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The decline of the Ottoman Empire was not a single event but a slow, agonizing process of attrition. Throughout the 19th century, the “Sick Man of Europe” lost territory piece by piece—Algeria to France, Egypt to Britain. But the final act began in 1911, not in the Balkans or the Caucasus, but on the sands of North Africa. In this week’s podcast, I explored the Italian invasion of Libya, a conflict that is often overlooked but was pivotal in setting the stage for the First World War. The Latecomer to Empire Italy, unified only in 1871, was desperate to join…
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When we think of the rise of Fascism in Italy, we often picture blackshirts, street brawls, and the March on Rome. We think of violence. But there was another, quieter form of violence that was just as instrumental in cementing Mussolini’s power: austerity. In this week’s podcast, I explored a fascinating paper by economist Clara Mattei, Austerity and Repressive Politics. Mattei argues that the early years of the Fascist regime (1922-1925) were defined by a brutal economic agenda designed to roll back the democratic gains of the post-WWI era. The Fear of Democracy After the First World War, Italy experienced a…