most part, they try to side together to form a majority.

## **Relations**

Italy has terrible relations with Austria and France as both still control parts of their land. France has owned the city of Turin ever since 1891 which has peaked anti-french sentiment among all different political parties and sides. Spain, for the most part, is laughed at by the Italians since they won against them and gained the Baerlic islands even though the war was mostly a tie. To support them are Italy’s allies of Belgium and Britain in the Bristol pact. Portugal is also a close ally as well as siding against the Spanish. Britain has tons of investors in Italy which has really shaped their politics. Greece and the Ottomans, for the most part, fear that one day Italy will sweep up some of their lands. Italy sees the Ottomans as a disgrace of an Empire, and Greece as a potential new territory.