Benito Mussolini declared on 1 November 1936 that all other European countries would from then on rotate on the Rome–Berlin axis, thus creating the term "Axis".[2][3] The almost simultaneous second step was the signing in November 1936 of the Anti-Comintern Pact, an anti-communist treaty between Germany and Japan. Italy joined the Pact in 1937 and Hungary and Spain joined in 1939. The "Rome–Berlin Axis" became a military alliance in 1939 under the so-called "Pact of Steel".
It was the anticommunist "pact of steel" that lead to Mussolini's destruction, because he wasn't aware Adolf was going to start a bunch of wars of aggression when he made the Axis, and Germany was Italy's only help in keeping Spain from being overrun by Communists (and putting Mussolini's pupil in power) so Il Duce felt in debt.
Germany was extremely anticommunist, which was how Hitler rose to power in the first place, and Communism has historically been proven far worse than Nazism, so Il Duce's decision did actually make sense despite it being a terrible thing to do.
But anyway, I found this at Capitol Hill today. The word Axis I mean.:
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