Benito Mussolini: biography, political activity, family. The main dates and events of his life

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:46

Fascist leader Benito Mussolini ruled Italy for 21 years as a dictatorial prime minister. Having been a difficult child since early childhood, he grew up to be rebellious and short-tempered. The Duce, as Mussolini was nicknamed, made his career in the Italian Socialist Party. He was later expelled from this organization for his support of the world war. He then formed the Fascist Party to rebuild Italy with a strong European power.

After the March on Rome in October 1922, Benito becomes Prime Minister and gradually destroys all political opposition. He consolidated his position through a series of laws and turned Italy into a one-party power. He remained in power until 1943, when he was overthrown. Later, he became the leader of the Italian Social Republic, which was based in the northern part of the state, which Hitler fully supported. Minehe held the post until 1945.

Let's find out more about such an eccentric and mysterious man as Mussolini, whose biography is quite interesting.

Early years

Benito Mussolini Amilcare Andrea was born in 1883 in the village of Varano di Costa (province of Forli-Cisena, Italy). Named after Mexican President Benito Juarez, his middle name and patronymic were given to him in recognition of the Italian socialists Andrea Costa and Amilcare Cipriani. His father, Alessandro, was a blacksmith and a passionate socialist who devoted most of his free time to politics and spent the money he earned on his mistresses. His mother, Rose, was a devout Catholic and teacher.

Benito is the eldest son of three family children. Despite the fact that he would become a great orator of the twentieth century, he began to speak very late. In his youth, he amazed many people with his mental abilities, but at the same time he was terribly naughty and capricious. His father instilled in him a passion for socialist politics and defiance of authority. Mussolini was expelled from schools several times, ignoring all the requirements for discipline and order. Once he stabbed the older Mussolini boy with a knife (the biography shows that he will show violence to people more than once). However, he managed to get a teacher's certificate in 1901, after which he worked in his speci alty for a while.

Passion for Mussolini's socialism. Biography and life

In 1902, Benito moved to Switzerland to develop the socialist movement. Quickly gained a reputation as a greatrhetoric. Learned English and German. His participation in political demonstrations attracted the attention of the Swiss authorities, which is why he was expelled from the country.

In 1904, Benito returned to Italy, where he continued to promote the socialist party. He was imprisoned for several months to find out who Mussolini was in terms of ideology. After his release, he became the editor of the newspaper Avanti (which means "forward"). This position allowed him to increase his influence on Italian society. In 1915 he married Rachel Gaidi. After a while, she gave birth to Benito five children.

Break with socialism

Mussolini condemned Italy's participation in World War I. But he soon realized that this was a great opportunity for his country to become a great power. Differences of opinion caused Benito to quarrel with other socialists, and he was soon expelled from the organization.

In 1915 he joined the Italian troops and fought on the front line. With the rank of corporal, he was dismissed from the army.

After the war, Mussolini resumed his political activities, criticizing the Italian government for showing weakness during the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Created his own newspaper in Milan - Il Popolo d'Italia. And in 1919 he formed the fascist party, which was aimed at combating social class discrimination and supporting nationalist sentiments. His main intention is to win the trust of the army and the monarchy. In this way he hoped to raise Italy to the level of her greatRoman past.

Mussolini comes to power

At a time of collective disillusionment following the useless casu alties of the Great War, the discrediting of parliament amid economic crisis and high social conflict, Mussolini organized a military bloc known as the "black shirts" that terrorized political opponents and helped increase fascist influence. In 1922, Italy plunged into political chaos. Mussolini said that he could restore order in the country if he was given power.

Tsar Victor Emmanuel III invited Benito to form a government. And already in October 1922, he became the youngest prime minister in the history of the Italian state. He gradually dismantled all democratic institutions. And in 1925 he made himself a dictator, taking the title Duce, which means "leader".

Duce Politics

He ran an extensive public works program and lowered the unemployment rate. Therefore, Mussolini's reforms were a great success. He also changed the country's political regime to a totalitarian regime ruled by the Fascist Grand Council backed by national security.

After the removal of Parliament, Benito founded the Chamber of Fasces and Corporations with simplified consultation. Under the corporate state, employers and workers were organized into controlled parties representing different sectors of the economy. The scope of social services has expanded significantly, but the right to strike has been abolished.

Mussolini's regime reduces the influence of the judiciary, tightly controls the free press,arrest political opponents. After a series of attempts on his life (in 1925 and 1926), Benito banned opposition parties, expelled more than 100 members of parliament, restored the death pen alty for political crimes, canceled local elections and increased the influence of the secret police. This is how Mussolini's fascism consolidated power.

In 1929, he signed the Lateran Pact with the Vatican, after which the conflict between the church and the Italian state ended.

