The Fiume Crisis

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The Fiume Crisis reshapes our understanding of the emergence of fascism, nationalism, and the decline of empires after World War I by exploring a three-year international crisis in the Adriatic city of Fiume (now Rijeka, Croatia). In 1919, the multicultural city was occupied by Gabriele D'Annunzio's paramilitary forces, who sought to annex it to Italy, inspiring Mussolini. While many local Italians supported this effort, it was driven more by practical concerns than nationalist fervor. The desire for annexation stemmed from the daily struggles of life in a "ghost state" left behind by the empire's collapse. Despite D'Annunzio's charismatic ideology, the people of Fiume primarily sought prosperity, which they linked to the autonomy experienced under Habsburg rule. In this transitional period, many from the former empire yearned to restore familiar governance structures. Their turn to nation-states was less about nationalist aspirations and more about the hope that these states would revive the benefits of a cosmopolitan empire. This narrative challenges the oversimplified view of postwar nationalism, highlighting the persistence of imperial thought and emphasizing the importance of history from below.