Liberation Day in Italy Date in the current year: April 25, 2024

Benito Mussolini founded the National Fascist Party in 1921 and became the Prime Minister of Italy in 1922. In 1925, he set up a dictatorship. During WWII, Mussolini sided with Germany. After the Allied invasion of Italy in 1943, he was ousted, but the country was finally liberated from the fascist rule only two years later, in May 1945.

The date of Liberation Day was chosen by convention in 1946. It marks the day Turin and Milan were liberated form the Nazis. Besides, on April 25, 1945, the National Liberation Committee officially proclaimed the insurgency and announced the seizure of power. The liberation of northern Italy initiated the changes in the Italian society that ultimately led to the establishment of the Italian Republic in 1946.

On April 22, 1946, Liberation Day was declared a national holiday. Originally it was a one-time event, but in 1949 the anniversary of the liberation was made an annual public holiday. On the occasion, parades, marches and anti-fascist demonstrations are held throughout Italy.