Benito Mussolini

Benito Mussolini Benito Mussolini (1883-1945), was Fascist dictator of Italy from 1922 to 1943. He centralized all power in himself as the leader (il duce) of the Fascist party and attempted to create an Italian empire, ultimately in alliance with Hitler’s Germany. The defeat of Italian arms in WWII brought an end to his imperial dream and led to his downfall. Mussolini was born in Predappio, Romagna on July 29, 1883. His father, Alessandro, was a blacksmith, and …

…to appreciate his imperial dream. In April 1945, just before the Allied armies reached Milan, Mussolini, along with his mistress Clara Petacci, was caught by Italian partisans as he tried to take refuge in Switzerland. He was summarily executed. The Duce was survived by his wife, Rachele, by two sons, Vittorio and Romano, and his daughter Edda, the widow of Count Ciano. A third son, Bruno, had been killed in an air accident. By: Tom Carpentier