History of Censorship in Italy.

Italian censorship began at least as early as the time of the ancient Roman Empire; however, no period better represents the dangers and problems of Italian censorship than the Fascist era of the early to mid-twentieth century. After led the Fascist Party to power in 1922, he imprisoned most of his political opponents, including the leader of the Italian Communist Party, for expressing views contrary to the interest of the government. The Fascists closed or nationalized all newspapers and other media organizations that expressed any opposition to their policies. During the twenty-three years that Mussolini remained in power, he was thus able to control almost all information disseminated to citizens of Italy, thereby enhancing his personal power and ensuring his continued rule. Nevertheless, his government collapsed after he led Italy into a disastrous alliance with Nazi Germany in World War II.