In 1870, Italy finally united into a single state, but for a long time, individual regions of the country felt their self-sufficiency. There was no basis for the development of Italian nationalism. The fate of Italy changed dramatically with the advent of Benito Mussolini (1883-1945), who started talking about restoring the glory of the former Roman Empire. Mussolini entered politics as a socialist, but during the First World War his worldview changed: he created a fascist party and in the post-war chaos, playing on popular feelings, came to power. The founder of fascism, Mussolini established a dictatorship in Italy and tried, not very successfully, to recreate the power of the ancient empire, but becoming a figure equal to Caesar was beyond his strength. By getting involved in World War II on the side of Nazi Germany, Mussolini doomed his country to defeat.