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industrial sector, factory owners tried to keep wages low. But workers responded with strikes. They also took over plants, mines, and warehouses. This stirred up fears of communism, an economic and political system that promised the elimina- tion of private property. A revolution had recently brought Communists to power in Russia. Many Italians worried that a similar revolution might take place in their own country. Adding to Italy’s troubles was the legacy of World War I, which erupted in August 1914 and finally ground to a halt in November 1918. Most of the fighting took place in Europe, This illustration shows German delegates, carrying white flags, attempting to pass through French lines for an armistice conference in November 1918. By the fall of 1918, the German army was unable to continue fighting, so government leaders attempted to negotiate an end to the war. Because most of the fighting on the Western Front had occurred in French territory, many German soldiers and civilians could not accept that their country had lost the war.

Destroying Democracy

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