Summary

Mussolini and Hitler had exalted visions of themselves and their personal destinies. Mussolini's fatal flaw was his refusal to seek or take advice from others. When the two dictators signed a mutual defense treaty in May 1939, Mussolini asked Hitler to wait a few years before starting a war because Italy needed more time to prepare—a request Hitler ignored. Despite his advisers' warnings, Mussolini invaded Greece in October 1940 and the Greeks thrashed the Italians. Hitler and Mussolini agreed that it would be a good idea to bring General Francisco Franco of Spain onto their side. In 1936 a Socialist coalition government took control of Spain. In response, some of the wealthiest families in Spain backed the Spanish Army which started a rebellion with General Franco in charge. This marked the beginning of the Spanish Civil War which lasted four years.

Chapter 5 describes how, as...