Fiume 1918

Breaking the Treaty of London Italy occupied the Hungarian Harbour town Rijeka on the coast of Croatia during the last days of the war liberating it from the nonItalian enemy à choix Austria Hungary Yugoslavia Croatia Slovenia Footage of the celebration of the liberation a nightmare that would end only in 1945 shows a happy crowd women with bunches of flowers one general gives a speech and the other decorates soldiers The town was renamed Fiume and soon became the site of a bizarre and frightening episode with poet Gabriele DAnnunzio as the violently narcissistic leader of violently nationalistic irregular troops Fiume the place and the name today signifies the beginning of fascism in Italy