I Will Stage A Coup D’état - Chapter 153



Only Noblemtl

EP.153 The emergence of NATO (1)

Palmiro Togliatti, Secretary General of the Italian People’s Republic, was born in 1893 to a middle-class family in Genoa.

Thanks to his wealthy family background, Togliatti was able to enter the University of Turin and study law.

In the process, Togliatti became aware of one problem.

Is this country, Italy, headed in the right direction?

The kingdom was pursuing an expansionist course that sought endless war.

The Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and the occupation of Rome in 1870 could be understood as being for the cause of Italian unification.

But from the Ethiopian War of 1895 and the Italo-Turkish War of 1911 onwards, it was the very expression of the imperialist desire for territorial expansion.

Italy was clearly following in the footsteps of the imperialist powers.

This adventurism led to the outbreak of World War I in 1915.

As a result, Italy turned into a war nation that fought wars without rest for even a single generation.

‘How miserable is a country that has never enjoyed peace even for a single generation.’

Togliatti did not want Italy to become the Prussia of the Mediterranean.

His joining of the Socialist Party and his leading role in the creation of the Italian Communist Party in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution in 1917 were both efforts to make Italy a better country.

Togliatti’s efforts were not rewarded.

Togliatti was deeply disappointed when Mussolini’s fascist regime came to power just a year after the Communist Party was founded.

‘This country must abandon its imperialist and fascist roots.’

Togliatti refined his beliefs while fleeing from place to place under the oppression of the fascist regime.

Thus, in 1943, when the long oppression of fascism was beginning to shake, Togliatti rose up with his comrades in northern Italy.

“Italy must be reborn as a country for the people!”

At his shout, the Republic of Salo melted like ice cream exposed to sunlight.

Togliatti led a 300,000-strong communist army and worked hard to establish communism in northern Italy.

It was believed that only such efforts could transform post-war Italy from an imperialist country into a communist country.

But the reality was harsh.

The northern part of Italy became the Italian People’s Republic, and the southern part became the Southern Kingdom.

Italy was thus divided in two.

Although the Kingdom of Italy nominally had sovereignty over the entire peninsula, in reality two regimes coexisted.

What is this division?

Togliatti did not want this outcome.

‘A country divided in two? How can we accept something like this?’

But Togliatti accepted reality.

If it is true that Italy is divided in two, we will solidify Northern Italy as a stronger revolutionary base for the future.

Togliatti reorganized the institutions of the People’s Republic and greatly strengthened its military.

He himself did not want war, but it was to prepare for the fascists in the South.

‘One day the imperialist fascists of the South will collapse on their own, just like in 1943. Until then, we just have to stick to our own path and grow.’

When the fascists destroy themselves, our country will once again stand tall as a unified nation.

Togliatti has led the country with such beliefs.

But today, Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov told a shocking story.

“Prepare for war? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“Comrade Secretary General. The international situation has changed now. The impotence of Britain and France was confirmed in Suez, and the American imperialists showed that they are powerless masters who cannot even control their own watchdogs. If we act now while they are weak, wouldn’t we be able to unify Italy?”

The statement itself was logical.

But if Northern Italy started a war, the Italian people would have to pay the price.

For Togliatti, who had always hated war, being told to prepare for war was something he absolutely hated to hear.

Of course, I could have said something like this.

So, what is the overwhelming military power that Northern Italy possesses?

In fact, this was not an army that was only targeting the Southern Kingdom.

Considering the geopolitical nature of northern Italy, which was sandwiched between France and the southern kingdoms, an army of 250,000 men was the minimum military force required for defense.

Togliatti resolutely rejected Molotov’s proposal.

“I cannot commit a sin against the people.”

“This is the Kremlin’s will, comrade.”

Stalin’s order.

But I follow the will of the Italian people.

A determined light lingered in Togliatti’s eyes.

“Just because the Kremlin says so doesn’t mean the Italian Communist Party has to follow suit. All Communist Parties are equal, right?”

Molotov was speechless at Togliatti’s question.

In theory, yes, but who would dare go against the Kremlin’s wishes?

Even that troublemaker dictator Tito respects Stalin’s authority, so how dare Northern Italy?

It was an impossible story.

Molotov soon relayed information about the Soviet Union’s impending nuclear armament and boasted that the Federation could prevent American intervention.

But Togliatti remained steadfast.

Molotov reported this bad news to the Kremlin.

“You are a short-sighted fellow, Comrade Togliatti.”

Stalin responded nonchalantly and scribbled his pen on the papers.

