present conflict
Although Italy is comprised almost entirely of Italians, there is a northern providence of Italy whose citizens do not feel completely enthusiastic about their nationality. This providence is Southern Tyrol and prior to 1919, was part of Austria. In 1919, following World War I, Italy desired control of the southern alps and thus occupied Southern Tyrol. When WWII began, the tension greatly increased. In response, both Hitler and Mussolini gave Germans a choice to stay in South Tyrol and change to the Italian language, or move to Germany relinquishing their homeland. Today, Southern Tyrol is Italy’s richest province. Many of Southern Tyrol’s citizens continue to have negative feelings toward the Italian heritage and are not enthusiastic about the fact that they live in Italy.
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past conflict
The Greco-Italian War began when Italy declared war on Greece in 1940 at the beginning of World War II. The invasion of Italian military onto Greece was unexpected. It is surmised that Mussolini wanted its enemies to view Italy as a significant threat. The bloody skirmishes included fighting between Astro-Hungarian/German troops in North Italy and the South region of Austria. The Italian army began to perceive that their country would need help from Germany. The Battle of Hill 731 was one of the last conflicts solely fought between Italy and Greece. Greek soldiers received accolades for their defense strategies and high numbers of Italian casualties during this seventeen day battle.
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