Benito Mussolini, the late dictator of Italy, was nicknamed IL Duce which translates to “the leader”. During Mussolini’s reign as dictator over Italy, he aimed to return the country to its former glory. Benito Mussolini’s doctrine of Fascism influenced his economic and political decisions concerning Italy in various ways. Mussolini was born on July 29, 1883 in Predappio, Italy. His full name was Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini. Alessandro, his father, was a blacksmith and Rosa, his mother, was a school teacher. Mussolini’s father was politically a socialist but his son soon parted from his father’s ways. In 1912, Mussolini was appointed to be the editor of the socialist newspaper Avanti!. Mussolini eventually became unemployed due to …show more content…
Fascism favors “individuals and generals bound together by a moral law….founded on duty….” The Fascist Party believed that life “must be lived for oneself but above all for others.” The belief that a higher personality who is the most honest and moral should represent the nation is another component of Fascism. Mussolini believed that “a multitude unified by an idea and imbued with the will to live, the will to power, self-consciousness, personality” is the ideal nation. Fascism is a religious concept because this doctrines states that man has a part of a “spiritual society.” This concept not only involves the government, but also individual thoughts. Fascism supports the theory that in history a man is a man only through the spiritual process that he contributes to as a constituent of the nation (Mussolini, 2). When Mussolini came into power, as a dictator, he made many political decisions that were influenced by his theory of Fascism. Mussolini permitted the government to suspend media that slandered the Church, government, or the state. Sawdust Caesar, as he was also known as during his rule, created the OVRA which was a secret police force. The OVRA was established so that the officers would keep a vigil for individuals who may not be following political and governmental policies. He took away the rights of Italian citizens such as their freedom of speech, suffrage, and their right to criticize the government. Mussolini had a “thirst for military glory.” His
Benito Mussolini was the founder of Italian Fascism and premier of Italy from 1922-43 and ruling as a dictator from about 1925. In 1919
He was named Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini by his father after three leaders he admired: Benito Juárez, Amilcare Cipriani, and Andrea Costa. Benito’s father, Alessandro entered politics at the age of just nineteen as a revolutionary socialist militant. He later became part of the local government. Alessandro was arrested in 1878 for suspicion of taking part in revolutionary activities and was put under house arrest until 1882 so he could attend his marriage
During the Second World War, Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was the leader of the Italian Nationalist Fascist government. He was head of the Italian government from 1922 till 1943. The significance of Mussolini is that he played a key role acting as the Italian Prime Minister and established a totalitarian regime, during this time, as the unchallenged supreme leader, known as ‘Il Duce’. Fascism consisted of many contributors of which Mussolini with all his quirks was the key to most of its failures and successes, making him the most significant player that is worthy of being investigated. This topic is worthy of being investigated as Mussolini made a lot of decisions that lead to the death of many, but the question as to
Benito Mussolini outlines several essential characteristics of his preferred political ideology, Fascism, in what has become known as the Doctrine of Fascism. In this paper, Mussolini outlines his vision of the ideology, and explains the major issues that Fascism will address once it becomes the leading political system in Italy. Mussolini’s major points as outlined in the Doctrine included an extreme emphasis on nationalism, organization and modernization of the state, persistent focus on religion, life as a struggle, and the notion that individuals exist only for the improvement of society as a whole. Wolfgang Schieder, after reviewing the Doctrine of Fascism, explains Mussolini’s success based on it and
He also was a trailblazer in promoting fascism, which is a form of radical authoritarian nationalism, which tends to view political violence and war as a means to build a stronger nation and thus expanding by absorbing weaker countries. Mussolini sided with Hitler in early 1940, sealing his fate with that of Germany which history tells us started World War II by first invading Poland in 1939 and then attacking both France and England. Germany eventually lost the war and Mussolini was shot and killed on 27 April 1945 by communist partisans in a small village of Giulino di Mezzegra the shooters name was Walter Audisio. After death, Mussolini had to endure more for his wrongdoing by being spat upon shot, and kicked then hung from a meat hook from the roof of a gas station. Civilians and passerby’s then stoned the bodies. After Mussolini’s downfall, the Christian Democracy political party dominated Italy for 50 years today Italy has a President named Giorgio Napolitano he is the 11th President in the history of the country and the longest serving President in the country’s history. The Prime Minister is Matteo Renzi who is 39 years of age making him Italy’s youngest leader since Mussolini. Italy has suffered many defeats in its history politically losing much of its power and on the other hand has won many battles having gained much power and worldly authority over many nations. Politics in the twenty first century is very public
Benito Mussolini returned to Italy claiming to “bring back Italy’s pride and make Italy a well-respected state again” (“Fascism,” n.d.). Mussolini wanted to solve Italy’s economic issues as well and pushed for a strong, national leader that could unite the people. Mussolini’s ideas appealed to Italian citizens because Mussolini wanted to solve, or at least claimed to, all the problems they were facing at the time. Mussolini began “delivering emotional speeches” in attempt to increase supporters, and in 1919, Mussolini established the first fascist regime in Italy (Martz, 2010). The Fascist Party gained a lot of attention and support because they blamed the unfair outcome of the war on the current, weak Italian democracy (Pollard, 2004, p. 29). Citizens easily put the blame on the liberal politicians and sought refuge from the opposing right wing political groups. Italy was very susceptible to Mussolini’s Fascist rule and ideologies because Italy was desperate for a change and solution to their instability. Martz (2010) states that Benito Mussolini’s charisma was a major contributor in establishing his support base and “a powerful fascist state.” Mussolini began to promote the idea that the “common will” of the people came before the will of the individual. Mussolini ensured that the citizens’ sacrifice and devotion to Italy was the only way to achieve true stability and unity (Martz, 2010). Mussolini’s charisma allowed him to easily
Benito Mussolini was catapulted into power in 1919 after helping create and naming his movement Fascism. Italian Fascism began on the left but stressed the dire need for strong nationalism with
Born on July 29, 1883, in Dovia di Predappio, Forlì, Italy, Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was the eldest of three children. His father, Alessandro, was a blacksmith and an impassioned socialist who spent much of his time on politics and much of his money on his mistress. His mother, Rosa (Maltoni), was a devout Catholic schoolteacher who provided the family with some stability and income.
