Kingdom of Italy
Italy, 1861–1946.
The Risorgimento united most of the peninsula under the House of Savoy in 1861, and Rome became the capital in 1871. A liberal monarchy gave way to Mussolini's Fascist dictatorship in 1922.
Seat of power: Rome
Rulers
Victor Emmanuel II
King of Italy, 1861–1878
The first king of united Italy and a constitutional monarch. His prime ministers, starting with Cavour, governed through a parliament elected by a small, wealthy electorate.
Portrait of Victor Emmanuel II: Eugène Disdéri, Public domain, file
Victor Emmanuel III
King of Italy, 1900–1946
Reigned for 46 years. In 1922 he refused to stop the Fascist March on Rome and appointed Mussolini prime minister. He dismissed Mussolini in 1943 and abdicated in 1946, shortly before Italians voted for a republic.
Portrait of Victor Emmanuel III: Mario Nunes Vais, Public domain, file
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Benito Mussolini
Prime Minister (Il Duce), 1922–1943
Built a one-party dictatorship: opposition parties were banned, the press was censored and a secret police watched dissidents. He allied Italy with Nazi Germany, and military defeat led to his fall in 1943.
Portrait of Benito Mussolini: Unknown author, Public domain, file
Culture
- Verdi's operas become symbols of the national movement.
- The Futurist manifesto (1909) celebrates speed, machines and the modern city.
- Guglielmo Marconi pioneers radio and shares the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Picture
The Vittoriano in Rome, built from 1885 to honour the first king of united Italy.
Image: Max_Ryazanov, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
