Benito Mussolini

Answer He was prime minister of Italy from 1922 to 1943. He took over as dictator by selecting a cabinet that would obey him. He was the leader during WW2 and was an ally to Hitler's Nazi Germany.

Hitler appreciated Mussollini's style of leadership. He ruled his people by making sure they feared him - something you would recognize in Hitler's actions. Mussolini used World War 1 veterans as those who he trusted for guidance (not the word I want) - which were called the "Black Shirts". Hitler's version were the "Brown Shirts" or the Nazis. These are examples of Mussollini's influence upon Hitler's ruling style. Here is a link that reflects some of the communication between the men leading toward and during World War 2. Keep in mind they were allied during the war in an effort to rule the world.

He was a dictator, mean, politic insane, and friends with the nizi

To be able in answering this question, one needs to analyse and look at the conditions that Italy suffered from before the rise of Benito Mussolini in 1925 as the Duce of Italy.

The long-term causes:

1. The liberal government: was created after the unification of Italy in 1861. it was very corrupted. carried for its own selfish-interest than the people. Also, the forced unification on the people was superficial. Due to the fact that the people did not develope national conscious; as one of the governments leaders said "We have made Italy, now we need to make Italians"

2. Also, there was division in the wealth and classes between the upper class (in the north), middle class. and the poor class in South (which did not have the right to vote). Only the upper class had the right to vote, this meant that people who were appointed were from the upper class and only carried about their own interest. (once again corrupt)

3. after the unification of the Italian State, there were some hostility between the State and The Catholic Church. this undermined the mass support for the government. as many Italians were strong believers in Catholicism.

4. There was big unrest between 1890s - 1914- in the southern areas. the working class went into general strikes against the government. Because the government focused on the heavy industry than "light" industry which the people did not benefit from.

5. In addition, the people blamed the gov. for not making Italy into a great power, and stand for its "rights" during the Treaties and conferences after WWI (for instance Italy didnt get all the areas of Austria that it wished for).

6. The intervention crisis (1914-15) did create wider split in the Government. As the left wing (PSI), King Emmanuel III and the catholic Church were against Italy's intervention in the WWI. However, those who were pro-joining the War: were like right wing and Mussolini (he was expelled from the PSI and created his own newspaper, saying that Italy should interferr in the war). Hence, due to this crisis a split was created which will later affect their relationship in for instance solving the Post-War problems and Mussolini's rise, etc.

7. Moreover, it is very important to focus on the consequences of the WWI on Italy both economically and politically as it explains the reason of why the people and the government voted yes for Mussolini.

Italy was badly hit from the war: the government lost its popularity (1918-22). Hence the rise of the Facist movement and the Socialist movement (politicaly instability)

8. there was alot of strikes, e.g 361 strikes in 1919.

9. High inflation (prices increased by 50%) devastated the economy (1918-20)

10. Unemployment high approx. 3 million.

ALL THESE CREATED HUGE SOCIAL UNREST, that was marked as the "Red Years or Beinno Rosso" (1918-20)

a) Peasant strikes in the south- did some few positive results (as they got ome lands from the landlords and wages increased)

b) Trade unions grew rapidly during this period, upt to 2 million in 1920.

c) Strikes of the workers went further that they occupied the industrial factories (1920)

d) political violence between the facists and socialists ( the facists were the winners, because they had ex-military servicemen)- 300 000 socialsts were killde 1920-22

e)the facists gaind control over the rural areas in the south (1921).

You may wonder why didnt the Socialsts win?

- they were divided (after the Intervention crisis 1914-15)

- Some were unsure if the working class can make a worker revolution.

Moreover, as the facist movement grew more violencly (1922) the gov were unable to handle them. As the gov. didnt work well and the Grand coalition of the gov. failed. also, at the same time the socialists and the communists also called for strikes-- total instability (only mussolinis movement seemed structured and protecting the people).

so the King Emmanuel III granted Mussolini the position of prime minister if he showed total support of the monarchy (and mussloni totaly did it, in his speech 1922)

later, There was a general strike in Rome. this was for Mussolini's advantage as he told the gov (it is them or him finnishing the strike) - he send 20,000 mobilised troops, but only 5000 made it to Rome (they were poorly armed and organised).