Benito Mussolini, who was appointed prime minister at the head of a Fascist cabinet, cooperated with the Italian parliament, but aided by his police and soon became the dictator of Italy. “The Fascist State is wide awake and has a will of its own. For this reason, it can be described as “ethical” (Reilly 898). The Fascist state has a spiritual force and it sums up all the moral and intellectual life of man. Fascism, is totalitarian, in which no individuals or groups including political parties, cultural associations, unions, and social classes were allowed outside the state.
People were drawn to vote for those who are in favor of creating a better life for their country. Mussolini’s leadership demonstrated use of clever methods of gaining support. Others could also be blamed for his rise of power; Giovanni Giolitti, King Victor Emmanuel III, and Pope Pius XI all whom anticipated in the growth of Mussolini. The Fascist Party had some power, but not enough to control the government. The Socialists was open to more. This didn't sit well with Mussolini, so he gathered his followers, dressed in black shirts, and threatened to march on Rome if he wasn't given control of the government. At first, the government ignored him, and then he marched through Rome with his people and forced the King to name him the leader of the government. The Fascist movement he started could have easily been prevented if the government had intervened early. They failed to utilize their forces that were all at their disposal. However, Mussolini took this to his advantage and seized control of Italy. It was a perfect storm; Italy was going through tough times economically, socially and politically and Mussolini seemed like the only hope to millions of Italians. He told the people what they wanted to
Therefore, Mussolini decides to call for an alliance of all Italian citizens over his Fascist government. Mussolini honestly believed that the Italian state was destined for excellence, and the only way to achieve such excellence was through the utmost social support under Fascism. Mussolini promoted a mass transformation of the Italian nation, centralization of government and formation of a nation in strength rather than land. Mussolini thought that a state’s control resulted from its citizens, who had to be well regulated, abundant, and reliable in order to thrive.
His father was a radical political activist, who was involved in socialist and radical teachings . His mother was catholic, an ideal that Mussolini would reflect on in the late 1920’s when trying to coordinate himself with the Vatican . He was involved in socialist activities at a young age. He became the editor of the Avanti! a socialist newspaper located in Milan in 1912 . In 1914 he began to have pro-war motivations, which were against mainstream socialist dogma. As a result of his pro-war motivations, he was expelled from the Socialist movement altogether, to include his position at the Avanti . In his autobiography, My Rise and Fall, Mussolini explains the very beginnings of the fascist movement: “I created the Fasciti a daring group of individuals who believed that intervention could be forced” . He created his own fascist newspaper, the Poppolo d’Italia which gained success, especially after the war? . Due to his pro-war outlook, Mussolini felt the need to serve, and was eventually called up due to Italy’s entrance into the First World War. Mussolini was a popular soldier, and left the army after being injured when a friendly grenade detonated in his trench . The war ended during his recovery, and he soon found himself pushing for soldiers’ rights. In the 1920’s the fascism gained more popularity in Bologna during an agriculture strike. The fascist used violence and deception to pursue
Mussolini 's regime was extremely fascist and very individually-oriented from the beginning of his reign, as he made himself dictator before World War II, to which this dictatorship lead itself into World War II, and
Benito Mussolini was a pompous Italian dictator who strived and accomplished in making Italy a fascist state. There are various factors that lead to the popularity and power of the despot leader such as the outcomes of the Treaty of Versailles, the inefficient government and democratic system, fear of the Blackshirts, and the poor economy.
Mussolini’s writings throughout the period were characterized by not only Marxism but also syndicalism. Mussolini continued to write for Socialist newspapers such as Avanti and rose through the ranks to become a prominent leader in the Italian Socialist Party after returning to Italy and spending two years as a soldier, followed by a few years teaching. However, World War I and Mussolini’s expulsion from the Socialist Party marked a drastic change in Mussolini’s public political stance.