A major casualty of World War II was the Italian monarchy. When World War II broke out in September 1939, Italy remained neutral. But by May 1940 with France verging on defeat by the German onslaught, Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini impressed on King Victor Emmanuel III that by siding with Germany and entering the war, Italy would become the dominant power in the Mediterranean. The king agreed, and Italy’s fate was sealed – for the worse.
Mussolini and the king had ignored their military commanders’ counsel that Italy was unprepared for war. As a result, the Italian army experienced a series of disastrous defeats. As Italian defeat loomed and with his popularity waning, King Victor Emmanuel III fired Mussolini as Prime Minister in July 1943. At the same time, the king sent out feelers to the British and Americans. In September 1943, Italy signed an armistice with the Allies, and declared war on Germany the following month.
But the king feared that his reputation had suffered considerably because of his previous support of Fascism. Thus in April 1944, Victor Emmanuel ceded most of his powers to his son, Crown Prince Umberto. His intent now was to save the monarchy itself. To further his cause, in May 1946, he abdicated in favor of Umberto II. The move failed as on June 2, 1946, in a nation-wide referendum, Italians voted to adopt a republican system. Monarchical rule ended, and the Kingdom of Italy was no more.