(Italian: Repubblica di Salò; officially, Repubblica Sociale Italiana / RSI)
State in northern and central Italy, formed on September 15, 1943 and led by Benito Mussolini and the newly-formed Republican Fascist Party.
Although the RSI had its own armed forces and government administration, it was to all intents and purposes a German puppet state, where German officers and bureaucrats dictated every action of Mussolini's "government". In particular, the city of Rome, while officially part of the RSI, was completely outside Mussolini's control.
The RSI government offices were distributed in a number of small towns adjacent to Lake Garda. The radio station of the republic was located in Salò, hence the unofficial name of the RSI.
After the Allies took Milan on April 25, 1945, the RSi effectively ceased to exist.