Battle for Births

The Battle for Births was one of four economic battles that took place in Fascist Italy (1922–1943), the others being the Battle for Grain (to make the country more self-sufficient), the Battle for the Lira (an increase in the value of the currency), and the Battle for Land (which involved policies of land reclamation). Prime Minister Benito Mussolini, often known as Il Duce, envisioned an Italian Empire to rival that of the Romans, and in order to carry out this objective, foresaw the need to increase the population. Mussolini pursued an often aggressive foreign policy to achieve his colonial aims: the Italian armyinvaded Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) in October 1935. The phrase "Battle for Births" was also used, in contemporary sources, to describe policies developed in Nazi Germany.