Military exploits

In 1935, determined to show the power and strength of his regime, Mussolini invaded Ethiopia, violating the recommendations of the League of Nations. The poorly armed Ethiopians were unable to withstand the modern tanks and aircraft of Italy, and the capital Addis Ababa was quickly conquered. Benito founded the New Italian Empire in Ethiopia.

In 1939, he sends troops to Spain to support Francisco Franco and the local fascists during the civil war. In this way, he wanted to expand his influence.

Union with Germany

Impressed by Italy's military successes, Adolf Hitler (dictator of Germany) sought to establish friendly relations with Mussolini. Benito, in turn, was struck by the brilliant political activity of Hitler and his recent political victories. By 1939, the two countries signed a military alliance known as the Steel Pact.

Mussolini and Hitler purged Italy, repressing all Jews. And since the beginning of World War II, in 1940, Italian troops invaded Greece. Then join the Germans inthe division of Yugoslavia, the invasion of the Soviet Union and the declaration of war on America.

Many Italians did not support an alliance with Germany. But Hitler's entry into Poland and the conflict with England and France forced Italy to take part in hostilities and thereby show all the shortcomings of their army. Greece and North Africa soon fought back against Italy. And only the German intervention of 1941 saves Mussolini from a military coup.

The defeat of Italy and the decline of Mussolini

In 1942, at a conference in Casablanca, Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt develop a plan to pull Italy out of the war and force Germany to move its army to the Eastern Front against Russia. Allied troops secured a foothold in Sicily and began to advance to the Apennine Peninsula.

Growing pressure forced Mussolini to resign. After that, he was arrested, but the German special forces soon rescued Benito. Then he moves to northern Italy, which was still occupied by the Germans, in the hope of regaining his former power.

Public execution

June 4, 1944, Rome was liberated by the allied forces that took control of the entire state. Mussolini and his mistress, Clara Petacci, tried to flee to Switzerland, but were captured on April 27, 1945. They were executed the next day near the town of Dongo. Their bodies were hung in a square in Milan. Italian society expressed no regret for Benito's death. After all, he promised the people "Roman glory", but his megalomania overcame common sense, which led the state to war andpoverty.

Mussolini was originally buried in the Musocco Cemetery in Milan. But in August 1957 he was re-buried in a crypt near Varano di Costa.

Faith and Hobbies

As a young man, Mussolini admitted to being an atheist and even tried several times to shock the public by calling on God to kill him instantly. He condemned socialists who were tolerant of religion. He believed that science proved that there is no God, and religion is a disease of the psyche, and accused Christianity of betrayal and cowardice. Mussolini's ideology was basically condemnation of the Catholic Church.

Benito was a fan of Friedrich Nietzsche. Denis Mack Smith stated that in it he found justification for his "crusade" against the Christian virtues, mercy and goodness. He highly appreciated his concept of the superman. On his 60th birthday, he received a gift from Hitler - a complete collection of Nietzsche's works.

Private life

Benito first married Ida Dalser in Trento in 1914. A year later, the couple had a son, who was named Benito Albino Mussolini. It is important to note that all information about his first marriage was destroyed and his wife and son were soon severely persecuted.

In December 1915, he marries Rachel Gaidi, who has been his mistress since 1910. In marriage, they had two daughters and three sons: Edda (1910-1995) and Anna Maria (1929-1968), Vittorio (1916-1997), Bruno (1918-1941) and Romano (1927-2006).

Mussolini had severalmistresses, among them - Margherita Sarfatti and his last beloved - Clara Petacci.

Legacy

Mussolini's third son, Bruno, died in a plane crash while flying a P.108 bomber on a test mission on 7 August 1941.

His eldest son was killed on August 26, 1942 after being violently abused.

Sophia Loren's sister, Anna Maria Scicolone, married Romano Mussolini. His granddaughter, Alessandra Mussolini, was a member of the European Parliament and currently serves in the Chamber of Deputies as a member of the People of Freedom.

Mussolini's National Fascist Party was banned in the post-war Italian Constitution. Nevertheless, several neo-fascist organizations appeared to continue Benito's activities. The strongest of them is the Italian Social Movement, which lasted until 1995. But soon she changed her name to the National Alliance and radically separated from fascism.

So, we can say: Benito Mussolini was strong, striving for victory, crazy and fanatical. His biography amazes with brilliant ups and merciless falls. He was head of the Italian government from 1922 to 1943. He became the founder of fascism in Italy. During his dictatorial rule, he treated his citizens harshly. He led the state to three wars, during the last of which he was overthrown.

Based on the above information, now everyone will be able to find out who Mussolini is in ideology and what kind of person he was.