Editing Italian irredentism (section)

=== Dalmatia and the World Wars ===
{{Further|Italian irredentism in Dalmatia}}
[[File:Serenissima.png|thumb|center|1000px|Map of [[Dalmatia]] and [[Istria]] with the boundaries set by the [[Treaty of London (1915)]] (red line) and those actually obtained from Italy (green line). The black line marks the border of the [[Governorate of Dalmatia]] (1941–1943). The ancient domains of the [[Republic of Venice]] are indicated in fuchsia (dashed diagonally, the territories that belonged occasionally).]]

Dalmatia was a strategic region during World War I that both Italy and Serbia intended to seize from Austria-Hungary. Italy joined the [[Triple Entente]] [[Allies of World War I|Allies]] in 1915 upon agreeing to the [[Treaty of London (1915)]] that guaranteed Italy the right to annex a large portion of Dalmatia in exchange for Italy's participation on the Allied side. From 5–6 November 1918, Italian forces were reported to have reached [[Vis (island)|Lissa]], [[Lastovo|Lagosta]], [[Šibenik|Sebenico]], and other localities on the Dalmatian coast.<ref>Giuseppe Praga, Franco Luxardo. ''History of Dalmatia''. Giardini, 1993. Pp. 281.</ref> By the end of hostilities in November 1918, the Italian military had seized control of the entire portion of Dalmatia that had been guaranteed to Italy by the Treaty of London and by 17 November had seized Fiume as well.<ref name="Paul O 2005. Pp. 17">Paul O'Brien. ''Mussolini in the First World War: the Journalist, the Soldier, the Fascist''. Oxford, England, UK; New York, New York, USA: Berg, 2005. Pp. 17.</ref> In 1918, Admiral [[Enrico Millo]] declared himself Italy's Governor of Dalmatia.<ref name="Paul O 2005. Pp. 17"/> Famous [[Italian nationalism|Italian nationalist]] Gabriele d'Annunzio supported the seizure of Dalmatia and proceeded to Zara in an Italian warship in December 1918.<ref>A. Rossi. ''The Rise of Italian Fascism: 1918–1922''. New York, New York, USA: Routledge, 2010. Pp. 47.</ref>
[[File:GovernateOfDalmatia1941 43.png|thumb|right|upright=1.8|Detailed map of the three Italian provinces of the [[Governorate of Dalmatia]]: [[province of Zara]], [[Spalato (Italian province)|province of Spalato]] and [[province of Cattaro]]]]

The last city with a significant Italian presence in Dalmatia was the city of Zara (now called [[Zadar]]). In the Austro-Hungarian census of 1910, the city of Zara had an Italian population of 9,318 (or 69.3% out of the total of 13,438 inhabitants).<ref>Guerrino Perselli, ''I censimenti della popolazione dell'Istria, con Fiume e Trieste e di alcune città della Dalmazia tra il 1850 e il 1936'', Centro di Ricerche Storiche - Rovigno, Unione Italiana - Fiume, Università Popolare di Trieste, Trieste-Rovigno, 1993</ref> In 1921 the population grew to 17,075 inhabitants, of which 12,075 Italians (corresponding to 70,76%).<ref>Ministero dell'economia nazionale, Direzione generale della statistica, Ufficio del censimento, [https://ebiblio.istat.it/digibib/Censimenti%20popolazione/censpop1921/VolumeII_Regioni/NAP0106619_III_VeneziaGiulia+OCR_ottimizzato.pdf ''Censimento della popolazione del Regno d'Italia al 1º dicembre 1921'', vol. III ''Venezia Giulia''], Provveditorato generale dello Stato, Roma, 1926, pp. 192-208.</ref> 

In 1941, during the [[Second World War]], [[Yugoslavia]] was occupied by Italy and Germany. Dalmatia was divided between Italy, which constituted the [[Governorate of Dalmatia]], and the [[Independent State of Croatia]], which annexed [[Dubrovnik|Ragusa]] and [[Morlachia]]. After the [[Armistice of Cassibile|Italian surrender]] (8 September 1943) the Independent State of Croatia annexed the Governorate of Dalmatia, except for the territories that had been Italian before the start of the conflict, such as Zara. In 1943, [[Josip Broz Tito]] informed the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] that Zara was a chief logistic centre for German forces in Yugoslavia. By overstating its importance, he persuaded them of its military significance. Italy surrendered in September 1943 and over the following year, specifically between 2 November 1943 and 31 October 1944, Allied Forces [[Bombing of Zadar in World War II|bombarded the town fifty-four times]]. Nearly 2,000 people were buried beneath rubble: 10–12,000 people escaped and took refuge in Trieste and slightly over 1,000 reached Apulia. Tito's partisans entered Zara on 31 October 1944 and 138 people were killed.<ref>Lovrovici, don Giovanni Eleuterio. ''Zara dai bombardamenti all'esodo (1943–1947)'' Tipografia Santa Lucia – Marino. Roma, 1974. p. 66.</ref> With the Peace Treaty of 1947, Italians still living in Zara followed the [[Istrian exodus|Italian exodus from Dalmatia]] and only about 100 Dalmatian Italians now remain in the city.