Q&A · 6:42:19-6:43:17

The assumptions behind a Fascist Italy inside NATO

An alternative Italy in NATO requires an account of regime survival and alliance formation before its consequences can be assessed.

Question

What would follow if three European fascist dictatorships, including Italy, were in NATO?

Short answer

The scenario first needs to establish that those regimes survive and that NATO forms in a comparable way under the altered circumstances.

Notes

The hypothetical places three European fascist dictatorships, including Italy, inside NATO. It first requires those regimes to survive into the period when the alliance would form. It also assumes that a substantially different wartime and post-war history still produces NATO in its historical form. Those conditions need to be established before assessing the effects of membership. The exchange also cautions against treating post-war European governments as a uniform political category.