Who is Mussolini biography. Benito Mussolini: the most humane dictator

In the small Italian village of Dovia, on July 29, 1883, the first child was born into the family of local blacksmith Alessandro Mussolini and schoolteacher Rosa Maltoni. He was given the name Benito. Years will pass, and this dark boy will become a merciless dictator, one of the founders of the fascist party of Italy, which plunged the country into the most brutal period of the totalitarian regime and

The youth of the future dictator

Alessandro was a conscientious worker, and his family had some wealth, which made it possible to place the young Mussolini Benito in a Catholic school in the city of Faenza. Having received a secondary education, he began teaching in primary classes, but such a life was burdensome to him, and in 1902 the young teacher left for Switzerland. At that time, Geneva was crowded with political emigrants, among whom Benito Mussolini constantly moved. The books of K. Kautsky, P. Kropotkin, K. Marx and F. Engels have a fascinating effect on his consciousness.

But the most powerful impression is made by the works of Nietzsche and his concept of the “superman”. Having found itself on fertile soil, it resulted in the conviction that it was he - Benito Mussolini - who was destined to fulfill this great destiny. The theory, according to which the people were reduced to the level of a pedestal for their elected leaders, was accepted by him without hesitation. There was no doubt about the interpretation of war as the highest manifestation of the human spirit. This is how the ideological foundation of the future leader of the fascist party was laid.

Return to Italy

Soon the socialist rebel is expelled from Switzerland, and he finds himself back in his homeland. Here he becomes a member of the Socialist Party of Italy and with great success tries his hand at journalism. The small newspaper he publishes, “Class Struggle,” publishes mainly his own articles, in which he passionately criticizes the institutions of bourgeois society. Among the broad masses, this position of the author meets with approval, and in a short time the newspaper's circulation doubles. In 1910, Mussolini Benito was elected as a deputy at the next congress of the Socialist Party, held in Milan.

It was during this period that the prefix “Duce” - leader - began to be added to Mussolini’s name. This incredibly flatters his pride. Two years later, he was assigned to head the central printed organ of the socialists - the newspaper Avanti! ("Forward!"). It was a huge breakthrough in my career. Now he had the opportunity to address everything multimillion-dollar in his articles, and Mussolini coped with this brilliantly. Here his talent as a journalist was fully revealed. Suffice it to say that within a year and a half he managed to increase the newspaper's circulation fivefold. It became the most read in the country.

Leaving the socialist camp

Soon followed his break with his former like-minded people. Since that time, the young Duce has headed the newspaper “People of Italy”, which, despite its name, reflects the interests of the big bourgeoisie and the industrial oligarchy. In the same year, Benito Mussolini's illegitimate son, Benito Albino, was born. He is destined to end his days in a clinic for the mentally ill, where his mother, the common-law wife of the future dictator Ida Daltzer, will also die. After some time, Mussolini married Raquele Gaudi, with whom he would have five children.

In 1915, Italy, which had until then remained neutral, entered the war. Mussolini Benito, like many of his fellow citizens, found himself at the front. In February 1917, after serving for seventeen months, the Duce was discharged due to injury and returned to his previous activities. Two months later, the unexpected happened: Italy suffered a crushing defeat from Austrian troops.

Birth of the Fascist Party

But a national tragedy that cost hundreds of thousands of lives served as an impetus for Mussolini on his path to power. From recent front-line soldiers, people embittered and exhausted by the war, he creates an organization called the “Combat Union”. In Italian it sounds like "fascio de combattimento". This very “fascio” gave its name to one of the most inhuman movements - fascism.

The first major meeting of union members took place on March 23, 1919. About a hundred people took part in it. For five days, speeches were made about the need to revive the former greatness of Italy and numerous demands regarding the establishment of civil liberties in the country. The members of this new organization, who called themselves fascists, addressed in their speeches to all Italians who were aware of the need for radical changes in the life of the state.

Fascists are in power in the country

Such appeals were successful, and soon the Duce was elected to parliament, where thirty-five mandates belonged to the fascists. Their party was officially registered in November 1921, and Mussolini Benito became its leader. More and more new members are joining the ranks of the fascists. In October 1927, columns of his followers made the famous march of thousands on Rome, as a result of which the Duce became prime minister and shared power only with King Victor Emmanuel III. The Cabinet of Ministers is formed exclusively from members of the fascist party. Skillfully manipulating, Mussolini managed to enlist the support of the Pope in his actions, and in 1929 the Vatican became an independent state.

Fight against dissent

Benito Mussolini's fascism continued to strengthen against the backdrop of widespread political repression - an integral feature of all totalitarian regimes. A “Special State Security Tribunal” was created, whose competence included the suppression of any manifestations of dissent. During its existence, from 1927 to 1943, it reviewed more than 21,000 cases.

Despite the fact that the monarch remained on the throne, all power was concentrated in the hands of the Duce. He simultaneously headed seven ministries, was prime minister, head of the party and a number of security agencies. He managed to eliminate almost all constitutional restrictions on his power. A regime was established in Italy. To top it off, a decree was issued banning all other political parties in the country and abolishing direct parliamentary elections.

Political propaganda

Like every dictator, Mussolini attached great importance to the organization of propaganda. In this direction, he achieved significant success, since he himself worked in the press for a long time and was fluent in the techniques of influencing the consciousness of the masses. The propaganda campaign launched by him and his supporters took on the widest scale. Portraits of the Duce filled the pages of newspapers and magazines, looked from billboards and advertising brochures, and adorned boxes of chocolates and packaging of medicines. All of Italy was filled with images of Benito Mussolini. Quotes from his speeches were circulated in huge quantities.

