Mare Nostrum
The term was again used by Benito Mussolini for use in fascist propaganda. He used it in the same way that Adolf Hitler used the word lebensraum (German for "living space"). It meant they wanted to take over other countries to have more for themselves. Mussolini wanted Italy to be great like the Roman Empire. He believed that Italy was the most powerful Mediterranean country after World War I.  He said that "the twentieth century will be a century of Italian power". Mussolini built up a powerful navy so he could control the Mediterranean Sea.