🎙️ Episode 7 – Italy’s Proxy War: Mussolini and the Spanish Civil War

(WW2 in Focus: Echoes Through AI)

Before the world burned, Spain bled. In this episode, we examine how the Spanish Civil War became a battlefield for fascist ambition and military experimentation. Italy, under Benito Mussolini, didn’t just support Franco’s Nationalists—it treated the war as a live-fire rehearsal for the global conflict to come. Troops, tanks, aircraft, and propaganda all flowed into Spain, while the world stood paralyzed under the banner of “non-intervention.”

We explore:

• Mussolini’s motives and how Italy framed the war as a fight against communism

• The scope of Italian military support, from Blackshirt legions to air power

• How the war shaped fascist strategy and strengthened ties between Italy and Nazi Germany

• The international community’s failure to act—and what it cost the world

• The war’s brutal preview of WWII’s tactics, alliances, and propaganda

Whether you’re a World War 2 history buff or just diving in, this episode shows how the seeds of total war were planted long before 1939.

WW2 in Focus: Echoes Through AI

Created by Hector Sanchez, U.S. Navy veteran. Powered by AI. Sharpened by history.