Why defeat could topple Mussolini

Mussolini is institutionally more vulnerable than Hitler. A failed North African campaign, failure to take Crete, and pressure on Balkan oil would compound the damage from Taranto rather than leave him with a convincing victory. Italy still has a monarch and senators willing to criticize Mussolini, sometimes openly, so the dictatorship does not possess Hitler's degree of political control. An early fall from power is therefore plausible if North Africa collapses, although Italy's subsequent alignment remains contingent.