39
votes
Is there any primary source for Mussolini being called "Juliet"?
The sarcastic comments remarking on Mussolini's predilection for balcony speeches and comparing him to Juliet or Romeo goes back to 1935 or earlier in the English-language press.
The November 11, 1935 ...
- 1,460
32
votes
Did the Allies benefit, by having Italy fight on Germany's side rather than remain neutral?
All things considered and with perfect hindsight, did the Allies benefit, by having Italy fight on Germany's side rather than remain neutral?
No.
While the popular impression is that Germany had to &...
- 54.5k
31
votes
How did the Allies achieve air superiority on Sicily?
To begin with, when the air campaign ahead of Operation Husky (the campaign that culminated with the invasion of Sicily) began, the Allies already had a significant numerical superiority over the Axis ...
- 77k
22
votes
Accepted
Did the Soviet Union protest against Italy building or acquiring submarines after WW2?
A paper in Diplomatic History titled "From Disarmament to Rearmament: The United States and the Revision of the Italian Peace Treaty of 1947" covers the issue fairly well. The bottom line is ...
- 2,426
19
votes
Accepted
World War 1: Why did Italy not fight until 1915?
The core of the Triple Alliance was Germany and Austria-Hungary who promised to protect each other against attack by any third party. Italy was an "adjunct" member, who promised and was ...
- 104k
18
votes
Did Mussolini know that Hitler was going to attack Poland?
Mussolini learnt about the German intentions first as did most other countries, by diplomatic reports from his ambassador in Berlin and similar sources; alarmed, in early August 1939, Mussolini sent ...
- 2,246
18
votes
What do Florence, Genoa, Milan and Venice have in common?
Florence, Milan, Venice, and Genoa were the most important city-states of Renaissance Italy. This distinction is the chief attribute shared by these four cities.
Of course, that's a bit of an ...
- 96.9k
16
votes
What is the true origin of Capri's "Scala Fenicia" ("Phoenician Steps")?
Italian Wikipedia has this explanation:
Come già accennato nell'incipit, la Scala Fenicia è un residuo della presenza dei Greci sull'isola, che la costruirono intorno al VII e VI secolo a.C. L'...
- 1,669
14
votes
Accepted
Help identify Venetian headpiece
The masks of the Venetian carnival are based in the characters of the Commedia Dell'Arte, a sort of improvisational theatre born in Italy during the 15th century.
The top photo is a volto (a generic ...
- 554
14
votes
Is there any primary source for Mussolini being called "Juliet"?
The Scottish author Compton Mackenzie (1883-1972) is famous for his comic novels (notably, Whiskey Galore in 1947), but, in 1943, published a propaganda work Wind of Freedom: The history of the ...
- 5,589
12
votes
Accepted
Is the story about Mussolini and Oliver Hardy apocryphal?
SHORT ANSWER
The story isn't true. It most likely stems from an inaccurate account by the English writer A. N. Wilson. It is also possible that Wilson's version has been 'blended' with a piece of ...
- 107k
11
votes
Accepted
Are the Swiss flag and the flag/coat of arms of Piedmont related?
Short Answer:
The Swiss and Piedmontese coats of arms and flags might both possibly, repeat possibly, have originated as symbols of loyalty to the Holy Roman Empire.
Long answer:
Flags and coats of ...
- 18.4k
11
votes
Accepted
Did Thomas Aquinas's correspondent James of Tonengo become bishop of Vercelli?
Sort of, but he was not recognized by all the electors, some of whom elected another candidate. I can find no evidence that he was ever confirmed as bishop by the Holy See. In short, it's complicated.....
- 107k
10
votes
When and how did classic "Italian" cuisine come to be?
tl:dr: Starting from the 19th century it took until after 1945 to form "modern classic Italian cuisine". These beginnings curiously coincide with the widespread adoption of tomatoes for ...
- 80.2k
10
votes
How did the Medici originally get into finance?
Cosimo di Medici inherited a thriving "banking" business from his father Giovanni, who was the "Fred Trump" of the family, with Cosimo being like the current President of the United States. Most ...
