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What role did Benito Mussolini play in the Axis alliance?

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World War II: Germany invading Poland — World War II Germany invading Poland, September 1, 1939.

Benito Mussolini served as the junior partner in the Axis alliance, a coalition formalized by the 1939 Pact of Steel between himself and Adolf Hitler.12

Initially, Mussolini sought to use the Rome-Berlin Axis to gain German support for his expansionist ambitions in Africa and the Mediterranean, hoping to intimidate Britain and France. However, Italy’s military resources were already strained by previous conflicts, such as the Italo-Ethiopian War, and the alliance ultimately reduced his strategic autonomy.21

Although Mussolini initially remained neutral when Germany invaded Poland in 1939, he entered the war in June 1940, fearing he would lose the opportunity to claim territory as Hitler advanced. Italy’s participation was marked by a series of military failures in North Africa, Greece, and the Soviet Union, which frequently forced Germany to intervene to rescue its ally. By 1943, following the Allied invasion of Sicily, Mussolini’s government collapsed and he was arrested.12