Benito Mussolini

A Fascist Dictator

Fascism was developed by Benito Mussolini after World War One. The idea of Fascism was initially greatly appreciated by the working class. Some of the premature ideas that surrounded fascism benefited the working class. Benito Mussolini wrote the “Manifesto of the Fascist struggle", published in June 1919, outlining some of the ideas of fascism. This book gained him most of the support from the working class. That was due to several ideas published in the book which favoured fair working conditions, and ideas such as voting for women. With the support of the people, the king and the military, Mussolini became the Prime Minister of Italy in 1922. Mussolini's ultimate goal, however, was to establish a totalitarian state with him as the powerful leader. Benito was well on his way to becoming the fascist dictator of Italy. To accomplish his goal he ensured his title within the government, strategically becoming second in command next to the king. Shortly after he was granted his title he abused his power using the secret police and MVSN (black shirts) to terrorize the citizens who didn’t comply with the idea of fascism. Fear and force at this point were main factors in keeping his dictatorship afloat. Propaganda was also a highlighted factor that let Mussolini stay in power. Any type of information that was published to the public was to be supervised and contain positive statements about fascism. Although he was a harsh leader he pulled Italy out of its depression into a stable country. To battle unemployment rates he created public construction programs and government initiatives ultimately pushing the nation forward.

As it were, World War Two had hit Italy with great force. Mussolini led Italy into battle under the influence that he would gain more power and land. His Military under went many battles during the course of the war. In the end Mussolini’s army had collapsed against the effort. As a consequences of the war, the nation suffered greatly and was pushed back in to another type of depression . After the collapse of his military, on King Victor Emmanuel’s orders, he was voted out of government and arrested . His arrest was followed by his execution in April 28, 1945. Benito Mussolini left the legacy of fascism and an also left Italy in ruins.