Benito Mussolini Research Paper

On March 23, 1919 Benito Mussolini founded the Fascist party in Italy (History.com Staff). Mussolini was a World War I veteran and a publisher of Socialist newspapers in Italy. (History.com Staff). Mussolini decided to break off from Italian Socialists and he established the nationalist Fasci di Combattimento, which is commonly known as the Fascist Party (History.com Staff). Some of the main characteristics of fascism are a government led by a dictator, who has complete control, the government forcibly suppresses all opposition and criticism, the government controls all industry, commerce, and other economic factors, and aggressive nationalism and sometimes racism are promoted by the government ("Fascism"). In October of 1922, Mussolini led

After taking Italy Mussolini's ideals appealed to western allies and new treaties could have been made, but his brutal invasion of Ethiopia in 1935 ended all hope of forming any new treaties (History.com Staff). Instead Mussolini joined Hitler in supporting Francisco Franco's Nationalist forces in the Spanish Civil War, and a treaty was signed between Nazi Germany and the Italians in 1937 (History.com Staff). In July 1943 Italy's failure in the war, and the impending invasion of Italy's mainland from the Allies led to a rebellion within the fascist party (History.com Staff). On July 24 the Fascist Grand Council rejected the policy dictated by Hitler through Mussolini and the next day Mussolini was arrested (History.com Staff). Fascist Marshal Pietro Badoglio took over the Italian Government after Mussolini was arrested and the Italians surrendered completely to the Allies (History.com Staff). Eight days later German commandos freed Mussolini from his prison in the Abruzzi Mountains and Mussolini was later made the leader of a section of Northern Italy that was controlled by Nazi Germany (History.com