>>94740877The group of countries known as the "Axis Powers" during World War II were called that because the alliance between Germany and Italy, the foundation of the group, was initially referred to as the "Rome-Berlin Axis" - essentially meaning that the world would revolve around these two powers, with the term "axis" signifying a central point around which things rotate; Italian dictator Benito Mussolini used this term to describe the alliance.
