The
Carabinieri (formally
Arma dei Carabinieri, "Arm of Carabineers" or previously
Corpo dei Carabinieri, "Corps of
Carabiniers"; ) is the national
military police of
Italy, policing both military and civilian populations. It originally was founded as the police force of the
Kingdom of Sardinia. During the process of
Italian unification, it was appointed the "First Force" of the new national military organization. Although the Carabinieri assisted in the suppression of opposition during the rule of
Benito Mussolini, they also were responsible for his downfall and many units were disbanded by
Nazi Germany, which resulted in large numbers of Carabinieri joining the
Italian resistance movement. Since 2001, it has been one of the four
Italian Armed Forces.