The reason for the King not stoping the strikes, is because he was afraid that a civil war would break out as the one in Russia. (i think)

Moreover, the king and the liberal gov. offered Mussolini the position of Prime minister (they thought that he can be tamed)

Later, he solves the vatican issue, by e.g. making religious education compulsory in schools (1923). -- Seen as a Hero

Also, as Mussolini received the position of prime minister, he banned all other opposition parties, censor of newspapers. the OVRA (secret police) was established under the control of Mussolini (1923).

He also created the Facist Grand Council - a way to improve the communication between the facists party & government. But in reality it was more to assert personal controll over the party, specially the powerful opponent the Ras (who always pressured him, e.g. during the March on Rome 1922).

Later, the political murder of the socialist leader Matteotti (1924)- led to huge unrest in Italy- Mussolini was on the edge of losing his power. But, he acted quickly by publicly annoucing his responsiblity of Matteotti death and that a tolitarian state is estabilished (so in 1925- Italy officially became a one -single party state and Mussolini as the Duce (like Hitler Fuhrer in Germany)

Hope this Help ^__^

I am also, studying Mussolini's rule for my final exams next week ^__^

Sources: IB-History Revision books

Mussolini has a rare eye disease that allowed him to give powerful and intimidating stares. He also rallied a strong band of followers who scared lots of people. As a child, Mussolini was violent and attacked other children with a penknife, which caused him to get kicked out of several schools. Mussolini also has charisma and waqs extremely smart, which made people listen to him.

Benito Mussolini was named after Benito Juarez becuase Mussolini's admired Juarez he admired what Juarez did which was going from a peasant that didnt even knew spanish to teaching himself spanish and going to become Mexico's 27th president.

Disciplined organization. A former journalist, Mussolini was also an accomplished orator, both forceful and attractive. He exuded confidence. He was persuasive. More importantly, he created an organization, the Fascist Party, that offered rewards of power and influence to members who encouraged their communities to agree with Mussolini's policies. Mussolini used the real and perceived strength of this following to intimidate government and private interests into giving him control of the country. Then he directed every institution of society, including the family, to promote his goals. Businesses could remain in private hands, but everyone had to serve Mussolini's aims or else they might be persecuted. Italy had been on the winning side of World War I, technically, but had not made any real gains. Italians felt demoralized and were impressed with Mussolini's can-do attitude and his attempt to restore national pride. It was said that "He made the trains run on time" because he controlled every aspect of society or made out that he did, and he insisted on efficiency and the expression of determination, especially nationally and internationally. This is not to say that the trains were never late, but it gives you a sense of how far-reaching Mussolini's influence was. It was felt throughout Italy and even in the rest of the world where he had many admirers including in the United States.

brother Arnaldo and sister - Edvige

both younger.

Italy took over Ethiopia after a border incident gave Italy an excuse to intervene and conquer the country. Italy took over Albania without any problems because Albania was already dependent on Italy's economy.

Stalin killed the most people, and it made little difference to him what ethnic or religious background they had. He was paranoid and was determined to purge everyone he perceived as being an enemy of his. Mussolini and Hitler were racists and egocentrics in their own right.

The Allies had relatively little to do with it. Soundly defeated in North Africa, Mussolini began to be deeply doubted by his own inner circle - and by that same time, the average Italian had come to despise him. He was relieved of his command and office, and at the very end of the war tracked down and shot by Italian partisans.

I'm not sure if Mussolini and Stalin really had any relations. But nationalism is nationalism, so if they did ever meet, they wouldn't disagree about nationalism. But they would disagree about everything else because one of them was Far-Right Winger the other being a far-Left Winger

Benito Mussolini was an Italian politician who influenced Italy greatly. Namely, he led the National Fascist Party, ruling as Prime Minister for 3 years before dropping any pretense of democracy and setting himself up as dictator. His main influence was the strong prevalence of the Fascist Party.