- 104k
10
votes
Accepted
Teaching of Mathematics in Italy and in Germany in the fifteenth century
tl;dr
This is not a real story but an illustrative description, probably invented in the 1930s.
The first Indo-Arabian numerals came to Europe in the 10th century. They had a hard time at first. In ...
- 80.2k
9
votes
Why was Italy unified under the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia and not under a stronger state?
There was no stronger state. Kingdom of the Two Sicilies at the time was ruled by a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon. These were foreigners, Spaniards in particular. There was no affection for ...
- 115k
9
votes
What are the flags in this Yellow Peril Cartoon from Italy?
I see three flags:
Left center appears to have 3 vertically oriented stripes, with a dark stripe closest to the staff; based on @Justcal 's comment, this is probably France.
Center right which is ...
MCW♦
- 31.7k
8
votes
Accepted
Why did the Tripartite Pact take so long to sign?
This is answered in the Wikipedia article lede: The Tripartite Pact was directed primarily at the United States. Since the US finally entered WWII in late 1941, the pact can be considered very early, ...
- 14.4k
8
votes
Accepted
How much debt did Italy remit Germany in the London Debt Agreement?
Short answer: there is no short answer. It depends on a lot of factors, legal opinions, and definitions. We might look at an initial agreement, and get a number. But that number is difficult to ...
- 80.2k
8
votes
Why was Napoleon Bonaparte appointed to lead the French campaign in northern Italy?
Politics
Napoleon Bonaparte was the protégé of Paul Barras, the strongest man of the time, member of the Directoire, who favored his military career and probably monitored his matrimonial plans (...
- 5,729
7
votes
Was the Italian campaign a strategic mistake?
Sorry to drag up this post from 2014 but I am looking to reinvigorate it based on a Research Paper that I am in the middle of writing. I have no desire to theorise on what could have happened but ...
- 71
7
votes
What does this Italian soldier's 1930’s uniform tell us about his job and rank?
The collar badge specifically appears to be that of the Italian 17th Infantry "Acqui" Motorized Brigade.
An infantry unit named Acqui operated from 1831 to 1871, again from 1881 to 1926, from 1939 ...
- 71.3k
7
votes
Accepted
Why was the War of the League of Cambrai such a hot mess?
There were three major players in Italy: 1) France 2) Spain/Holy Roman Empire (HRE) (treat them as one unit since one man, Charles V, ruled both, and 3) Venice, the "local bully."
The first stage of ...
- 104k
6
votes
Why does Brazil have many more Italian descendants than the U.S. or Argentina when the latter two received more Italian immigrants?
Pure speculation:
1) Possibly Italians immigrants in Argentina and the US tended to mostly marry other persons of Italian descent. So most second generation Italian immigrants would combine descent ...
- 18.4k
6
votes
Teaching of Mathematics in Italy and in Germany in the fifteenth century
A German merchant of the fifteenth century asked an eminent professor where he should send his son for a good business education.
It is clear that this story is made up by the author for ...
- 38.2k
5
votes
Did Italian irredentists ever lay claim to the Swiss Canton of Tessin?
Yes, it appears they did.
Wikipedia's caption on the map below reads:
Italian territory claims by Italian irredentism activists in the
1930s, including Nice, Ticino and Dalmatia in green, Malta ...
- 115k
5
votes
Italian History from 1870-1913: Why did Italy have such a hard time becoming a "Great Power" like Germany?
Compared to the Great Powers, Italy had two important disadvantages: 1) she started later and 2) she was smaller. No Great Power had both those disadvantages.
Italy had about the same land area and ...
- 104k
5
votes
Did the legal principle of conflict of interest exist in the 17th century?
Yes. According to this paper the concept of "ambidexterity" has been a part of Canon law since medieval times.
brief quote:
Sayles notes that
there was "a monotonous outcry against the practice ...
MCW♦
- 31.7k
5
votes
How were city government and law enforcement authorities organized in Northern Italy in the 17th century?
First of all, the 1700s are not the 17th century. The 17th century is 1600-1699. The 1700s are the 18th century counting forward from the birth of Christ as computed by Dionysus Exiguus.
Northern ...
- 37.7k
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