Italy was a part of a military alliance.
Italy . After various unsuccessful attempts , the Italian Wars of Independence and the Expedition of the Thousand resulted in the eventual unification of the country in 1861 , now a great power after centuries of foreign domination and political division . The subsequent participation in World War II on the Axis side ended in military defeat , economic destruction and an Italian civil war . London Pact ( Patto di Londra ) , or more correctly , the Treaty of London , 1915 , was a secret pact between the Triple Entente and the Kingdom of Italy .