While most WWI belligerents framed their involvement as a defensive necessity for "Hearth and Home," Italy was transparently opportunistic. Its leaders openly admitted they were not defending themselves but attacking for conquest and glory, making it arguably the most acquisitive campaign of the war.

Citing the historical example of the Lusitania, which was loaded with munitions and sent into U-boat territory without an escort, the host argues that governments orchestrate or permit attacks on their own interests. This creates a powerful casus belli, manipulating public opinion and forcing allies' hands.

The English believed their string of improbable victories against a larger, richer France proved God's favor. They viewed their claim to the French throne not as aggression but as a divinely sanctioned right, using battlefield success as theological proof that their cause was just.

Lacking a parliamentary majority for war, Prime Minister Salandra executed a masterful political maneuver by resigning. This dared the king to appoint an anti-war successor amidst orchestrated street protests. Fearing civil unrest, the king was forced to reappoint Salandra, effectively greenlighting Italy's entry into the war.

Despite widespread public opposition, the Italian government used celebrity poet Gabriele D'Annunzio to ignite war fever. His impassioned, quasi-religious speeches created a frenzy among a vocal urban minority, pressuring politicians and the king into a war the majority of the population did not want.

Italy's blatant negotiation with both sides of WWI to secure the best territorial deal earned it contempt from its new allies. Winston Churchill called Italy the "harlot of Europe," and Prime Minister Asquith described it as "voracious, slippery, and perfidious," highlighting the deep cynicism behind their alliance of convenience.

Italy joined WWI after being promised vast territories, but received only a fraction of them after immense sacrifice. This widespread sense of betrayal and resentment over a "mutilated victory" created the perfect political environment for nationalists like Benito Mussolini to rise to power in the 1920s.

If a leader concludes that historic allies are acting against their nation's interests (e.g., prolonging a war), they may see those alliances as effectively void. This perception of betrayal becomes the internal justification for dramatic, unilateral actions like dismantling NATO or seizing strategic assets.

As a newly unified country, Italy lacked a strong national identity. Leaders cultivated a sense of grievance and "unfinished business" over its border with Austria, a concept known as irredentism. This became a powerful political tool to weld the new nation together against a common enemy.