By the summer of 1943, the Allied conquest of North Africa and invasion of Sicily seriously diminished the Fascist government"s power. Mussolini had promised Italy greatness and expected to be the leader of a new Roman Empire, but his army"s defeats undermined his support at home and reduced his government to puppet status, controlled by Hitler to maintain a military presence in Italy.
The Führer needed to keep Mussolini in power but the collapse of popular support for Il Duce left even a weak King Vittorio Emanuele with little choice. On July 25, 1943, Mussolini was forced from power and later arrested. His replacement, Pietro Badoglio, was a man more inclined to accommodate the king and immediately began secret talks with the Allied forces to negotiate an armistice for Italy.
Meanwhile
