Benito Mussolini Motivation

Benito Mussolini was born July 29th 1883 in Dovia di Predappio, Forlì, Italy. Alessandro Mussolini, Benito’s father was a blacksmith and a passionate socialist who gave Benito his own passion for socialism. His mother, Rosa Maltoni was a devout Catholic school teacher.

Unlike most children in Italy, Mussolini wasn’t baptized. This was due to the religious conflict between his mother and father. Mussolini’s mother, as a compromise, was able to send him to a Catholic school. During his schooling he had violent tendencies which followed him most of his life. He would bully fellow classmates and even got expelled for stabbing another student in the hand. In 1901 he eventually obtained a teaching certificate, and for a short time, worked as a schoolmaster.

Initially Mussolini insulted the Italian government for entering World War I. Yet his initial opinion changed. When he saw an opportunity for Italy to become a superpower and rise to greatness like their Roman ancestors. Mussolini’s shift in opinion broke him away from his fellow Socialists and lost him his job as an editor for Avinity. In 1915 Benito voluntarily enlisted in the Italian military. Fighting on the front lines during World War I, Mussolini rose to the rank of Corporal but, was discharged after being wounded. With World War I over and the Treaty of Versailles passed, Mussolini continued his growth and change in opinion.

Rise to power

With World War I over and Mussolini’s break from socialism he started establishing himself in the right-wing community. In 1919 Mussolini started organizing several right-wing groups until he eventually formed one powerful fascist party. The party’s movement trumpeted opposition to social class discrimination and supported nationalist sentiments.

Capitalizing on public discontent, Mussolini organized a para-military unit known as the “Blackshirts” who terrorized political opponents and helped increase fascist influence. In 1922 Mussolini had over 30,000 blackshirts gathered, he was determined to be put into power. Mussolini and his Blackshirts demanded resignation of liberal Prime Minister Luigi Facta which pushed Italy into complete political