7 Benito Mussolini 7passed shameful anti-Semitic laws in Italy that discrimi-
nated against Jews in all sectors of public and private life
and prepared the way for the deportation of some 20 per-
cent of Italy’s Jews to German death camps during the war.
Role in World War II
Mussolini watched the progress of Hitler’s war with bit-
terness and alarm, becoming more and more bellicose
with each fresh German victory. He frequently expressed
hope that the Germans would be slowed down or would
meet with some reverse that would satisfy his personal
envy and give Italy breathing space. When Germany
advanced westward, however, and France seemed on the
verge of collapse, Mussolini felt he could delay no longer.
So, on June 10, 1940, Italy declared war on the Allies.
From the beginning the war went badly for Italy, and
Mussolini’s opportunistic hopes for a quick victory soon
dissolved. France surrendered before there was an oppor-
tunity for even a token Italian victory. Mussolini then
decided to attack Greece through Albania in 1940 with-
out informing the Germans. The result was an extensive
and humiliating defeat, and the Germans were forced
unwillingly to extricate Mussolini from its consequences.
The 1941 campaign to support the German invasion of
the Soviet Union also failed disastrously and condemned
thousands of ill-equipped Italian troops to a nightmarish
winter retreat. Hitler had to come to his ally’s help once
again in North Africa. After the Italian surrender in
North Africa in 1943, the Germans began to take precau-
tions against a likely Italian collapse. Mussolini had
grossly exaggerated the extent of public support for his
regime and for the war. When the Allies successfully
invaded Sicily in July 1943, it was obvious that collapse
was imminent.