Social programs and the fight against the mafia

But as an intelligent and far-sighted man, the Duce understood that propaganda alone could not earn lasting authority among the people. In this regard, he developed and implemented an extensive program to boost the country's economy and improve the living standards of Italians. First of all, measures were taken to combat unemployment, which effectively increased employment. As part of his program, more than five thousand farms and five agricultural cities were built in a short period of time. For this purpose, the Pontic swamps were drained, the vast territory of which for centuries had been nothing but a breeding ground for malaria.

Thanks to the reclamation program carried out under Mussolini's leadership, the country received an additional almost eight million hectares of arable land. Seventy-eight thousand peasants from the poorest regions of the country received fertile plots on them. During the first eight years of his reign, the number of hospitals in Italy quadrupled. Thanks to his social policy, Mussolini gained deep respect not only in his country, but also among the leaders of the leading countries of the world. During his reign, the Duce managed to do the impossible - he practically destroyed the famous Sicilian mafia.

Military ties with Germany and entry into the war

In foreign policy, Mussolini nurtured plans for the revival of the Great Roman Empire. In practice, this resulted in the armed seizure of Ethiopia, Albania and a number of Mediterranean territories. During this time, the Duce sent significant forces to support General Franco. It was during this period that his fatal rapprochement with Hitler, who also supported the Spanish nationalists, began. Their alliance was finally established in 1937 during Mussolini’s visit to Germany.

In 1939, an agreement was signed between Germany and Italy concluding a defensive-offensive alliance, as a result of which on June 10, 1940, Italy entered the World War. Mussolini's troops take part in the capture of France and attack British colonies in east Africa, and in October invade Greece. But soon the successes of the first days of the war gave way to the bitterness of defeat. The troops of the anti-Hitler coalition intensified their actions in all directions, and the Italians retreated, losing previously captured territories and suffering heavy losses. To top things off, on July 10, 1943, British units captured Sicily.

Collapse of the Dictator

The former delight of the masses was replaced by general discontent. The dictator was accused of political myopia, as a result of which the country was drawn into war. They remembered the usurpation of power, the suppression of dissent, and all the miscalculations in foreign and domestic policy that Benito Mussolini had previously made. The Duce was removed by his own comrades from all his posts and arrested. Before the trial, he was kept in custody in one of the mountain hotels, but from there he was abducted by German paratroopers under the command of the famous Otto Skorzeny. Soon Germany occupied Italy.

Fate gave the former Duce the opportunity to head the puppet government of the republic created by Hitler for some time. But the end was approaching. At the end of April 1945, the former dictator and his mistress were captured by partisans while trying to illegally leave Italy with a group of their associates.

The execution of Benito Mussolini and his girlfriend followed on April 28. They were shot on the outskirts of the village of Mezzegra. Their bodies were later taken to Milan and hung by their feet in the city square. This is how Benito ended his days, who in some ways is certainly unique, but in general is typical of most dictators.

Mussolini was born on July 29, 1883 in the village of Predappio (Italian: Predappio) in the province of Forli-Cesena in Emilia-Romagna. He was named Benito in honor of the Mexican reformist president Benito Juárez; he received the names Andrea and Amilcare in honor of the Italian socialists Andrea Costa and Amilcare Cipriani. His mother Rosa Maltoni was a teacher. Father, blacksmith Alessandro Mussolini (1854-1910), a militant socialist (compiled texts of appeals and spoke at rallies, was imprisoned several times for his ideas, an ardent admirer of the Russian revolutionary Bakunin), was a member of the Second (Socialist) International, Benito will also become a socialist. In 1892, Benito's parents sent him to a private school of the monastic order of St. Francis de Sales. Mussolini celebrated his first year at school by stabbing an older boy with a knife (the parents hushed up the matter). In 1895, due to his violent, uncontrollable behavior, he had to be transferred to another school.

Since 1900, Mussolini has been actively interested in politics, writing articles for socialist newspapers in Forlì and Ravenna.

In 1901, Benito received a diploma as a primary school teacher and got a job in the village of Pieve Saliceto, where he soon led the socialists and became a member of the local workers' committee.

In 1902, to avoid military service, he emigrated to Switzerland. There he took part in the socialist movement and was deported to Italy, where he was to serve in the army. He immediately returned to Switzerland. The next attempt to deport him was suspended due to the fact that the Swiss socialists urgently raised the issue of his treatment in parliament.

In 1902, in Lausanne, he met the prominent economist and socialist Professor Vilfredo Pareto and attended his lectures (Pareto's theory teaches that power is always seized by a minority). Here he gets acquainted with the works of Nietzsche, Marx, Stirner, Babeuf. His articles are published by Proletario and Avvenire del Lavoratore; Mussolini, honing his style, becomes an unsurpassed polemicist.

After a long search, in February 1909 he was found a job in the Austro-Hungarian city of Trento, populated by Italians. He began editing the local socialist newspaper L "Avvenire del Lavoratore (The Future of the Worker). There he met the socialist politician and journalist Cesare Battisti and began editing his newspaper Il Popolo (The People). For this newspaper he wrote the novel Claudia Particella, l "amante del cardinale -- Claudia Particella, the mistress of a cardinal, which was published with a sequel during 1910 (he later renounced the novel; the purpose of this novel was to discredit the religious authorities.

By the time the novel began to be published, Mussolini had already returned to Italy.

In 1911, Mussolini opposed the colonial war in Libya, organized strikes and demonstrations to prevent the sending of troops to the front: “the military continues to indulge in orgies of destruction and murder. Every day a huge pyramid of sacrificed human lives raises its bloody top more and more brazenly...” . In November he goes to prison for this (3 months).

