History UsefulNotes / BenitoMussolini

* Appears as the BigBad in the acclaimed war epic ''Lion of the Desert'' (based on the story of the suppression of Omar Mukhtar's anticolonial revolt in Italian Libya in the late 1920s and early 1930s), portrayed by Rod Steiger, with ruthless General Rodolfo Graziani as TheDragon, plated by Creator/OliverReed.

But if one considers his foreign policy where he used chemical weapons on Ethiopians, continued incredibly cruel policies in Libya, committed his own genocide in Slovenia, murdered thousands in Albania, caused a famine in Greece, attempted to ''Italianize'' conquered peoples and invaded nations for virtually no justifiable reason or excuse, he is still one of history's most monstrous figures, just unable to match the sheer scale of horror committed by Hitler or Imperial Japan.

Once reviled as one of the architects of World War II, on par with Hitler, Mussolini slowly stepped out of the spotlight in the last few decades as more historians began arguing that his reign, at least as far as internal politics go, was no worse than that of most of Europe's dictatorships of the era, partially because of the extreme reluctance of Italian fascists to implement capital punishment; throughout the Italian Fascists' 21-year long rule, no more than twenty-three people were reported to have been executed by the state, and most of them were common criminals. Over time, Mussolini was also given credit for his refusal to deport Italy's Jews to the German camps, despite his own discriminatory Racial Laws against them and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_fascism_and_racism his own massive racism]] (this was likely because, in line with dominant social feelings in Italy, Mussolini considered Italy's UsefulNotes/{{Romani}} population the primary troublesome minority and had them all imprisoned). For this and other reasons, Mussolini no longer gets quite as much posthumous attention as Hitler, despite being a significant influence on the development of Nazism and being the leader of the world's first fascist state.

Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 1883 -- 28 April 1945) was the creator of UsefulNotes/{{fascis|t Italy}}m and the dictator ruling UsefulNotes/{{Italy}} from 1922 to 1945. Unlike his German contemporary UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler, he was never in official command of his nation due to King Victor Emmanuel III nominally being his boss.

Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 1883 -- 28 April 1945) was the creator of fascism and an Italian politician who was dictator of UsefulNotes/FascistItaly from 1922 to 1945. Unlike his German contemporary UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler, he was never in official command of his nation due to King Victor Emmanuel III nominally being his boss.

Today, he is most famous for being the creator of fascism, the first fascist ruler of any country, and his brutal colonial war against Ethiopia in 1935 (called Abyssinia at the time) which proved the ridiculous incompetence of the League of Nations. As Italy became diplomatically isolated due to that war, he became a close ally of Adolf Hitler and fought on UsefulNotes/NaziGermany's side during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, although the Italians were more of a hindrance to Germans than a help[[note]]This was mostly due to logistical problems and political instability. The Italian Navy actually gave the British a run for their money in the Mediterranean—much more than Hitler's fleet could claim U-Boote notwithstanding—and Italians who fought alongside Rommel's Afrikakorps were quite effective in combat when competently led. On the downside, their issued small arms were mostly inferior to what everyone else carried and their tanks were outdated. As for logistics, suffice it to say that the long European tradition of joking about "Italian efficiency" didn’t just come out of nowhere. The Italian Navy in particular had powerful guns with excellent optical fire control, but was let down by shells manufactured to such loose tolerances that even perfectly aimed, they rarely hit their targets; the Navy was also hampered by lack of fuel.[[/note]]. To be fair, when Hitler wanted Italy to enter the war, Mussolini said what amounted to "can it wait until I've industrialized my country in five years?" (this may have been a random number chosen to delay Italian entry ''indefinitely''... until Germany annexed half the continent with ease, at least). Italy simply wasn't ready for war, and Mussolini knew it.

His career, wardrobe, speeches, and repressive government all made him a major object of satire during his lifetime and a big inspiration for TheGeneralissimo in European media. Although he would be forever overshadowed by the Nazis in infamy and legacy, much of the ideological concepts and government policies he pioneered would inspire other fascists, including the Nazis themselves, and every single dictator of the interwar era and some beyond.

His career, wardrobe, speeches, and repressive government all made him a major object of satire during his lifetime and a big inspiration for TheGeneralissimo in European media. Although he would be forever overshadowed by the Nazis in infamy and legacy, much of the ideological concepts and government policies he pioneered would inspire other fascists, including the Nazis themselves, and every single dictator of the interwar era.

