ABSTRACT
The disasters in Albania prompted Mussolini to cast about for a scapegoat. Mussolini hesitated before finally accepting the resignation, and Badoglio went to the king on 3 December offering to withdraw it, but it was too late. During November and December 1940 most of the questions discussed in this paper were raised and hotly debated. That many of them are still controversial is evident from a study of the now extensive literature on the subject of Italy and her involvement in the Second World War. While the Italian forces were suffering 100,000 casualties in Greece, and tens of thousands were being killed or about to be killed on the Russian front or in North Africa, the Duce, a political journalist of genius but no war lord, was enhancing his growing reputation for producing a skilful blend of tragedy and farce.