December 1912 appointed editor-in-chief of Avanti! (“Avanti!”) - the official organ of social media. party of Italy. Moves to Milan. Takes part in the work of the social congress. party (regarding the failed assassination attempt on the king, he says: “On March 14, a simple mason shoots at the king. This incident shows us, socialists, the path we must follow.”) 1914 - by the middle of the year he becomes the most popular leader of the socialist. parties. Places in "Avanti!" an article in which he advocates Italy's entry into the war against Germany. In November he publishes a new newspaper, The People of Italy. Due to envy and growing disagreements among the party leadership, he was expelled from it.

In August 1915, he was drafted into the army, joined the regiment of barsailleurs and was sent to the front line near the river. Isonzo. Comrades in arms appreciate Mussolini for his responsiveness, optimism, exemplary courage - during attacks, he is the first to jump out of the trench with exclamations of “Long live Italy!” At the end of November he is hospitalized for typhus.

In February 1916, he received the rank of corporal (in the order: “... for exemplary service, high moral spirit and courage...” February 1917, while shooting a mortar, a mine exploded in the barrel, Mussolini was seriously injured, which is why he was demobilized.

On March 23, 1919, in Milan, Benito Mussolini held the founding meeting of the new organization “Union of Struggle” (“Fascio di Combattimento”). From the speech: “We will allow ourselves the luxury of being simultaneously aristocrats and democrats, revolutionaries and reactionaries, supporters of legal and illegal struggle, and all this depending on the place and circumstances in which we will have to be and act.”

The Ministry of Internal Affairs opens a case against him, which in particular says: “Mussolini is a voluptuous person, as evidenced by his numerous relationships with women... Deep down, he is very sentimental, and this attracts people to him. Mussolini is not interested in money, what he creates "He has a reputation as an unselfish person. He is very smart, kind and well versed in people, knows their shortcomings and merits. He is prone to showing unexpected likes and dislikes, and is sometimes extremely vindictive."

• On October 27, 1922, the “black plague” begins its march on Rome. By the evening of October 30, with the permission of the frightened King Victor Emanuel II, Mussolini finished forming the cabinet of ministers.
• On April 10, 1923, in the Vatican, at a meeting between Mussolini and Cardinal Pietro Gasparri, Mussolini promised to cleanse Italy of communists and freemasons, strengthen sanctions against those who insult religion, install crucifixes in schools and in judicial institutions, introduce compulsory religious education in educational institutions and restore army position of military chaplains.

In February 1924, the Duce government recognized the USSR.

• On July 10, 1924, a decree with the force of law was issued, which introduced restrictions on freedom of the press.
• On July 31, the Ministry of Press and Propaganda was created (headed by Dino Alfieri). The measures he took lead to the closure of most opposition newspapers. Only a member of a fascist trade union can now become the head of a newspaper.
• On December 5, Mussolini in his speech about the Catholic religion: “Fascism respects the God of ascetics, saints, heroes and the faith that fills the hearts of ordinary people with prayer. Unlike Bolshevism, fascism does not try to expel God from human souls.”
• On December 31, the Duce gives the order to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (headed by Luigi Federzoni) to seize opposition journalists and conduct a search of the leading leaders of the anti-fascist movement. The police dissolve the Free Italy association, close more than 100 “subversive” institutions and arrest several hundred people.
• On January 31, 1926, a new law was issued giving the government the right to issue laws without the consent of parliament. And on December 24, Justice Minister Alfredo Rocco issues a series of laws aimed at eliminating the administrative and political institutions of the democratic system. The Duce gains full executive power and will no longer answer to anyone except the king.
• April 7 Violeta Gibson (a British citizen) shoots Mussolini with a revolver. The bullet grazes his nose. A medical examination declares her insane. Wanting to maintain good relations with Great Britain, Mussolini orders her to be deported to her homeland. In October, anarchist Gino Luchetti (from France) threw a bomb at Mussolini's car, it injured 4 passers-by, but the Duce was not injured. On December 31, 15-year-old Anteo Zamboni fired at Benito's car, after which he was captured on the spot and torn to pieces by the crowd. In November, the Organization for Monitoring and Suppression of Anti-Fascist Activities was created. The Duce receives political police.
• On January 20, 1927, the Secretary General of the League of Nations, Sir Eric Drummond, made a statement in Rome: “... the policy of Italy is in full agreement with the policy of the League of Nations.” Thus, he officially approved the behavior of the fascists at the international level.
• On September 2, 1928, the Fascist Grand Council, at the proposal of trade unions and other associations, draws up an election list of candidates for parliament in accordance with the new electoral law, according to which voters vote for or against the entire list of deputies. On March 24, parliamentary elections take place which shows that Italy voluntarily accepts fascism. (Ratio of votes up/down = 8.51/0.13 million people).
• 1928 - Mussolini creates an independent Road Service. Her responsibilities include the construction of Europe's first motorways.
• July 20, 1932 Mussolini takes over the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (his deputy Suvic, Fulvio), Dino Grandi is sent as ambassador to London.

For a long time, Mussolini was very skeptical of Hitler’s ideas about the superiority of some races over others. In 1932, during a conversation with the German writer Emil Ludwig, Mussolini sharply condemned the Nazi theory of racism and anti-Semitism: “... I do not believe in any biological experiments that can supposedly determine the purity of a race, nor in the superiority of one race over others. Those who proclaim the nobility of the German race, by a funny coincidence, themselves have nothing in common with the German race... This cannot happen in our country. Anti-Semitism does not exist in Italy. Italian Jews have always behaved like true patriots. They fought bravely for Italy in time of war..."...but alas, after 6 years, for the sake of an alliance with Germany, his opinion changed to the opposite.