* ''WesternAnimation/GuillermoDelTorosPinocchio'' is set in Fascist Italy and a [[LightIsNotGood white-clad]] Mussolini himself shows up in one scene to attend a puppet show hosted by Count Volpe. Despite being head of state, [[TheNapoleon Mussolini is the shortest adult character in the entire film]]. [[spoiler: He's not amused when Pinocchio and Spazzatura sabotage the show by doing an anti-fascist musical number about Mussolini getting pooped on, and orders Pinocchio to be shot on the spot and Volpe's tent burned to the ground]].

* Appears as the BigBad in the Gaddafi-era Libyan propaganda film and acclaimed war epic ''Lion of the Desert'' (based on the story of the suppression of Omar Mukhtar's anticolonial revolt in Italian Libya in the late 1920s and early 1930s), portrayed by Rod Steiger, with ruthless General Rodolfo Graziani as TheDragon, plated by Creator/OliverReed.

* Appears as the BigBad in the Gaddafi-era Libyan propaganda film ''Lion of the Desert'' (based on the story of the suppression of Omar Mukhtar's anticolonial revolt in Italian Libya in the late 1920s and early 1930s), portrayed by Rod Steiger, with ruthless General Rodolfo Graziani as TheDragon, plated by Creator/OliverReed.

->''"Fascism is a religion. The twentieth century will be known in history as the century of Fascism."''

But if one considers his foreign policy where he used chemical weapons on Ethiopians, continued incredibly cruel policies in Libya, committed his own genocide in Slovenia, murdered thousands in Albania, caused a famine in Greece, attempted to ''Italianize'' conquered peoples and invaded nations for virtually no justifiable reason or excuse, he is still one of history's most monstrous figures, just unable to match the sheer scale of horror committed by Hitler or Tojo.

But if one considers his foreign policy where he used chemical weapons on Ethiopians, continued incredibly cruel policies in Libya, committed his own genocide in Slovenia, murdered thousands in Albania, caused a famine in Greece, attempted to ''Italianize'' conquered peoples and invaded nations for virtually no justifiable reason or excuse, he is still one of history's most monstrous figures, [[ALighterShadeOfBlack just unable to match the sheer scale of horror committed by Hitler or Tojo.]]

But if one considers his foreign policy where he used chemical weapons on Ethiopians, continued incredibly cruel policies in Libya, committed his own genocide in Slovenia, murdered thousands in Albania, caused a famine in Greece, attempted to ''Italianize'' conquered peoples and invaded nations for virtually no justifiable reason or excuse, he is still one of history's most despicable and monstrous figures, [[ALighterShadeOfBlack just unable to match the sheer scale of horror committed by Hitler or Tojo.]]

But if one considers his foreign policy where he used chemical weapons on Ethiopians, continued incredibly oppressive policies in Libya, committed his own genocide in Slovenia, murdered thousands in Albania, caused a famine in Greece, attempted to ''Italianize'' conquered peoples and invaded nations for virtually no justifiable reason or excuse, he is still one of history's most despicable figures, [[ALighterShadeOfBlack just unable to match the sheer scale of cruelty committed by Hitler or Tojo.]]

* Appears as the BigBad in the Gaddafi-era Libyan propaganda film ''Lion of the Desert'' (based on the story of the suppression of Omar Mukhtar's anticolonial revolt in Italian Libya in the late 1920s and early 1930s), portrayed by Rod Steiger, with the position of The Dragon filled by the ruthless General Rodolfo Graziani, plated by Creator/OliverReed.

* He is the narrator of a chapter in ''Literature/CaptainCorellisMandolin''. The entire chapter is a furious megalomaniac rant by Mussolini, where he raves about [[TheSocialDarwinist the "survival of the fittest"]], praises the discipline and martial virtues of the Roman Empire, and how he wants the Italian people to have "ice in their soul". It ends with Mussolini being disturbed by his cat, and promptly [[KickTheDog kicking the cat to death]].

* ''Tea With Mussolini'', obviously, where his regime is the setting for the upbringing of a young Italian boy by British and American expat women living in Italy. Despite fascist terror and the destruction of [=WW2=], the protagonist joins the British Army and helps liberate his homeland. The titular event occurs when one of Luca's British foster mothers, the wife of the former British ambassador to Italy, visits and has tea with him.

