Benito Mussolini

Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini KSMOM GCTE (29 July 1883 – 28 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who served as Prime Minister of Italy from 1922 to 1943. He also was the leader of the National Fascist Party.

Duce Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini in 1939
Prime Minister of Italy
In office 31 October 1922 – 25 July 1943
Monarch	Victor Emmanuel III
Preceded by	Luigi Facta
Succeeded by	Pietro Badoglio
Duce of the Italian Social Republic
In office 23 September 1943 – 25 April 1945
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Duce of Fascism
In office 23 March 1919 – 28 April 1945
Preceded by	Movement established
Succeeded by	Movement abolished
Ministerial positions Minister of Foreign Affairs In office 5 February 1943 – 25 July 1943 Prime Minister Himself Preceded by Galeazzo Ciano Succeeded by Raffaele Guariglia In office 20 July 1932 – 9 June 1936 Prime Minister Himself Preceded by Dino Grandi Succeeded by Galeazzo Ciano In office 30 October 1922 – 12 September 1929 Prime Minister Himself Preceded by Carlo Schanzer Succeeded by Dino Grandi Minister of the Colonies In office 20 November 1937 – 31 October 1939 Prime Minister Himself Preceded by Alessandro Lessona Succeeded by Attilio Teruzzi In office 17 January 1935 – 11 June 1936 Prime Minister Himself Preceded by Emilio De Bono Succeeded by Alessandro Lessona In office 18 December 1928 – 12 September 1929 Prime Minister Himself Preceded by Luigi Federzoni Succeeded by Emilio De Bono Minister of War In office 22 July 1933 – 25 July 1943 Prime Minister Himself Preceded by Pietro Gazzera Succeeded by Antonio Sorice In office 4 April 1925 – 12 September 1929 Prime Minister Himself Preceded by Antonino Di Giorgio Succeeded by Pietro Gazzera Minister of Corporations In office 20 July 1932 – 11 June 1936 Prime Minister Himself Preceded by Giuseppe Bottai Succeeded by Ferruccio Lantini Minister of the Interior In office 6 November 1926 – 25 July 1943 Prime Minister Himself Preceded by Luigi Federzoni Succeeded by Bruno Fornaciari In office 31 October 1922 – 17 June 1924 Prime Minister Himself Preceded by Paolino Taddei Succeeded by Luigi Federzoni
Member of the Chamber of Fasces and Corporations
In office 23 March 1939 – 2 August 1943
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office 11 June 1921 – 22 March 1939
Personal details
Born	Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (1883-07-29)29 July 1883 Dovia di Predappio, Forlì, Kingdom of Italy
Died	28 April 1945(1945-04-28) (aged 61) Giulino di Mezzegra, Como, Italian Social Republic
Cause of death	Summary execution
Resting place	San Cassiano cemetery, Predappio, Italy
Political party	PNF (1921‍–‍1943)
Other political affiliations	PSI (1901‍–‍1914) Fasci d'Azione Rivoluzionaria (1914‍–‍1919) Fasci Italiani di Combattimento (1919‍–‍1921) PFR (1943‍–‍1945)
Height	1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Spouse(s)	Ida Dalser ​ ​ (m. 1914; div. 1915)​ Rachele Guidi ​ (m. 1915)​
Domestic partner	Margherita Sarfatti (1911‍–‍1931) Clara Petacci (1933‍–‍1945)
Children	Edda Vittorio Bruno Romano Anna Maria Benito Albino (unrecognised)
Parents	Alessandro Mussolini Rosa Maltoni
Relatives	Mussolini family
Profession	Politician
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Kingdom of Italy
Branch/service	Royal Italian Army
Years of service	1915–1917 (active)
Rank	First Marshal of the Empire Corporal
Unit	11th Bersaglieri Regiment
Battles/wars	First World War Pacification of Libya Second Italo-Ethiopian War Spanish Civil War Italian invasion of Albania Second World War
a. ^ As Head of Government, Prime Minister, Secretary of State from 24 December 1925

Biography

Early life

Birthplace of Benito Mussolini in Predappio

Benito Mussolini was named after Benito Juarez, a Mexican opponent of the political power of the Roman Catholic Church, by his anticlerical (a person who opposes the political interference of the Roman Catholic Church in secular affairs) father. Mussolini's father was a blacksmith. Before being involved in politics, Mussolini was a newspaper editor (where he learned all his propaganda skills) and elementary school teacher.

At first, Mussolini was a socialist, but when he wanted Italy to join the First World War, he was thrown out of the socialist party. He 'invented' a new ideology, Fascism, much out of Nationalist and Conservative views.

Rise to power and becoming dictator

platform of Fasci Italiani di Combattimento

In 1922, he took power by having a large group of men, "Black Shirts," march on Rome and threaten to take over the government. King Vittorio Emanuele III gave in, allowed him to form a government, and made him prime minister. In the following five years, he gained power, and in 1927 created the OVRA, his personal secret police force. Using the agency to arrest, scare, or murder people against his regime, Mussolini was dictator of Italy by the end of 1927. Only the King and his own Fascist party could challenge his power.

Fascism as practiced by Mussolini

Mussolini and Fascist Blackshirt youth in 1935 in Rome

Mussolini's form of Fascism, "Italian Fascism"- unlike Nazism, the racist ideology that Adolf Hitler followed- was different and less destructive than Hitler's. Although a believer in the superiority of the Italian nation and national unity, Mussolini, unlike Hitler, is quoted "Race? It is a feeling, not a reality. Nothing will ever make me believe that biologically pure races can be shown to exist today".

Mussolini wanted Italy to become a new Roman Empire. In 1923, he attacked the island of Corfu, and in 1924, he occupied the city state of Fiume. In 1935, he attacked the African country Abyssinia (now called Ethiopia). His forces occupied it in 1936. Italy was thrown out of the League of Nations because of this aggression. In 1939, he occupied the country Albania. In 1936, Mussolini signed an alliance with Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Germany.

Fall from power and death

From left to right, you can see the lifeless bodies of the former communist politician Nicola Bombacci, the Duce Benito Mussolini, his faithful lover Clara Petacci, the minister Alessandro Pavolini and the renowned fascist politician Achille Starace, being exhibited in the Plaza Loreto in the city of Milan in 1945.

In 1940, he sent Italy into the Second World War on the side of the Axis countries. Mussolini attacked Greece, but he failed to conquer it. In 1943, the Allies landed in Southern Italy. The Fascist party and King Vittorio Emanuel III deposed Mussolini and put him in jail, but he was set free by the Germans, who made him ruler of the Italian Social Republic puppet state which was in a small part of Central Italy. When the war was almost over, Mussolini tried to escape to Switzerland with his mistress, Clara Petacci, but they were both captured and shot by partisans. Mussolini's dead body was hanged upside-down, together with his mistress and some of Mussolini's helpers, on a pole at a gas station in the village of Milan, which is near the border between Italy and Switzerland.

After death

After the war, several Neo-Fascist movements have had success in Italy, the most important being the Movimento Sociale Italiano. His granddaughter Alessandra Mussolini has outspoken views similar to Fascism.

Legacy

Italian Libya postage stamp of Hitler & Mussolini

Mussolini's legacy is complex; he played a significant role in Italian history, but his association with fascism and authoritarianism has left a controversial mark. His policies had lasting effects, but they were often accompanied by suppression of dissent and human rights abuses.

Other websites

• Mussolini's "Last Will", April 22, 1945 (in Italian). From 'Il Giornale' newspaper Archived July 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine