Kingdom of Italy

The Kingdom of Italy is a country in Southern Europe and the Leader of the Mediterranean Pact. it borders the Greater German Reich to the North, the French State to the West, the Independent State of Croatia to the East, Albania and Serbia to the South through it's territory of Montenegro and, through it's colonial possession of Libya, the Kingdom of Egypt and the United Kingdom.

History
Italy found itself a victor of the wars of the 1940s. The short war against Britain and France in 1940-41 saw little fighting, and as a prize Mussolini gained British and French Somalia, Tunisia and some border territories from the newly proclaimed French State, not the grand empire in Africa he had hoped for, but a small prize nonetheless. Italy's failed invasion of Greece was supported by Germany, and as a result Italy gained a sphere of influence over the Balkans, including some influence over the new Independent State of Croatia. The Italian Army supported Germany's long and difficult war against the USSR but performed poorly in Russia and after an Axis victory in Europe, declared a glorious victory. the Italians would later take part in Operation Tannenbaum, the German invasion of Switzerland, receiving the Italian speaking cantons.

Politics
The empire remains unstable, similar to that of Germany to the north. Disagreements over influence in the Balkans and general differences between their two governments have led the former allies of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, already on shaky terms before 1939, to increasingly view each other with hostility. it has formed a rival alliance, the Mediterranean Pact, as a counterweight to German Hegemony in Europe.

Mussolini and his Fascist party still holds power over Italy while the current Monarch is King Umberto II, nicknamed "The May King".

Economy
The economy has been a constant source of trouble since the war ended. It's been kept running, barely, by mass employment in large projects and MVSN work, but it's only one misstep away from falling into an abyss. This is slightly mitigated by the Libyan oil wells and the coffee plantations of Italian East Africa, however, it faces much resentment from the Ethiopian population.

Military
The Italian military's record is inglorious, to say the least. While performing somewhat effectively in the Spanish Civil War and the invasions of Ethiopia and Albania, the Italian Army and Air Force performed poorly in the invasion of France and Greece, even being pushed back into Albania. It experienced heavy casualties in the Soviet-German War and in the invasion of Switzerland, facing a heavy struggle against determined Swiss defenders in well placed fortifications. The Navy has been mostly untested in battle, but has a large fleet to rival the British.