Benito Mussolini

Benito Mussolini was dictator of Italy in the time of World War II.He was head of one of the totalitarian forms of government seen in Europe in this time. He called his political structure Fascism, a term which was later used to describe any government which put the national identity above the people. Like all totalitarian forms of government, he bullied the weak. Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was born July 29, 1883 and died April 28, 1945. Mussolini was born in the north Italian town of Pergine Valsugana in the northern Italian province of Trento. His father was a cobbler and his mother a washerwoman. The Mussolinis were a relatively poor family in comparison with the majority of the neighbours and it is believed that Mussolini was ridiculed by his peers at La scoula elementaria di Valsugana due to his shabby clothes and dirty appearance. Many historians attribute Mussolini's aggressive nature and his tendency to bully the weak during his reign as leader of Italy to this constant teasing. At the age of 12 Benito was sent to an Italian Military academy in Turin where he completed his secondary education. Mussolini graduated from school in 1901 and then went on to study at L'Universita della Roma where he completed a degree in Social Sciences. It was during his university days that Mussolini first became exposed to right wing politics. It is reported that Mussolini would spend long afternoons in the university library reading the memoirs of various European kings and other books about political ideologies. Upon leaving University Mussolini headed north to Venice where he joined the "Cullo Cappelli" (italian for conservative soldiers) party. In 1913 after rising through the ranks Mussolini became the elected member for Tuscany in Italian Parliament. In 1927 he took over from the Mario Felloni as the leader of Cullo Cappelli who were the opposition. Leading up to the 1928 election Mussolini began to begin his campaign. During this time Italy was in an economic slump and the Italian public were not satisfied with president of the time, Francisco Delosini and his Treasurer Guido Michenelli's management of the federal budget. Mussolini preyed on this dissatisfaction and promised to eliminate all debt within the government. On the 15th of August 1928 Mussolini won in a landslide and on September 1st he was sworn in as president of Italy. In 1929 Mussolini unveiled his Fascist government. In 1931 Mussolini first came to contact with Adolf Hitler at a European Leaders convention and an alliance was formed. For the rest of the 1930's Mussolini began to recklessly spend Italy's money on obsolete arms which he planned to issue to the army if Hitler ever attempted to take over Europe. In September 1939 when England and France declared war on Germany after the invaded Poland Mussolini made the announcement that Italy would join Germany in the war effort against the allied forces. During World War 2 He increased his military, limited free speech and pushed his political views on all of his country even more so. He was shot after an attempt at escape from allied forces when surrounded in his luxury home in the Italian Alps in 1945.