Benito Mussolini

Early Life - Benito Mussolini Born

Benito Mussolini Born on 29 July 1883 in Dovia di Predappio, Forlì, Italy. Father Alessandro Mussolini was a blacksmith and mother Rosa Maltoni was a teacher. He was named after Mexican president Benito Juarez. He studied at Salesian boarding school in Faenza and obtained a diploma as an elementary school teacher in 1901.

Political Career Before Fascism

In July 1902, Mussolini emigrated to Switzerland to avoid military service. He worked as a stonemason and was active in socialist circles. He was arrested for political activities. He returned to Italy in November 1904 after an amnesty. He worked as a teacher and journalist. In 1912, he became editor of Avanti!, the official newspaper of the Italian Socialist Party. He was expelled from the party in November 1914 for supporting Italian intervention in World War I. He then founded the newspaper Il Popolo d'Italia.

Formation of Fascism and Power

On 23 March 1919, Mussolini founded Fasci di Combattimento in Milan. In 1921, it became Partito Nazionale Fascista (PNF). On 28 October 1922, he led the March on Rome. On 31 October 1922, King Victor Emmanuel III appointed him Prime Minister. In 1925, after the Matteotti crisis, he banned opposition parties. In 1926, all political parties except PNF were outlawed. He signed the Lateran Treaty with Vatican in 1929.

**Government and World War II**
Mussolini invaded Ethiopia in October 1935 and annexed it in May 1936. He signed the Pact of Steel with Nazi Germany in May 1939. Italy entered World War II on 10 June 1940. Italian forces fought in France, North Africa, Greece, and Soviet Union. On 25 July 1943, the Fascist Grand Council passed a no-confidence motion. The King dismissed and arrested him.

**Arrest and Death**
He was imprisoned at Campo Imperatore. On 12 September 1943, German paratroopers rescued him in Operation Oak. He headed the Italian Social Republic based in Salò from September 1943 to April 1945. On 27 April 1945, partisans captured him and his companion Claretta Petacci at Dongo near Lake Como. On 28 April 1945, they were executed at Giulino. On 29 April 1945, their bodies were displayed at Piazzale Loreto, Milan.

The Italian dictator Benito Mussolini Born on 29 July 1883 is remembered as the founder of Fascism.