Before 1861, Italy was not one country. Instead, there were many kingdoms and duchies (places ruled by dukes) in the Italian Peninsula. In 1861, they all became one country and King Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia became the King of Italy. In WW1, Italy was on the allies side and was one of the winners. In 1922, Benito Mussolini became Prime Minister. He was a fascist leader and made Italy into a dictatorship without much liberty. 