Italian Social Republic

Repubblica Sociale Italiana
Italian Social Republic

Client state of ‌Germany

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1943–1945

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Anthem
Il Canto degli Italiani
Giovinezza

Allied Occupation:
Kingdom of Italy

Capital

Salò

Government

Republic and fascist corporativism

Duce

- 1943-1945

Benito Mussolini

German plenipotentiary

- 1943-1945

Rudolf Rahn

History

- July 25, 1943

Mussolini deposed

- September 18, 1943

Established

- April 28, 1945

Death of Mussolini

- May 2, 1945

Surrender of German Forces in Italy

Fascist Italy

Kingdom of Italy

v

The Italian Social Republic (1943-1945) was a puppet state created by Germany in northern Italy after that country had signed an armistice with the Allies and switched sides in World War II. It was lead by Benito Mussolini (₳|₩) as both head of state (₳|₩) and head of government (₳|₩), under the title of "Il Duce". The Kingdom of Italy continued to exist in southern Italy in the territory liberated by the Allies.

Government[]

Italy allied with Germany and declared war on the United Kingdom and Vichy France in 1940. In 1941, Italy - with the other Axis powers, Germany and Imperial Japan - declared war on the United States and the Soviet Union. Following the Allied invasion of Sicily (₳|₩) in 1943, the King dismissed Mussolini and appointed Marshal Pietro Badoglio as Premier. The Badoglio government declared war on Germany, which quickly occupied most of the country and freed Mussolini, who led a brief-lived regime in the north. An anti-fascist popular resistance movement grew during the last two years of the war, harassing German forces before they were driven out in April 1945.^[1]