Within Italy, the Italian Empire and territory identified as "spazio vitale" for Italy a cultural-racial hierarchy that ranked the peoples in terms of value who lived there was clearly defined by 1940, during which plans for Italy's "spazio vitale" were being formalized by the regime. The Fascist regime considered Italians to be superior to other peoples of the Mediterranean region—including Latin, Slavic and Hellenic peoples—because only Italians had achieved racial unity and full political consciousness via the Fascist regime. Latin, Slavic and Hellenic peoples were regarded as superior to Turkic, Semitic and Hamitic peoples. Amongst indigenous peoples of Africa, the racial hierarchy regarded indigenous North Africans as superior to indigenous people in Italian East Africa.