For the Italian people, Italy had long since become unrecognizable.
The Mussolini government had plummeted into its final frenzy, suppressing various protests, arresting members of opposition parties, and declaring martial law in Rome at all costs.
Between May 22nd and May 25th, at least 2,000 people died under Italy's armed repression, and over a hundred opponents of Mussolini were imprisoned and tortured.
Mussolini's brutal actions provoked a huge outcry in Italy and led to waves of protests in the City of Rome.
However, at this point, it no longer mattered to Mussolini. If he could not repel the attack on Rome by the British-French-Australian forces, he himself might be the next to hang from the street lamps.
On May 15th, May 22nd, May 25th, and May 27th, the Brittan-France-Australia alliance organized a large-scale bombing of Rome, destroying many buildings and facilities within the city.