• June 14, 1934 Mussolini receives Hitler in Venice. At the end of the visit, the Duce spoke of his guest in the following way: “This annoying man... this Hitler is a ferocious and cruel creature. He makes one remember Attila. Germany has remained a country of barbarians since the time of Tacitus. It is the eternal enemy of Rome.”
• On July 25, 1934, trying to carry out a coup d'etat, the Nazis assassinate Austrian Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss. Mussolini hastily mobilizes four divisions, orders them to approach the border - to the Brenner Pass and be ready to go to the aid of the Austrian government. Mussolini is counting on the support of Great Britain and France - but they will do nothing. But Italy’s actions are enough for Hitler to retreat and the coup attempt to fail. Mussolini speaks to the press: “The German Chancellor has more than once promised to respect the independence of Austria. But the events of recent days have clearly shown whether Hitler intends to respect his rights before Europe. One cannot approach with ordinary moral standards a person who flouts elementary laws with such cynicism decency."

In October 1935, Italy launched a war of conquest against Ethiopia.

In November, states members of the League of Nations (except the United States) undertake to boycott Italian goods, deny loans to the Italian government, and ban the import of strategic materials into Italy. Upon learning of this, the Duce becomes furious. Germany supports Italy. mussolini ally hitler italy war

On May 8, 1936, in connection with the victory in Ethiopia, Mussolini proclaimed the rebirth of the Roman Empire. King Victor Emmanuel III assumed the title of Emperor of Ethiopia.

Fearing that the Communists would win during the Spanish Civil War, the Duce actively supported the Republicans. In 1936, the rapprochement between Mussolini and Hitler began. The reason for this was the joint military and economic support of Franco’s speech in Spain. Suvic was sent as ambassador to the United States, and Mussolini's son-in-law G. Ciano became minister of foreign affairs.

On January 4, 1937, Mussolini negotiates with Goering, Hitler's emissary. In response to Goering’s proposal to consider the annexation of Austria a settled matter, Mussolini shakes his head and resolutely declares that he will not tolerate any changes in the Austrian question.

After five refusals to visit Germany, the Duce accepted the Fuhrer’s invitation, and from September 30, for a week, Hitler unfolded a theatrical show of military parades and rallies in front of Mussolini. In Berlin, in front of a crowd of thousands, the impressed Duce declares: “Italian fascism has finally found a friend, and he will go with his friend to the end.”

• On November 6, Benito Mussolini announced his country’s accession to the Anti-Comintern Pact, previously signed by Germany and Japan. He said that Stalin and the Communists posed a threat to Europe and that he was "tired of defending Austrian independence." On December 11, Italy leaves the League of Nations.
• On February 19, 1938, the Italian ambassador in London made a statement about the need to prevent the Anschluss - the seizure of Austria by the Nazis. Mussolini is trying to prevent the creation of "Greater Germany". But no specific statements were given from Great Britain or France. And on March 12, 1938, Hitler, confident that the Duce would not dare to act alone, gave the order to his troops to cross the border with Austria.

Through the efforts of Mussolini and Hitler, the Munich Agreement on the division of Czechoslovakia was concluded in 1938.

With France and England declaring war on Germany, the Duce declares his non-interference in the conflict. He orders the acceleration of work on the construction of defensive structures on the border... with Germany. In addition, Italy continues to supply France with aviation equipment and vehicles.

Mussolini became Adolf Hitler's closest ally, on whose side he entered World War II in June 1940. On June 10, 1940, from the balcony of the Venice Palace, in front of a crowd of thousands, the Duce announced Italy's entry into the war. Italy began the war with (see discussion) companies in Africa and the invasion of Greece, but due to persistent resistance it was unable to achieve serious successes. German troops were brought in to help them.

Three years later, the Allies invaded Italy, and members of the BFS, as a result of a conspiracy, overthrew Mussolini, who was taken into custody, and transferred power to the king. Mussolini was liberated by German paratroopers under the command of Otto Skorzeny and headed, with German help, the Italian Social Republic in northern Italy.

Awards

Knight of the Supreme Order of the Holy Annunciation (1924--1943)

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus (1924)

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Italy (1924)

Knight Grand Cross of the Colonial Order of the Star of Italy

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the German Eagle (1937, Third Reich)

Order of the Red Cross, 1st class (Third Reich)

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Malta

Knight of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)

Other awards from Japan, Albania, Ethiopia and other countries

On April 27, 1945, partisans captured Mussolini and his mistress Clara Petacci, and the Allied command received a message about his arrest. A real competition is unfolding between the secret services of Great Britain and the United States to kidnap him. By order of the KDS, a small detachment led by Colonel Valerio (Walter Auzzio) takes the Duce and Petacci from the hands of the partisans. On April 28 they were shot. Their bodies were transported to Milan, where both were hanged upside down in Piazza Loretto, amid howling and hooting crowds.

Hobby

From a young age he has been playing the violin, it is his favorite instrument.

The Duce practiced fencing, swimming, skiing, horse riding, went for long runs along the beach, and participated in regattas. He was involved in flying sports. In his hobbies, Mussolini led the movement for a healthy lifestyle he promoted.

Many films have been made about the life and death of Mussolini, of which the following stand out: the Italian-English film directed by Franco Zeffirelli “Tea with Mussolini” (1999), the American “Mussolini and I” (Mussolini and I, 1985), the American the Yugoslav production "Mussolini: The Untold Story" (Mussolini: The Untold Story, 1985) and the Italian "Mussolini: The Last Days" (Mussolini: Ultimo atto, 1974).

A small man with an extremely expansive demeanor, speaking from the balcony of the royal palace. A mutilated corpse hanging head down in a Milan piazza, to the universal jubilation of thousands gathered.

These are, perhaps, the two most striking images remaining in newsreels of the 20th century from a man who led Italy for more than two decades.

Later, those who had previously taken off their hats to Mussolini hastened to forget about it, and the European media assigned him exclusively the role of “Hitler’s accomplice.”

Actually, such a definition is not so far from the truth - in recent years, Benito Mussolini really ceased to be an independent figure, becoming the shadow of the Fuhrer.

