Mussolini e la questione jugoslava durante la prima guerra mondiale

Benito Mussolini, founder and leader of the Fascist movement, took an active role in the national debate over the „Adriatic question” (that is the Italian-Yugoslav dispute over the possession of the former Habsburg territories along the Eastern Adriatic coast). Even though at the beginning of the war he had been prone to compromise, Mussolini gradually moved closer toward nationalism and anti-yugoslavism, as the diplomatic struggle for political hegemony and naval supremacy in the Adriatic dragged on. As the public opinion in Italy took a clear uncompromising stand concerning the territorial dispute with Yugoslavia, Mussolini decided to change his approach towards the „Adriatic question” with the purpose of exploiting the increasing political consensus, which the nationalist propaganda was gaining among Italian public opinion. His aim was not the defense of Italian communities along the Eastern Adriatic coast, but rather the defense of his leadership at home.