Benito Mussolini: An Overview

Early Life

• Born on July 29, 1883, in Dovia di Predappio, Italy.
• Parents: Alessandro and Rosa Mussolini.
• Father was a socialist, named Mussolini after Benito Juarez, a Mexican revolutionary.
• Initially a socialist; political views shifted during WWI to nationalism and fascism.

Italian Fascism

• 1919: Founded the Italian Fascist movement.
• 1921: Elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies.
• Frustration with the electoral process led to the March on Rome in October 1922 with 30,000 Fascist supporters.
• King Victor Emmanuel III invited Mussolini to form a new government.
• Became Prime Minister in 1922 but reliant on a coalition.
• 1923: Acerbo Law passed, favoring Fascists in elections.
• 1925: Transitioned to a personal dictatorship, ending democracy.

World War II

• First meeting with Adolf Hitler in 1934; alliance formed despite personal dislike.
• 1939: Pact of Steel solidifies military/economic alliance with Germany.
• Italy joined Axis powers as WWII began.
• Italian military failures, especially in North Africa.
• 1943: Mussolini removed from power by King Victor Emmanuel.

Fall and Execution

• Arrested in 1943, escaped with German assistance to form the Italian Social Republic.
• By 1945, German defeat imminent; attempted escape to Switzerland.
• Captured and executed by Italian partisans on April 28, 1945.
• Body displayed publicly in Milan.

Key Points

• Mussolini was a central figure in Italian Fascism and a significant WWII figure.
• His rise to power marked by a shift from socialism to nationalism.
• Eventually led Italy into an unsuccessful alliance with Nazi Germany.
• His execution marked the end of Fascist rule in Italy.