| November 11 |  |
Editor says, what if Mussolini had emigrated to New York City? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the December 2012 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1869, on this day Victor Emmanuel Savoy was born in Naples in the Kingdom of Italy. He would rule Italy from 29 July 1900 until his death on 28 December 1947 [1].
House of Savoy Redeemed by Ed & Scott PalterDue to the political and economic instability of Europe between the wars, he was reluctantly forced to appoint a nationalist government. But he compounded the error by linking the fate of the House of Savoy to the Junta that took Italy to war in 1938 [2].
Four years later, the Allies took another fateful decision, to proceed with Operation Giant [3]. Ignoring the pleadings of his mother, Prince Umberto stayed with the Rome Garrison to restore the honour of the House of Savoy. And despite his tragic death (he was not yet forty) he had indeed assured that the Royal House of Savoy would emerge from the war with some shreds of prestige that would allow them to continue their reign. Of course the Western Allies were keen to put in place a bulwark against Communism, and in Italy (like Japan) saw the intrinsic value of continuity of a Head of State in a defeated nation that they need to convert to a Cold war ally.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Politicians Source: Wikipedia Labels: House of Savoy, Victor Emmanuel III, Italy, King, Benito Mussolini. Editor says, [1] in reality reports Wikipedia - public opinion forced a plebiscite on whether to retain the monarchy or become a republic. On 9 May 1946, in hopes of influencing the vote, Victor Emanuel formally abdicated, succeeded by his son Umberto II. It did not work. Fifty-four percent of the voters favored declaring a republic in the referendum held less than a month later. All male members of the House of Savoy were required to leave the country and never return. The Kingdom of Italy was no more.
<[2] We assume no Munich Conference.
~ Making a stand in the defense of Rome is on the level with the king whose blood enriches the land. House of Savoy needed a martyr.
~ What happened to the Munich Conference in this TL?
~ Munich was Benny the Moose. No Mussolini no conference and the West must fight or punk. Essentially the hour of decision that happened over Poland in 1939 happens over the Sudetenland in 1938.
~ Italy's treatment of her royal family indefensible and vindictive.
~ Without Mussolini, probably no Hitler. Hitler, at least at first, aped the Blackshirts a lot. And without Hitler, no war, almost for certain-sure, no matter how irritated the Italians were about how WWI had come out; _nobody_ else seriously wanted more war.
~ There were enough other models of militarized rightwing radicals to draw on.
~ A very different Europe, to say the least.
© Today in Alternate History, 2013-. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