And a few days later, Togliatti was shot by a group of attackers during an event.

Even as he was bleeding, Togliatti gave earnest advice to the party members around him.

“Comrades, promise me this. There will be no war, no war. If there is, we are finished.”

Togliatti recalled a Spain devastated by the Spanish Civil War.

If Italy, which has already been ruined by war, gets into a civil war, it will be impossible to recover.

Togliatti closed his eyes, hoping that the Communists would never commit such a crime again.

The cold raindrops saw off the red communist’s fate.

*

“Togliatti is dead, Your Majesty.”

I was shocked by those words.

No, I thought that gentleman was still young, and he just left like that?

“What about the sign?”

“It’s assassination.”

There was a strange fishy smell in those words.

“assassination?”

The central office reported in detail how Togliatti was assassinated.

An attack by assassins with guns.

This is a very similar picture to the one in the 1930s when Sergei Kirov was rising as Stalin’s rival.

Of course, there is no evidence that Stalin ever sacked Kirov.

Even Khrushchev could not find Stalin responsible for this.

But, there was a feeling.

Even if Kirov didn’t know, Togliatti was definitely sent by Stalin.

“Who is your successor?”

“Ruggero Grieco is the head of the propaganda department of the Italian Communist Party, who once served as its secretary.”

“Isn’t that guy by any chance close to the Kremlin or the Communist Party of the Soviet Union?”

“He was a member of the International Executive Committee and a person in charge of Moscow Radio.”

What is that?

He’s completely under Stalin’s influence.

Grieco’s disposition and values ​​were good, no matter what.

“Okay, I understand. Keep monitoring the situation.”

“I will accept it.”

Hey, the picture got a little dirty.

When I first drew up the blueprint for the Cold War, I thought of Italy as a suitable piece of land to tear apart and heighten the tensions of the Cold War.

But things got weird when the fascists suddenly rose up and a large-scale colonial war broke out that had never been seen before in the distant past.

The British Empire was beyond reckless, and America was out of its mind because of McCarthy who suddenly appeared.

If a war breaks out in Italy under these circumstances, will the West be able to respond properly?

Honestly, I was skeptical about that part.

It had to be assumed that the United States was virtually the only country capable of going to war.

‘If, by any chance, the US thinks it is at a disadvantage, they might detonate a nuke.’

If a nuclear bomb explodes, the Soviet Union will use nuclear weapons too.

Although there was no information, it was certain that the Soviet Union had almost completed its nuclear development by now.

It’s a pseudo-Korean War where two superpowers, unaware of the fear of nuclear weapons, fire nuclear weapons.

Just thinking about it gave me goosebumps.

I don’t know about anything else, but Italy is headed to hell.

I bit my lip and called Jeong-gil.

“Get the tea ready now.”

I was so anxious that I couldn’t stand it.

I went that way to the Energy Research Institute for Human Peace.

As soon as we arrived at the lab, we stopped by Dr. Heisenberg and asked him about the progress of nuclear weapons.

“Well, I’m not sure, but I think it will take two or three more years.”

yes?

Are we still a long way from here?

This speed would have been impossible without the Jewish buff.

This was difficult.

Is there any way to delay the war?

What if we get rid of Grieco, just like we got rid of Togliatti?

I thought about that too, but if this kind of operation were discovered, diplomacy would fall into the abyss.

I had a lot of worries on the way back to the embassy.

When I got home, I had a stern expression on my face for a while, and then my wife asked me cautiously.

“Prime Minister, what’s wrong? Why are you so pale?”

“It’s nothing.”

It was a big deal, but it wasn’t something I should discuss with my wife.

“Then, would you like to do some exercise to change your mood?”

“work out?”

My wife nodded to the bed.

Then, she slightly lifted her pajamas to reveal her underwear.

Rolling around in bed with my wife wasn’t a bad thing, but today wasn’t the time for wrestling.

“No. Go to sleep first.”

I sent my wife to bed and sat down at my desk, lost in thought.

Even after sitting like that for two hours, no good ideas came to mind.

As I was about to let out a deep sigh, a thought flashed through my head like a bolt from the blue.

‘Is it really necessary to use such extreme measures? Just scare Stalin.’

In this world, the Western world was in chaos due to the rise of fascists and others, and the creation of NATO was delayed.

If NATO is created now, won’t the Soviet Union be weakened?

I was confident that at least it would have the effect of delaying the war.

I could tell that without even looking.

As soon as I finished thinking about it, I picked up the phone.

“Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”