Benito Mussolini was the dictator of Italy from the mid-1920's until near the end of World War II. He invented the modern totalitarian doctrine of fascism.

Mussolini was born on July 29, 1883. He became a journalist, then joined the Italian army during World War I. He founded the Fascist Party after the war ended. In 1922, despite the small size of his party, he was appointed Prime Minister. He quickly concentrated power in his own hands and became a dictator, calling himself Il Duce. He was executed by Italian communist partisans on April 28, 1945.

"Mussolini raged against the Pope. If Italians still went to mass, it was only because he told them to. If it weren't for him, anticlerics would be running wild through Italy's streets, sacking churches and forcing castor oil down the throats of cowering priests. If every classroom and courtroom had a crucifix on its wall, if priests taught religion in all of Italy's public schools, it was because Mussolini had ordered it."*

This page lists links to articles written by William P. Meyers on Mussolini and Italian fascism. It also includes links to other sources of data on Benito Mussolini.

Pius XI and the Rise of Benito Mussolini
Mussolini's Corporate State
Catholicism and Fascism
Fascism overview

More Data

Benito Mussolini article at Wikipedia
What is Fascism by Benito Mussolini

* The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe by David I. Kertzer, p. xxxi, Random House, 2014