But before that there was the bright life of one of the most extraordinary politicians of the first half of the 20th century...

Little Chief

Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was born on July 29, 1883 in the village of Varano di Costa near the village of Dovia in the province of Forli-Cesena in Emilia-Romagna.

His father was Alessandro Mussolini, a blacksmith and carpenter who had no education, but was actively interested in politics. His father’s passion affected his son immediately after birth - all three of his names were given in honor of left-wing politicians. Benito - in honor of the Mexican reformist president Benito Juarez, Andrea and Amilcare - in honor of the socialists Andrea Costa And Amilcare Cipriani.

Mussolini Sr. was a radical socialist who was imprisoned more than once for his beliefs, and he introduced his son to his “political faith.”

Benito Mussolini with his wife and children. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

In 1900, 17-year-old Benito Mussolini became a member of the Socialist Party. The young Italian socialist is actively engaged in self-education, demonstrates excellent oratory skills, and in Switzerland meets like-minded people from other countries. It is believed that among those whom Benito Mussolini met in Switzerland was a radical socialist from Russia, whose name was Vladimir Ulyanov.

Mussolini changed jobs, moved from city to city, considering politics to be his main activity. In 1907, Mussolini began his career in journalism. His colorful articles in socialist publications brought him fame, popularity and the nickname “piccolo Duce” (“little leader”). The epithet “small” will soon disappear, and the nickname “Duce” received in his socialist youth will carry with Mussolini throughout his life.

Knowing who Benito Mussolini would become just a decade later, it is difficult to believe that in 1911 he denounced the unjust, predatory Italian-Libyan war in the press. For these anti-war and anti-imperialist speeches, Mussolini ended up in prison for several months.

But after his release, his party comrades, appreciating the scope of Benito’s talent, made him editor of the newspaper “Forward!” - the main printed publication of the Socialist Party of Italy. Mussolini fully justified his trust - during his leadership, the publication's circulation increased fourfold, and the newspaper became one of the most authoritative in the country.

Man changes skin

Mussolini's life was turned upside down by the First World War. The leadership of the Italian Socialist Party advocated the country's neutrality, and the editor-in-chief of the publication suddenly published an article in which he called for taking the side of the Entente.

Mussolini's position was explained by the fact that in the war he saw a way to annex to Italy its historical lands that remained under the rule of Austria-Hungary.

The nationalist in Mussolini prevailed over the socialist. Having lost his job at the newspaper and broken with the socialists, Mussolini, with Italy’s entry into the war, was drafted into the army and went to the front, where he established himself as a brave soldier.

Corporal Mussolini, however, did not serve until victory - in February 1917 he was demobilized due to a serious leg wound.

Italy was among the victorious countries, but the enormous costs of the war, material losses and human casualties plunged the country into a deep crisis.

Returning from the front, Mussolini radically revised his political views, creating the “Italian Union of Struggle” in 1919, which a couple of years later would be transformed into the National Fascist Party.

The former fierce socialist declared the death of socialism as a doctrine, saying that Italy could only be revived on the basis of traditional values ​​and tough leadership. Mussolini declared his yesterday's comrades - communists, socialists, anarchists and other left parties - to be his main enemies.

Climbing to the top

In his political activities, Mussolini allowed the use of both legal and illegal methods of struggle. In the 1921 elections, his party sent 35 deputies to parliament. At the same time, Mussolini's comrades began to form armed groups of party supporters from among war veterans. Based on the color of their uniforms, these units were called “Black Shirts.” The symbol of Mussolini's party and its fighting units became the fasces - ancient Roman attributes of power in the form of a bundle of tied rods with an ax or ax stuck in them. The Italian "fascio" - "union" - also goes back to the fascia. It was the “union of struggle” that Mussolini’s party was originally called. From this word the ideology of Mussolini's party - fascism - got its name.

The ideological formulation of the doctrine of fascism will occur almost a decade later than the fascists led by Mussolini come to power.

On October 27, 1922, the mass march of the Black Shirts on Rome ended with the actual capitulation of the authorities and the provision of Benito Mussolini as prime minister.

The Blackshirt march to Rome in 1922. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

Mussolini enlisted the support of conservative circles, big business and the Catholic Church, who saw in the fascists a reliable weapon against communists and socialists. Mussolini built his dictatorship gradually, curtailing the rights of parliament and opposition parties, without encroaching on the formal supreme power of the King of Italy Victor Emmanuel III.

The curtailment of political freedoms lasted for six years, until 1928, when all parties except the ruling one were officially banned.

Mussolini managed to overcome unemployment through the implementation of large projects to develop the country's agriculture. In place of the drained swamps, new agricultural regions were created, where the labor of the unemployed from other regions of the country was used. Under Mussolini, the social sphere was significantly expanded through the opening of thousands of new schools and hospitals.

In 1929, Mussolini succeeded in what none of his predecessors succeeded in regulating relations with the papal throne. Under the Lateran Agreements, the Pope finally officially recognized the existence of the Italian state.

Overall, by the mid-1930s, Benito Mussolini was considered one of the most successful politicians in the world.

Broken bet

Mussolini's bright appearance in the eyes of the West was spoiled only by his desire for territorial conquests. The establishment of control over Libya, the seizure of Ethiopia, the creation of a puppet regime in Albania - all this was met with hostility by the USA, Great Britain and France.

Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler 1937 Photo: www.globallookpress.com

But the rapprochement with the Nazi regime that came to power in Germany was fatal for Benito Mussolini. Adolf Hitler.

Initially, Mussolini was extremely wary of Hitler and strongly opposed attempts to annex Austria to Germany, since he had friendly relations with the Austrian authorities.

The real rapprochement of the two regimes began during the Spanish Civil War, where Germany and Italy jointly supported General Franco in the fight against the Republicans.

