Editing Freemasonry (section)

===Italy===
{{Further|Freemasonry in Italy}}
According to Adrian Lyttelton, in the early 20th century, Freemasonry was an influential but semi-secret force in Italian politics; with a strong presence among professionals and the middle class across Italy, its appeal spread to the leadership of the parliament, public administration, and the army. The two main organisations were the Grand Orient and the Grand Lodge of Italy. They had around 25,000 members in some 500 lodges. Freemasons typically espoused [[anticlericalism]] and promoted unification. The Catholic Church was a vigorous opponent of unification, and thus of the Freemasons; various national governments would repeatedly alternate and backpedal between the anticlerical side and the Church side.<ref>Adrian Lyttelton, "An Old Church and a New State: Italian Anticlericalism 1876–1915." ''European Studies Review'' 13.2 (1983): 225–248.</ref> Politically, they promoted [[Italian nationalism]] focused on unification and undermining the power of the Catholic Church. Freemasons took on the challenge of mobilizing the press, encouraging public opinion and the leading political parties in support of [[Italian entry into World War I|Italy's joining of the Allies]] of the First World War in 1914–1915. In 1919, they favoured a [[League of Nations]] to promote a new post-war, universal order based upon the peaceful coexistence of independent and democratic nations.<ref>Fulvio Conti, "From Universalism to Nationalism: Italian Freemasonry and the Great War." ''Journal of Modern Italian Studies'' 20.5 (2015): 640–662.</ref> In the early 1920s, many of [[Benito Mussolini|Mussolini]]'s collaborators, especially the leaders in organizing the [[March on Rome]], were Masons. The lodges hailed [[fascism]] as the saviour of Italy from [[Bolshevism]]; however, Mussolini decided he needed to come to terms with the Catholic Church, in the mid-1920s, outlawing Freemasonry.<ref>Martin Clark, ''Modern Italy 1871–1995'' (1996) p. 254.</ref>