* ''Tea With Mussolini'', obviously, where his regime is the setting for the upbringing of a young Italian boy by British and American expat women living in Italy. Despite fascist terror and the destruction of [=WW2=], the protagonist joins the British Army and helps liberate his homeland.

* ''Tea With Mussolini'', obviously.

Soon after the British and Americans began their invasion of Italy, Mussolini was deposed by King Victor Emmanuel III following a de facto vote of no confidence in the Grand Council of Fascism on 25 July 1943, and imprisoned. In September the Italians joined the Allies and declared war on Germany. The Germans responded by invading Italy, and Mussolini was freed by Otto Skorzeny and his German commandos. Although Skorzeny was in reality a mediocre officer who fancied himself a great hero, the raid bolstered his own reputation as more badass than he really was. The Germans forced Mussolini, by now wanting to retire, to form a Nazi state called the Italian Social Republic in Northern Italy. He "ruled" there for about 18 months, being little more than a puppet ruler under the protection of his German liberators, something he was ruefully aware of. His status as a German puppet caused many Italian troops and even Blackshirts to lose faith in him as a symbol of Italian greatness and join the rapidly growing Italian partisans under a broad democratic front. In April 1945, Allied troops were rapidly advancing into northern Italy and the collapse of the Social Republic was imminent. Mussolini, along with his mistress, Clara Petacci, and a small group of high ranking fascist bigwigs from the Social Republic, tried to flee to Switzerland in the confusion, but on 27 April, they were both caught by Italian partisans. The next day, perhaps coincidentally two days before Hitler committed suicide, Mussolini and all of his companions were summarily executed; they shot him in the gut for maximum pain, dragged him and his compatriots' bodies into the nearby city of Milan (incidentally, where his movement began) and then hung them upside-down at a gas station (symbolically an act of revenge as Axis forces had executed many partisans in the very same spot), while crowds of angry Italians would spit and throw things (trash, bricks, other unpleasant things) at the bodies.

Soon after the British and Americans began their invasion of Italy, Mussolini was deposed by King Victor Emmanuel III following a de facto vote of no confidence in the Grand Council of Fascism on 25 July 1943, and imprisoned. Mussolini was later freed by Otto Skorzeny and his commandos; although Skorzeny was in reality a mediocre officer who fancied himself a great hero, the raid bolstered his own reputation as more badass than he really was. In September the Italians joined the Allies and declared war on Germany. The Germans responded by invading Italy and forcing Mussolini, by now wanting to retire, to form a Nazi state called the Italian Social Republic in Northern Italy. He "ruled" there for about 18 months, being little more than a puppet ruler under the protection of his German liberators, something he was ruefully aware of. His status as a German puppet caused many Italian troops and even Blackshirts to lose faith in him as a symbol of Italian greatness and join the rapidly growing Italian partisans under a broad democratic front. In April 1945, Allied troops were rapidly advancing into northern Italy and the collapse of the Social Republic was imminent. Mussolini, along with his mistress, Clara Petacci, and a small group of high ranking fascist bigwigs from the Social Republic, tried to flee to Switzerland in the confusion, but on 27 April, they were both caught by Italian partisans. The next day, perhaps coincidentally two days before Hitler committed suicide, Mussolini and all of his companions were summarily executed; they shot him in the gut for maximum pain, dragged him and his compatriots' bodies into the nearby city of Milan (incidentally, where his movement began) and then hung them upside-down at a gas station (symbolically an act of revenge as Axis forces had executed many partisans in the very same spot), while crowds of angry Italians would spit and throw things (trash, bricks, other unpleasant things) at the bodies.

