During the same period in late October when Lenin prepared to push
Kerensky 's government aside, the Allies suffered a blow in southern Europe.
It likewise pointed toward the collapse of one of their number. In late
October, a combined German and Austrian army broke through the Italian
front on the Isonzo. As the Italian army collapsed, huge regions of northeastern
Italy fell into enemy hands. Unlike the situation in Russia, however,
the crisis in Italy was surmounted. Italian forces, under the new leadership
of General Armando Diaz, set up a defensible line on the Piave. Eleven
French and British army divisions rushed in to stiffen the Italian effort.
World History
