Thread: Benito Mussolini

Enough here to start a debate..

Benito Mussolini was born in Predappio, Romagna, July 29, 1883. Benito qualified as an elementary schoolmaster in 1901. In 1902 he immigrated to Switzerland, but was arrested for vagrancy. He returned to Italy to do military service. Later, in 1908, he joined a newspaper in the Austrian town of Trento. Benito wrote a novel, "The Cardinal's Mistress". He was later expelled by the Austrians. Benito became the editor at Forli of a socialist newspaper, La Lotta di Classe (The Class Struggle). By 1910, Mussolini became secretary of the local Socialist party. When Italy declared war on Turkey in 1911, Mussolini was imprisoned for pacifist propaganda. Mussolini became editor of the official Socialist newspaper "Avanti". He moved to Milan. As World War I broke out, Mussolini stated that Italy should not join. However, several months later he unexpectedly changed his position. He left the Socialist party. In 1914, Mussolini founded a new paper, "Il Popolo d'Italia", and the group "Fasci d'Azione Rivoluzionaria". Mussolini was called up for military service where he was wounded in grenade practice in 1917. Fascism became an organized political movement in March 1919 when Mussolini founded the Fasci de Combattimento. Mussolini entered parliament in 1921. When the governments of Giovanni Giolitti, Ivanoe Bonomi, and Luigi Facta failed, Mussolini was invited by the king in October 1922, to form government. Mussolini introduced strict censorship. He assumed dictatorial powers and dissolved all other political parties. In 1929 a concordat with the Vatican was signed, by which the Italian state was recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. In foreign policy, Mussolini shifted to a form of aggressive nationalism. He bombed Corfu in 1923. He set up a puppet regime in Albania. He formed an alliance with Nazi Germany. He made the "Pact of Steel" with Hitler in May, 1939. In April 1939, he occupied Albania. After the fall of France, Mussolini declared war. His army was of poor quality, and soon suffered defeats. His colleagues turned against him. The king dismissed and arrested him. Mussolini was rescued by the Germans. He set up a Republican Fascist state in northern Italy. In April 1945, Mussolini, along with his mistress Clara Petacci, was caught by Italian partisans. He was executed.

Mussolini's mugshots when arrested for vagrancy, 1903:





After death with his mistress Clara Petacci, April 1945:

No mercy shown when dealing with these two .. Thou i don't ever recall reading anything on his mistress Clara Petacci..

Clara was the only one of Mussolini's mistresses that his wife never found out about. When captured the Partisans offered to let her go, which she refused. Then the story goes she tried to protect him by putting herself between him and his attackers. If true, I'm not sure why they strung her up. But notice they spared her face....not his !