Benito Mussolini was the Fascist leader of Italy from 1922 to 1943. Much like Hitler, he rose to power when establishment conservatives decided that he could help them inspire voters and unite the country. And as with Hitler, this plan failed—instead of empowering the center-right, it empowered and legitimated Mussolini and his Fascist Party. Mussolini used secret police to dismantle his political opposition, then went on to rule as a dictator for two decades.
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Benito Mussolini Character Timeline in How Democracies Die
The timeline below shows where the character Benito Mussolini appears in How Democracies Die. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1: Fateful Alliances
In October 1922, Benito Mussolini traveled to Rome to become the premier of Italy. Famously, he visited the king dressed...
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...minister faced economic and political crises in 1921. He organized early elections and allied with Mussolini’s Fascists. Their alliance lost—but it gave the Fascists political legitimacy.
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Hitler, Mussolini, and Chávez all rose to power by partnering with establishment politicians who didn’t take them...
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To stop wannabe authoritarians, party elites have to identify them first. Hitler, Mussolini, and Chávez declared their ambitions through violence, but many don’t. For instance, Viktor Orbán governed...
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