Soon after the British and Americans began their invasion of Italy, Mussolini was deposed by King Victor Emmanuel III following a de facto vote of no confidence in the Grand Council of Fascism on 25 July 1943. In September the Italians joined the Allies and declared war on Germany. The Germans responded by invading Italy and forcing Mussolini, by now wanting to retire, to form a Nazi state called the Italian Social Republic in Northern Italy. He "ruled" there for about 18 months, being little more than a puppet ruler under the protection of his German liberators, something he was ruefully aware of. His status as a German puppet caused many Italian troops and even Blackshirts to lose faith in him as a symbol of Italian greatness and join the rapidly growing Italian partisans under a broad democratic front. In April 1945, Allied troops were rapidly advancing into northern Italy and the collapse of the Social Republic was imminent. Mussolini, along with his mistress, Clara Petacci, and a small group of high ranking fascist bigwigs from the Social Republic, tried to flee to Switzerland in the confusion, but on 27 April, they were both caught by Italian partisans. The next day, perhaps coincidentally two days before Hitler committed suicide, Mussolini and all of his companions were summarily executed; they shot him in the gut for maximum pain, dragged him and his compatriots' bodies into the nearby city of Milan (incidentally, where his movement began) and then hung them upside-down at a gas station (symbolically an act of revenge as Axis forces had executed many partisans in the very same spot), while crowds of angry Italians would spit and throw things (trash, bricks, other unpleasant things) at the bodies.

During the interwar years, Italy was well known for its aggressive foreign policy: aside from conquering Ethiopia (Abyssinia) and participating in World War II, the Fascists also entered the Spanish Civil War (on the side of Francisco Franco), severely oppressed their colonies in Libya and Somalia, attacked the Greek island of Corfu to force diplomatic concessions, and invaded Albania as a show of power following Hitler's annexation of Czechoslovakia. Mussolini was reluctant to enter the war, only declaring war on Britain and France in June 1940 once the fall of France was imminent. The generally lackluster performance of Italian arms, particularly their defeats in North Africa and Greece, severely weakened Mussolini's government; few Italians saw the war as necessary or justified, while the Allies came to see Italy as the weak link in the Axis.

Further, Mussolini's regime rarely executed citizens for political reasons - in fact, only 9 people were executed from 1931 to 1940 (most for non-political offenses), with an additional 17 by Italy's defection to the Allies in 1943. Political opponents were more often jailed for a few years where they were tortured and mistreated, then suddenly amnestied; nor did the Fascist Party ever experience a purge equivalent to Stalin's Great Terror or Hitler's Night of the Long Knives. That said, Fascist Italy wasn't completely free of violence, with historians estimating at least 3000 Italians murdered by Mussolini's regime and thousands fleeing abroad as a result. Blackshirt ''squadristi'' often terrorized dissidents by destroying their homes, beating them (sometimes forcing them to drink castor oil), or less frequently assassinating them. The murder of socialist parliamentary leader Giacomo Matteotti in June 1924 by a fascist hit squad is the most notorious example, though it's still debated whether Mussolini personally ordered his death.

Further, Mussolini's regime rarely executed citizens for political reasons - in fact, only 9 people were executed from 1931 to 1940 (most for non-political offenses), with an additional 17 by Italy's defection to the Allies in 1943. Political opponents were more often jailed for a few years where they were tortured and mistreated, then suddenly amnestied; nor did the Fascist Party ever experience a purge equivalent to Stalin's Great Terror or Hitler's Night of the Long Knives. That said, Fascist Italy wasn't completely free of violence, with historians estimating at least 3,000 Italians died under Mussolini's government and thousands fleeing abroad as a result. Blackshirt ''squadristi'' often terrorized dissidents by destroying their homes, beating them (sometimes forcing them to drink castor oil), or less frequently assassinating them. The murder of socialist parliamentary leader Giacomo Matteotti in June 1924 by a fascist hit squad is the most notorious example, though it's still debated whether Mussolini personally ordered his death.

That all said, there is a real historiographical debate about how much of a Fascist Mussolini really was -- as the most notable members of his cabinet consisted of political opportunists rather than die-hard Fascist fanatics -- and Mussolini himself seemed to waver a lot when asked how far the Fascist revolution was intended to go. On at least one occasion, he even said that Italy was not ready to be Fascist. In other words, he seemed to believe in Fascism, but was too cynical about Italy and politics in general to believe that a Fascist revolution could take place and thus was content to run a straight-up dictatorship with Fascist dressing, electing to maintain his position rather than upsetting the status quo. Although Mussolini ruled for more than 20 years, several parts of Italy barely noticed any change from the previous fifty.

Mussolini first got the idea for fascism when he was a war reporter in the trenches of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, following around the soldiers (and later becoming one). And he liked what he saw in the army so much that he wanted to create a society organized like a military battalion, rigidly conformist, with no dissenters to undermine ultranationalist values.