This term was taken up by Italian nationalists following the unification of Italy in 1861, in an attempt to portray Italy as the successor state to the Roman Empire. In particular, Mussolini used it in a similar manner to Hitler's lebensraum. He declared that "the twentieth century [would] be a century of Italian power", and created one of the most powerful navies of the world in order to control the Mediterranean Sea. He was partly successful up until the outbreak of war in 1939, but his dream ended with Italy's defeat in World War II.
© Haydn Thompson 2021