In 1937, Mussolini joined the Anti-Comintern Pact between Germany and Japan. This spoiled relations between Italy and the USSR, which were at a fairly high level in the 1930s, despite all the ideological differences, but in the eyes of the West it was not a great political sin.

France and Great Britain desperately tried to persuade Entente veteran Benito Mussolini to join their side in the upcoming war, but the Duce made a different choice. The "Pact of Steel" of 1939 and the "Tripartite Pact" of 1940 forever linked Benito Mussolini's Italy with Nazi Germany and militaristic Japan.

Mussolini, who never hid his penchant for adventurism, this time bet on the wrong horse.

The Italian army was unable to independently resist the Allied forces; almost all of its operations were in one way or another connected with the operations of the German troops. Italy’s entry into the war with the USSR and the sending of Italian units to the Eastern Front in 1942 ended in disaster - it was the Italian troops that received a powerful blow from the Soviet armies at Stalingrad, after which Paulus’s 6th German Army found itself surrounded.

By July 1943, war had come to Italy: Anglo-American troops landed in Sicily. Mussolini's once unquestioned authority in Italy collapsed. A conspiracy matured, among the participants of which were even the Duce’s closest associates. On July 25, 1943, Benito Mussolini was removed from his post as Prime Minister of Italy and arrested. Italy began negotiations to exit the war.

Last of the Spectators

In September 1943, German saboteurs under the command of Otto Skorzeny kidnapped Mussolini on Hitler's orders. The Fuhrer needed the Duce to continue the fight. In northern Italy, in areas remaining under the control of German troops, the so-called Italian Social Republic was created, the head of which was declared to be Mussolini.

However, the Duce himself devoted most of his time to writing memoirs and performed his leadership functions formally. Mussolini was aware that from the all-powerful leader of Italy he had turned into a political puppet.

In one of his last interviews, the Duce was extremely frank: “My star has fallen. I work and I try, but I know that all this is just a farce... I am waiting for the end of the tragedy, and I am no longer one of the actors, but the last of the spectators.”

The Germans, who wanted to escape to Switzerland without losses, left the Duce to the partisans without much mental anguish.

On April 28, 1945, Benito Mussolini and Clara Petacci were shot on the outskirts of the village of Mezzegra. Their bodies, as well as the bodies of six other high-ranking Italian fascists, were brought to Milan, where they were hung upside down at a gas station near Piazza Loreto. The choice of place was not accidental - in August 1944, 15 partisans were executed there, so it was seen as a kind of revenge. Then Mussolini's corpse was thrown into a gutter, where he lay for some time. On May 1, 1945, the Duce and his mistress were buried in an unmarked grave.

There was no peace for Mussolini even after his death. Former supporters found his grave and stole his remains, hoping to interred them in a dignified manner. When the remains were found, the debate about what to do with them lasted for a whole decade. Ultimately, Benito Mussolini was buried in the family crypt in his historical homeland.

Mussolini , Benito (Mussolini) (1882-1945) - leader of the Italian fascists, fascist dictator of Italy in 1922-1943. Born into the family of an artisan blacksmith. In his youth he was a teacher at a rural school in the Romagna region. For his connection with a revolutionary organization he was persecuted by the police and fled to Switzerland. After the amnesty, he returned to Italy and settled in the mountains. Forli. Here he began to take an active part in the socialist movement and soon became secretary of the local federation of the socialist party. Translated Peter Kropotkin's book "History of the French Revolution" from French. Thanks to his efforts, by 1912 in the city. Forlì, a strong socialist organization was created, which published the newspaper “Class Struggle” under the editorship of Mussolini. At the congress of the Italian Socialist Party in Reggio Emilia (1912), Mussolini led the far-left "irreconcilables" faction. Thanks to the demands of this faction, the congress expelled right-wing reformists (Bissolati, Bonomi, Kobrik, etc.) from the party. At the same congress, Mussolini was elected editor of the central organ of the Italian socialist party Avanti. Shortly before the World War, in July 1914, Mussolini led a mass uprising in Forlì and Ravenna. During the same period, he insisted on the expulsion of the Freemasons from the party. When the world war broke out, Mussolini initially spoke out in the pages of Avanti in favor of Italian neutrality. However, he soon began to be inclined to think that Italy should intervene in the world war on the side of the Triple Entente. In response to this, the Italian Socialist Party, which remained faithful to the principles of revolutionary internationalism, expelled Mussolini from its ranks in September 1914. Then Mussolini, with funds from a group of Italian capitalists, founded the social-chauvinist newspaper "Italian People" in Rome. Soon after, he volunteered to go to the front, where he was wounded. After the end of the war, Mussolini began to organize the first fascist detachments, initially putting forward extreme left-wing demagogic demands to attract the broad masses: land for the working people, a constituent assembly, confiscation of military profits, etc. In 1920, at the height of the revolutionary movement in Italy, the fascist detachments received strong financial support from the big bourgeoisie and farmers, who feared the strengthening of proletarian uprisings, and Mussolini, discarding demagogic demands, began to wage a fierce struggle against the communists and revolutionary workers. During this period, fascist troops were especially zealous in the villages, brutally suppressing peasant uprisings. In May 1921, Mussolini was elected to the Chamber. Supported by all layers of the reactionary bourgeoisie, a significant part of the intelligentsia, seduced by the slogan of “great Italy,” as well as some backward layers of workers, Mussolini made his famous “March on Rome” and on October 29, 1922, seized power from the insufficiently aggressive liberal government of Giolitti. Since the conquest of power, the fascist party under the leadership of Mussolini has been implementing a regime of iron bourgeois dictatorship in Italy: merciless persecution of the working class begins, the struggle against the 8-hour working day and for lower wages, etc. Disregarding any parliamentary conventions, Mussolini passes a new electoral law under which the party that receives the most votes receives 2/3 of all seats in the House. Mussolini's evolution towards full protection of the interests of the big imperialist bourgeoisie caused a process of internal decomposition among fascism. Recently, petty-bourgeois groups, disillusioned with Mussolini's policies, have been breaking away from the party. In 1926, 4 unsuccessful attempts were made on Mussolini’s life, to which the government responded each time with brutal terror. All 1000 biographies in alphabetical order:

On the spring morning of April 29, 1945, crowds of people flocked to Piazza Loreto in Milan. A terrible and unprecedented picture was revealed to their eyes - eight corpses were suspended by their feet from the metal beams that served as ceilings of the gas station located there. The face of one of them was disfigured beyond recognition, but those gathered in the square knew that it once belonged to the all-powerful dictator Benito Musolini.