He sort of didn't. He was a dictator, got there after a coup d'etat, forcing the King to give him his approval.

He was axis. He was the enemy of the allied countries.

Yes. he joined the Italian Army in 1915. In 1917 he was wounded by a bomb and was sent to hospital and then home which ended his army service.

Yes. Mussolini was in the Bersaglieri, elite soldiers formed by Garibaldi when Italy became a nation in the 19th Century. The Bersaglieri served creditably in WW2, and in Lebanon in 1982. They may be recognized by the bird feather plumes on their hats or helmets, and they are still elite soldiers of the Italian Army today. Instead of an enemy bomb, I think Mussolini was wounded by an Italian mortar bomb which exploded prematurely. Cashiered from the Italian Army, Mussolini decided to enter politics.....with disastrous effects to the world.

He wanted to re-establish the Roman Empire. The name of his movement -- Fascism -- was taken from the Roman fasces carried by magistrates as a mark of their authority. The fasces was a bundle of rods bound around an axe.

Concerned about a potential attack by Hitler, Joseph Stalin did try to stop him in 1939. Stalin wasn't able to get the international support he wanted, which led to his eventual agreement to sign the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.

The power sharing arrangement that the fascist had in the Italian governments in the 1920s helped to prepare some of its members to handle parts of the economy well when the global depression hit. The investment in what we call "infrastructure" was an appropriate public use of money. The modernization of healthcare in the 1930s put many women through medical schools so they could staff the village and town clinics built as part of the public works program. These useful public works and the hydroelectric plants created to power the "re-birth" of the Roman Empire under Mussolini and his fascist technocrats planned to build and rule. The move towards autarky in the 1930s was a wasteful and foolish plan to be self-sufficient in a way that Italy never was during the actual era of the Roman Empire.

So while the public health and the infrastructure spending was appropriate and helpful to Italian society, war and autarky were economically disastrous distortions of a nationalist economic system. The disaster that was the "struggle for wheat" and the "struggle for iron" and entry into war on the side of Germany sank the Italian economy. Ultimately Mussolini's will to create a self-sufficient militaristic state trumped the good of an advanced public health system and an advanced public building program that relieved the effects of the great depression and provided a modern road system that aided commerce.

In balance the modernization of the Italian economy .in the 1920s-1930s under the fascist leadership of Mussolini accomplished the task that other European nations and the United States accomplished in the 1910s through progressive and socialist governments. The corporatist state under the "progressive" fascists was similar to the accomplishments of the pro-business associationalist Republicans of the 1920s US. The public spending of the fascists in the 1930s was more targeted and less restricted than the moderate governments of Great Britain, France and the United States. There were admirers of Mussolini's control of the labor unions in many countries from Argentina, Brazil and China to the United Kingdom and the United State,s where the Luce family's publishing empire promoted Italian style fascism and the corporatist state for "getting the trains to run on time." It was a high price to pay, switching from inefficient, elected, representative government to a fascist dictator just to crush the labor unions, but members of the upper class in the US and UK were interested in the idea. Fortunately the public in those countries were not interested in making a switch to Italian fascism.

he was allied with the axis powers.

Mussolini bred savage horses who were known to terrorize local villages(they hadn't had their pockets picked, if you catch my drift)

Benito Mussolini's whole name was Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini.

Because of his majorely facist (forceful) ways, Mussolini was hated among his people and after Italy fell in 1945, his country began to revolt and start a revoluton. Fearing for his saftey, Mussolini attempted to leave Italy, but was discovered by revolutionaries and kidnapped.

He was violently killed. He was hung upside-down, among several of his highest officers, from a low bridge, until the force of his blood running to his head ultimately killed him. It was extrremley painful and gruesome, as his head slowly bulged from the weight of the blood and his brain burst from too much fluid in his skull. His body was then dragged through the streets by a horse as revolutionaries paraded and cheered.

Benito Mussolini had a great deal of enemies during his lifetime because of his fascist ideals and his alliance with Hitler. However, he was a charismatic man and had many followers and supporters during his revolt and leadership of Italy.