We were for centuries, downtrodden and derided, because we are not one people, because we are divided. Let one flag, one hope gather us all, the hour has struck for us to join togheter. Let us gather in a legionary cohort!
Italy has called, we are ready to die!
More than 15 years have passed since the Syndicalist revolution and the Italian civil war. The dream of a united Italian state has been crushed by Austrian interests at the end of the Weltkrieg, and split the Italian peninsula in two unequal halfs. In the south, the Socialist Republic of Italy finds itself engulfed in a scenario of strikes, rampant corruption and mafia penetration in the nation's deepest industrial and political layers.. while in the north, the Kingdom of Italy was re-established, replacing the Italian Federation led by the clergy, by a monarchy ruled by Josef I of Osterreich-Toskana, another tool of the Austrian royal family..
August 16th 1936, Naples, Socialist Republic of Italy
In the second week of August, thousands of exasperated Italians have marched to Naples, from Salerno, from Sicily, from Calabria, from Puglia and Basilicata. They waved the tricolor flag, asking the regime to step down, and restore those constitutional freedoms abolished in the 1921 revolution. The fate of Syndicalism in Italy is at stake, and the crowds of Naples are quickly rounded up by the People's Army, ready to crush the protesters and restore peace. Later in the afternoon, facing increasing pressure, the syndicalist regime unexpectedly released a statement announcing the dissolution of the Socialist Republic of Italy, silently aknowledging the people's demands, and leaving the country once again in the hands of its people and a provisional government with the task of overseeing and monitoring the electoral process scheduled for August 19th. The Italian Republic was born.
August 19th 1936, Naples, Italian Republic
As thousands of Italians rushed to the polling stations, four political parties also ran for the majority in the newly formed parliament: The Christian Democracy, the Liberal Party, the National Movement, and the Labour Party. Unexpectedly, the National Movement won with a crushing majority, over 70% of votes casted during the ballots were expressions of the people's will to be ruled by an expansionist, nationalist and imperialist government.. a clear sign Italians, despite all the suffering caused by the previous regime and the economical and political consequences of the Weltkrieg, were ready to wear Scipio's helmet, and restore, with any means necessary, the glory and the pride of their lost country. As crowds of Italians waved the Tricolor Flag in the streets of Naples, the Kingdom of Italy and their Austrian masters, monitored the situation closely.
So here's the situation. The Italian Republic has a few chances of expansion, which seems to be the only plausible way to asserts itself as a regional player, considering the lack of a developed industry and national resources. But the Republic can count on a fairly developed Navy, despite the country's size, and countries like Albania, Greece, Crete and Libya, might be potential targets when resources and military strenght will make it possible. The Government will also have to open and fix diplomatic relations with Mitteleuropa, and convince them to lift the trade embargos enacted after the syndicalist revolution of 1921. The Republic faces many challenges and dangers, the fate of the Italian people is once again at stake.. will the sons of Caesar survive Austrian interferences? Or will they focus on expansionism in eastern Africa and the Balkans in an attempt to build an extra-peninsular empire, emulating National France? Or will the Republic collapse on the weight of its ambitious plans? Only time will tell....