Probably because he's referring to the 1942 version (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035130/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035130/), during which time Italy was not

Probably because he's referring to the 1942 version (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035130/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035130/), during which time Italy was not a democracy.