Italy

Italy is a nation in southern Europe on the Mediterranean Sea.

Italy in The Gladiator
Italy has long since fallen under the sway of the Soviet Union and Communism by the end of the tnwey-first century. Although the Secret Police operate in Italy and the country is set up along Soviet lines, the Italians don't take Communism as seriously as the Russians and tend to mock the Russians whenever they can get away with it.

Italy in In the Presence of Mine Enemies
The Italian Empire was allied with Germany in the Axis during World War II. They assisted the Reich in defeating British and Commonwealth forces in North Africa. When the Axis emerged victorious at the end of the war, the Italian Empire was granted control of the Mediterranean Sea including parts of the Middle East. It also retained its colonies in Africa and expanded its African empire. Italy was still ruled by the Duce and the Fascist Party. The monarch, King Umberto, wielded only symbolic power.

Italy's colonial possessions were annexed during World War II. These included Albania, Greece, Ethiopia, Somaliland, Eritrea and Libya, as well as parts of the Middle East.

The Italians were compelled to perpetrate large-scale massacres of Arabs in their Middle East empire, once Nazi ideologues decided that that was called for, much they had enacted anti-Jewish race laws in 1938, which were not part of Mussolini's original Fascist program.

Italy had an excellent football team, and was dependent on revenue from matches against visiting teams. Italian tourists also visited the Reich's capital of Berlin.

Despite the alliance between the Italian Empire and the Reich, there were disputes between the two nations sometimes. Italian fans rioted after the German team Leipzig won a football match against Italy in Milan because the hometeam's goal was blocked on an offside call. The German Federation of Sport reacted by demanding an apology from their Italian counterparts and withdrew from competition with teams from the Italian Empire until the issue was resolved.

King Umberto and the Duce supported the SS' attempted putsch against reformist Fuhrer Heinz Buckliger.

Italy in Southern Victory
Italy was a founding member of the Central Powers alliance system with Germany, Austria-Hungary and the United States. However, when Austria-Hungary invoked this alliance in 1914 in preparation for a war against Russia (which developed into the Great War), Italy refused to participate, claiming the war was not a defensive war on Vienna's part.

Italy remained neutral throughout the war, much to the frustration of the Germans and Austro-Hungarians who wanted access to its strategic locations. Italy was briefly courted by the Entente, but remained neutral.

Despite its neutrality, Italy granted full diplomatic recognition to the Republic of Quebec upon that nation's inception in 1917.

During the interwar years, Benito Mussolini ran for office on the promise that he would make the trains run on time. He failed, and Italy remained neutral when the Second Great War erupted in 1941.

Italy in Worldwar
Italy was allied with Germany in the Axis in 1942. During World War II, it fought British forces in North Africa and had also contributed troops to Germany's 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union.

When the Race's Conquest Fleet landed in 1942, it quickly conquered Italy, and Italian dictator Benito Mussolini was overthrown. (He was imprisoned but was later freed in a raid by Otto Skorzeny and eventually found himself in the United States.) The Race used Italy as one of several points from which to launch an invasion of Germany. The Germans retaliated by destroying the city of Rome with an atomic bomb smuggled into the city by submarine.

At the Cairo Peace Conference, German representative Joachim von Ribbentrop demanded that the Race cede Italy to Germany, and Italy was annexed to the Greater German Reich.