Rise Of Benito Mussolini

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“Fascism is a religion. The twentieth century will be known in history as the century of fascism” (Fascist). Those are the words of Benito Mussolini, an Italian journalist who started a political party of his own. Born in 1883, Mussolini became involved in socialist politics in Switzerland when he moved there in 1902 (BBC). Although he was active with the socialist party, Mussolini started publishing editorials that supported World War I, which he was drafted in himself in 1915 (Mussolini). This led to his expulsion from the socialist party. Ready for a major change, Mussolini gathered many nationalistic groups in Italy together and formed a single organization under his leadership (Mussolini). Rising to power in the wake of the Great War, Benito Mussolini was a violent, military-minded dictator who saw to the emergence of the National Fascist Party in Italy.
Although he is known for his extreme fascist ideas, Mussolini did not begin his political career as a right-wing radical. Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was born on July 29, 1883 in Predappio, a town in northern central Italy (BBC). Employment prospects in Italy were dreadful, so Mussolini moved to Switzerland in 1902 and became involved in socialist politics, just as his father was (BBC). Known for his exceptional eloquence and charisma, Mussolini quickly gained a reputation among the socialists in Switzerland through his strong journalism skills (Bio.com). However, he was not able to find a permanent job, was arrested by the Swiss authorities for vagrancy, and returned to Italy in 1904 due to expulsion from Switzerland (Benito). There he continued to develop his public-speaking skills and advocate for socialism (Mussolini). Mussolini was “forceful and authoritative,” and...

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...s to areas such as Mussolini’s birthplace (Fascist). Utilizing his time spent as a journalist, Mussolini supervised all forms of media in order to fabricate the idea that “fascism was the doctrine of the 20th century...replacing liberalism and democracy” and that “the Fascist state would not outlive [Mussolini]” because he alone could succeed as leader of the Fascists (Benito; Fascist). Mussolini, desiring to demonstrate the strength and power of his administration, invaded Ethiopia in 1935 and seized Albania in 1939 (Bio.com; Benito Mussolini). Although his many military expenditures brought Italy predominance in the Mediterranean region, Italy’s armed forces were left exhausted by the late 1930s (Benito Mussolini). Impressed with Italy’s triumphs, German chancellor Adolf Hitler sought to establish a military alliance with Mussolini and his Fascist nation (Bio.com).

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