"Vain, boastful and blundering, his ambition far exceeded his ability to realise them." Is this judgement of Mussolini realistic or too harsh?

The aftermath of the First Wold War saw the foundation of the fascio di Combattimento on March 23rd 1919 in Italy. This party, headed by Benito Mussolini was not particularly popular in its early years. No seats were won in the 1919 elections and Mussolini only held 2% of the vote in Milan. Yet in 1922, Mussolini became Prime minister of Italy following the "March on Rome". What followed was two decades of unilateral rule by Mussolini, who despite …

…confidence and started to believe his propaganda. Perhaps this factor contributed to his high opinion of himself and his boasting. After all, when everyone says the "whole world of politics is now polarised on this one man" and Mussolini fervently believes it; it is not unexpected that his opinion of himself changed to feelings of superiority and perhaps arrogance. Bibliography: Lee, S.J., 2000. European Dictatorships 1918-1945, 2nd Ed. London: Routledge. Mussolini, 1932. La Dottrina del Fascismo.