Italy's entry into the war in June 1940 supplies an earlier example of the prestige argument. Mussolini's decision is interpreted as a fear that the fighting would end before Italy could secure a share of the peace settlement. The comparison connects his declaration against America with an earlier desire to avoid exclusion from the outcome.
Notable Point · 1:08:48-1:09:12
June 1940 as a precedent for Mussolini's motives
Italy's June 1940 entry illustrates the interpretation that Mussolini feared exclusion from a coming settlement.