Son of an unapologetic socialist

The founder of the Italian fascist party, Benito Mussolini, whose brief biography formed the basis of this article, was born on July 29, 1883 in the small village of Varano di Costa. His father could barely read and had difficulty writing his own signature, but this did not prevent him from being one of the militant socialists of those years.

Participating in all anti-government rallies and being the author of the most radical appeals, he was repeatedly imprisoned. It is not surprising, therefore, that under the influence of his father, Benito from an early age became imbued with the ideas of universal happiness and social justice, which were obscure but attractive to the young man.

By nature, Benito Mussolini was an unusually gifted child. For example, from the memoirs of contemporaries it is known that at the age of four the future Duce (leader) was already reading fluently, and a year later he was playing the violin quite confidently. But the violent and cruel character he inherited from his father did not allow the boy to graduate from the church school in Faenza, where his parents placed him with great difficulty.

One day, Benito resolved his dispute with one of the high school students by stabbing him, and only the intervention of the local bishop saved him from inevitable prison. Already in those years, the teenager acted as the leader of his comrades, but due to his character traits he never enjoyed their love, which, however, worried him little.

Young and active socialist

In 1900, Benito Mussolini, while still a student at the gymnasium where he was transferred after a scandal at a Catholic school, joined the Socialist Party of Italy. Here he first showed his abilities as a publicist, publishing sharp political articles on the pages of the newspapers Ravenna and Forlì that belonged to her. After finishing his studies and receiving a diploma as a primary school teacher, Benito worked for some time in a village school, while at the same time heading the organization of local socialists.

Since active military service was not part of his plans, upon reaching the appropriate age in 1902, Mussolini emigrated to Switzerland, where a large colony of Italians lived in those years. Soon, thanks to his skill in speaking in front of a street audience and good knowledge of the French language, he stood out from the general mass of his compatriots. According to his biographers, here the future Duce, having experienced success for the first time, fell in love with the attention of the crowd and the sound of applause.

At one of the political meetings held in Lausanne, Benito Mussolini met the Russian emigrant Vladimir Lenin, as well as his ally, Angelica Balabanova, thanks to whom he began to read such authors as Marx, Sorel and Nietzsche. Under the influence of their ideas, throughout his life he became an ardent supporter of direct and sometimes violent actions, not constrained by any moral restrictions.

Talented journalist and active politician

However, very soon his emigrant life, filled with idle talk about the general well-being, ended. In 1903, at the request of the Italian government, Benito was arrested for evading conscription. However, this time, happily avoiding prison, he limited himself to deportation to his homeland.

Having returned to Italy and having served in the army for the required two years, Mussolini Benito resumed his teaching activities, achieving very noticeable success in this field. Having received the proper qualifications, he became a professor at a French college. This occupation brought him a livelihood, but the young teacher still considered politics to be his true destiny.

Realizing that a newspaper article can be as effective a weapon of revolutionary struggle as a rifle, he actively published in a number of left-wing radical newspapers, and eventually became the editor of the socialist weekly La Lima. In 1908, for organizing a strike of agricultural workers, Mussolini was sentenced to three months in prison, but fate, always favorable, did not abandon its favorite this time - after two weeks he was free again.

Well-deserved success in the literary field

The next three years of his life were devoted almost exclusively to journalistic activities, which he was engaged in both in his homeland and in the Austro-Hungarian city of Trento, where he published his first own newspaper, “The Future of the Worker.” During this period, in collaboration with another figure of the Socialist Party - Santi Carvaia - Benito Mussolini wrote a sharp anti-clerical novel “Claudia Particella, the Cardinal's Mistress”, which, having subsequently reconciled with the Vatican, he himself ordered to be withdrawn from sale.

A truly talented journalist who uses a simple, accessible language, he quickly gained popularity among ordinary Italians. Knowing how to choose catchy and vivid headlines for his articles, he touched on the most pressing topics that concerned every average person.

Personal life of a dictator

It is known about Mussolini’s personal life that in 1914, while in Trento, he married Ida Dalser, who bore him a son. However, literally a year later he divorced her and entered into a second marriage with his former mistress Raquele Guidi, with whom he had been in a relationship for many years.

The new wife turned out to be fertile and gave birth to two daughters and three sons. However, Mussolini's personal life was never limited to the family circle. Throughout his adult years, he had countless relationships, sometimes short-term, sometimes lasting for years.

Departure from socialist ideology

However, at the beginning of the First World War, his break with his fellow party members unexpectedly occurred. Actively advocating the participation of Italy, which was neutral at that time, in military operations on the side of France, he went against the general line of his former comrades. After Italy finally entered the war on the side of the Entente in 1915, rejected by his former comrades, the Duce found himself at the front. Awarded the rank of corporal for his bravery, he was forced to leave service in 1917 due to a serious injury he received during one of the combat operations.

