In 1983 United States President Ronald Regan announces ‘The Strategic Defence Initiative’ (SDI). The Project which was nicknamed ‘Star Wars Project’ (after the films), would be a defence system that would explode nuclear missiles while they travelled in space, using a laser. The plan was considered by many to be the first major change in the previous deterrent which had been the idea of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD). The ‘MAD’ acronym was considered apt by most, as the theory was that one major power would not use their nuclear arms against another as either side would detect the launch and send enough missiles to ensure the others annihilation. Although the MAD premise had worked the launch of a scientific probe by Norway was almost mistaken for a nuclear attack on Russia which was within minutes of launching a ‘counter attack’ against the USA and her allies. Many people also saw this announcement as taking the cold war into space but this proved not to be the case (at least with weapons, the space race was seen as a propaganda machine of the Cold War).
In 1919 Benito Mussolini Founds the Italian Nationalist Fasci di Combattimento Party also known as the Fascist party and where we get the name ‘Fascist’ from. Mussolini was a publisher of socialist newspapers but broke away from socialism to start a right wing party named ‘Fasci di Combattimento’ after the Italian peasant revolutionaries called the “fighting Bands” (Fasci means Group or Bundle). His right-wing nationalist group wore black uniforms and would intimidate and terrorise their opponents. In 1922, Italian King Victor Emmanuel III, feared a communist uprising such as in Russia and so appointed Mussolini the head of a new government of Fascist and Nationalist with him as Prime Minister. Once the socialist leader died in 1924 the ‘Fascist police’ suppressed any other party and by 1929 Italy had a one party system with Mussolini as Leader. In a show of strength Mussolini ordered his army to take Ethiopia as they already controlled the neighbouring countries. This was condemned by the League of Nations but Mussolini became a hero to the leader of the German Nationalist Party (the NAZI party). In 1936 Hitler met with Mussolini and they signed a non-military alliance with Germany. During World War II, Italy made many attempts to take territories but suffered many losses mainly to British forces. These defeats made Mussolini look weak in the eyes of the Germans and Mussolini was loosing favour with Hitler. The Allies decided to remove Mussolini once and for all and they invaded Sicily knowing this would enrage the Italian people. It worked and on the 25th of July 1943 the Facsist government met and voted to oust Mussolini, King Victor Emmanuel III had him removed from office and imprisoned but Hitler had him rescued and placed him in charge of a area in North Italy which was under German Control. The Allies soon took the area and Mussolini later died at the hands of the Italian partisans on the 28th of April 1945.
