<P> After the United Kingdom signed the Anglo - Italian Easter Accords in 1938, Mussolini and foreign minister Ciano issued demands for concessions in the Mediterranean by France, particularly regarding Djibouti, Tunisia and the French - run Suez Canal . Three weeks later, Mussolini told Ciano that he intended for Italy to demand an Italian takeover of Albania . Mussolini professed that Italy would only be able to "breathe easily" if it had acquired a contiguous colonial domain in Africa from the Atlantic to the Indian Oceans, and when ten million Italians had settled in them . In 1938, Italy demanded a sphere of influence in the Suez Canal in Egypt, specifically demanding that the French - dominated Suez Canal Company accept an Italian representative on its board of directors . Italy opposed the French monopoly over the Suez Canal because, under the French - dominated Suez Canal Company, all Italian merchant traffic to its colony of Italian East Africa was forced to pay tolls on entering the canal . </P> <P> In 1939, Italy invaded and captured Albania and made it a part of the Italian Empire as a separate kingdom in personal union with the Italian crown . The region of modern - day Albania had been an early part of the Roman Empire, which had actually been held before northern parts of Italy had been taken by the Romans, but had long since been populated by Albanians, even though Italy had retained strong links with the Albanian leadership and considered it firmly within its sphere of influence . It is possible that Mussolini simply wanted a spectacular success over a smaller neighbour to match Germany's absorption of Austria and Czechoslovakia . Italian King Victor Emmanuel III took the Albanian crown, and a fascist government under Shefqet Verlaci was established to rule over Albania . </P> <P> The Great Depression posed a great challenge to the region . The collapse of the world economy meant that the demand for raw materials drastically declined, undermining many of the economies of Latin America . Intellectuals and government leaders in Latin America turned their backs on the older economic policies and turned toward import substitution industrialization . The goal was to create self - sufficient economies, which would have their own industrial sectors and large middle classes and which would be immune to the ups and downs of the global economy . Despite the potential threats to United States commercial interests, the Roosevelt administration (1933--1945) understood that the United States could not wholly oppose import substitution . Roosevelt implemented a Good Neighbor policy and allowed the nationalization of some American companies in Latin America . Mexican President Lázaro Cárdenas nationalized American oil companies, out of which he created Pemex . Cárdenas also oversaw the redistribution of a quantity of land, fulfilling the hopes of many since the start of the Mexican Revolution . The Platt Amendment was also repealed, freeing Cuba from legal and official interference of the United States in its politics . The Second World War also brought the United States and most Latin American nations together, with Argentina the main hold out . </P> <P> Sports became increasingly popular, drawing enthusiastic fans to large stadia . The International Olympic Committee (IOC) worked to encourage Olympic ideals and participation . Following the 1922 Latin American Games in Rio de Janeiro, the IOC helped to establish national Olympic committees and prepare for future competition . In Brazil, however, sporting and political rivalries slowed progress as opposing factions fought for control of international sport . The 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris and the 1928 Summer Olympics games in Amsterdam saw greatly increased participation from Latin American athletes . English and Scottish engineers brought futebol (soccer) to Brazil in the late 1800s . The International Committee of the YMCA of North America and the Playground Association of America played major roles in training coaches . Across the globe after 1912, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) played the chief role in the transformation of association football into a global game, working with national and regional organizations, and setting up the rules and customs, and establishing championships such as the World Cup . </P>

By 1939 the only two major democratic states in europe were