Returning from the front, Mussolini continued his political activities, but holding completely different views. In his articles and public speeches, he stated that socialism had completely outlived its usefulness as a political doctrine. According to him, at this stage only a strong, cruel and energetic person can serve the cause of the revival of Italy.

Creation of a fascist party

On March 23, 1919, an event occurred that became truly important not only in his life, but also in the entire history of the country - Benito Mussolini held the first meeting of the party he founded, Fasci italiani combattimento - “Italian Union of Struggle”. It was the word “fasci”, meaning “union”, that caused the members of his organization, and then everyone who shared their inherent ideology, to be called fascists.

Their first serious success came in May 1921, when in the elections to the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament, Mussolini and 35 of his closest associates received mandates, after which their organization was officially transformed into the National Fascist Party. From that time on, the word “fascism” began its dark march across the planet.

One of the manifestations of the “strong hand” policy was the appearance on the streets of Italian cities of “Black Shirts” units - assault squads made up of veterans of the last war. Their task was to restore order and forcefully counteract various political opponents who tried to organize demonstrations, rallies and demonstrations. They became the prototypes of future German stormtroopers, differing from them only in the brown color of their robes. The police, sensing the growing political influence of these groups, tried not to interfere with their actions.

By 1922, the number of supporters of the fascist party in Italy had increased so much that in October they were able to organize a multi-thousand march on Rome. Aware of their strength and fearing the outbreak of civil war, King Victor Immanuel III was forced to accept Mussolini and appoint him prime minister. On the same day, the newly appointed head of government formed a cabinet of ministers, which, as you might guess, included his most prominent supporters.

The fascists' rise to power in Italy was marked by numerous crimes, secretly or openly committed on political grounds. Among them, the kidnapping and murder of prominent socialist Giacomo Matteotti caused the greatest public outcry. In general, as statistics show, during the period from 1927 to 1943, charges of illegal actions of a political nature were brought against 21 thousand people.

At the pinnacle of power

After 1922, Benito Mussolini, whose biography by this time was replete with more and more new appointments, managed to take personal control over almost all aspects of public life. Suffice it to say that he managed, one after another, to subjugate seven ministries, including the main ones - internal and foreign affairs, as well as defense.

By 1927, Benito Mussolini (Italy) created a real police state in the country, eliminating constitutional restrictions on his arbitrariness. At the same time, all other political parties were banned and parliamentary elections were cancelled. The free expression of the people was replaced by the Great Fascist Council, which soon became the country's highest constitutional body.

The economic rise of Italy in those years

Meanwhile, it should be noted that the creation of a rigid totalitarian state in Italy was accompanied by its sharp economic rise. In particular, for the needs of agriculture during the reign of Benito Mussolini, whose photos from those years are presented in the article, 5 thousand farms were created. Five new cities were built on the territory of the Pontic swamps drained by his order; the total area covered by reclamation amounted to 60 thousand hectares.

His program to combat unemployment and create new jobs also became widely known, as a result of which thousands of families began to have a solid income. In general, during the years of rule of Benito Mussolini (Italy), he managed to raise the country’s economy to an unprecedented level, thereby further strengthening his position.

Imperial ambitions and their results

Dreaming of restoring the Roman Empire and considering himself the chosen one of fate who was entrusted with this great mission, the Duce pursued a corresponding foreign policy, which resulted in the conquest of Albania and Ethiopia. However, this forced him to enter World War II on the side of his former enemy Hitler, to whom he could not forgive the murder of his friend, the Austrian dictator Engelbert Dollfuss.

Military operations developed very unfavorably both for the Italian army as a whole and for Benito Mussolini personally. Briefly describing the situation that developed at that time, it is enough to say that the troops he led suffered a crushing defeat in Greece, Egypt and Libya in a short time. As a result, the arrogant and ambitious Duce was forced to ask for help from his allies.

The final collapse came after the defeat of the German-Italian troops at Stalingrad and in North Africa. The failure of these two major military operations resulted in the loss of all previously captured colonies, as well as the corps that fought on the Eastern Front. In the summer of 1943, the disgraced dictator was removed from all positions he held and arrested.

From dictators to puppets

But Benito Mussolini and Hitler - two people who became a symbol of fascism and violence - did not end their cooperation yet. By order of the Fuhrer, in September 1943, the Duce was released by a detachment of paratroopers under the command of Otto Skorzeny. After that, he headed the pro-German puppet government in northern Italy, created as an alternative to King Victor Emmanuel III, who had sided with the anti-fascist forces.

And although the story of Benito Mussolini at that time was already approaching its sad end, he still managed to create the Italian Socialist Republic on the territory under his control, which, however, did not receive recognition at the international level and was completely dependent on the Germans. But the days of the once all-powerful dictator were numbered.

Bloody epilogue

In April 1945, the same tragedy occurred with the mention of which this article began. Trying to take refuge in neutral Switzerland and crossing the Valtellino valley, Musollini, his mistress - the Italian aristocrat Clara Petacci - and about a hundred Germans ended up in the hands of partisans. The former dictator was identified and the next day he and his girlfriend were shot on the outskirts of the village of Metsegra.

Their dead bodies were transported to Milan and hung by their feet at a gas station in Piazza Loreto. That day, next to them, the remains of six more fascist hierarchs swayed in the fresh April wind. Benito Mussolini, whose death was a natural stage of many years of activity aimed at suppressing civil liberties in the country, by that time had turned from a popular idol into an object of universal hatred. Perhaps that is why the face of the defeated Duce was disfigured beyond recognition.

On April 29, 2012, a memorial plaque appeared on the wall of the house in the village of Metsegra, near where his life was cut short. It depicts Clara Petacci and Benito Mussolini. Books, films, historical works, and most importantly time, have done their job, and for all his odiousness, the dictator in the minds of people has turned into only one of the pages of their history, which, like any other, is treated with respect by true citizens.