This work investigates how Italy’s participation in the First World War functioned as a catalyst for the collapse of the liberal state and the subsequent rise of fascism. Vanda Wilcox, a historian specializing in the Italian experience during the Great War, utilizes extensive archival research and military records to analyze the disconnect between the state’s imperial ambitions and the reality of its domestic social and economic instability. The text argues that the war effort exposed deep-seated structural weaknesses that the Italian government failed to address, ultimately creating the political vacuum filled by Mussolini.

Scholars recognize this work as a significant contribution to the study of Italy’s role in the First World War, particularly regarding the internal political consequences of the conflict. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which makes it a valuable resource for researchers and students of European history.