Fascism's European Empire
Italian Occupation during the Second World War

This 2006 book is a controversial reappraisal of Italian occupation of the Mediterranean during the Second World War.

Davide Rodogno (Author), Adrian Belton (Translated by)

9780521845151, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 3 August 2006

562 pages, 41 b/w illus. 12 maps
23 x 16 x 3.9 cm, 1 kg

'… well-researched and well-written … an important and original work …' The Historical Journal

This 2006 book is a controversial reappraisal of the Italian occupation of the Mediterranean during the Second World War, which Davide Rodogno examines within the framework of fascist imperial ambitions. He focuses on the European territories annexed and occupied by Italy between 1940 and 1943: metropolitan France, Corsica, Slovenia, Croatia, Dalmatia, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, Western Macedonia, and mainland and insular Greece. He explores Italy's plans for Mediterranean expansion, its relationship with Germany, economic exploitation, the forced 'Italianisation' of the annexed territories, collaboration, repression, and Italian policies towards refugees and Jews. He also compares Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany through their dreams of imperial conquest, the role of racism and anti-Semitism, and the 'fascistization' of the Italian Army. Based on previously unpublished sources, this is a groundbreaking contribution to genocide, resistance, war crimes and occupation studies as well as to the history of the Second World War more generally.

Introduction
Part I: Prologue: the conquered territories. 1. Italo-German relations in Mediterranean Europe
2. The New Mediterranean Order
3. The discrepancy between Fascism's plans for domination and actual occupation
4. Mussolini, the civil and military authorities and the coordination of occupation policies
5. The conquerors
Part II: 6. Relations with the occupied countries
7. Economic valorization and the exploitation of the occupied territories
8. The forced Italianization of the new provinces
9. Collaboration
10. Repression
11. Policy towards refugees and Jews
Epilogue
Appendices
Archival sources
Printed sources and bibliography.

Subject Areas: Second World War [HBWQ], Military history [HBW], European history [HBJD]