2.  July 29, 1883 – April 28, 1945  Born Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini  Born in Predappio ( Northern Central Italy)  His father was a blacksmith (BBC)  Moved to Switzerland in 1902 because of poor employment prospects and became involved in socialist politics (BBC)  Broke with socialism because of his support of Italy entering WWI  Drafted into Italian Army in Sept 1915 (BBC)

3.  “ Gifted with oratorical skills and an uncanny ability to asses political climate” (Lorenzini)  Considered himself to be a “man of the people” due to his humble origins (Hibbert)  “reputation as a young man of strange magnetism and remarkable rhetorical talents…striking presence… uncommon personality”(Hibbert)

4.  “physique was impressive, and his style of oratory, staccato and repetitive was superb. His attitudes were highly theatrical …words were so dramatic, his metaphors so apt and striking, his vigorous, repetitive gestures so extraordinarily effective” (Hibbert)

5.  He believed that Italy needed a dictator who was “ruthless and energetic enough” to confront the political and economic crisis gripping Italy” (Hibbert)  In Piazza San Sepolcro, “about 200 republicans, anarchists, discontented socialists, revolutionaries, discharged soldiers, etc met to establish a new party. Mussolini called this force the fasci di combattimento (fighting bands)” This was the birth of Fascism (Hibbert)

6.  Member of Parliament and introduced the National Fascist Party (Hibbert)  Legally seized political power, the Prime Minister position was offered to him by King Victor Emmanuel II in 1922 (Lorenzini)  He accepted and then proceeded to undermine Italy’s constitution and centralized his power (Lorenzini)

7.  March on Rome- opportunity for Mussolini to seize political power (Ryan) a) It was a plan that brought fascists from all over Italy into Rome. There they would take over important government buildings and demand the resignation of the government. If they failed to resign, they would take Rome by force (The March on Rome)  Fascists secure majority vote in Parliament, where Mussolini assumed absolute dictatorial power (Ryan)

8.  Outlawed all political parties (Lorenzini)  “Fascist Squads” were created and they “swept through the countryside …rounded up socialists, burned down union and party offices, and terrorized the local population. Radicals were humiliated, beaten, or killed” (Hibbert)  Attacked local government institutions and prevented left-wing administrators from taking power (Hibbert)

9.  Governed authoritatively (Hibbert)  Pushed a law that enabled the Fascists to cement a majority in Parliament (Hibbert)  Democratic system was abolished in favor of a one-party state (Hibbert)

11. Successes  Politically i. Created relations with powerful interest groups such as the Church, industrialists and the armed forces ii. Improved relations between the church and state (Rudbeck)  Economically i. Battle of Grain-foundation of new farms and agricultural towns ii. Valuable resources for grain production ( New World Encyclopedia) iii. Provided work for the unemployed ( New World Encyclopedia) iv. Allowed great land owners to control subsidies ( New World Encyclopedia)  Socially i. The 1923 Education Act- stressed the importance of a humanist education and suggested that philosophy be taught at all levels (Mussolini’s Italy)

12. Failures  Politically i. Relations did not remain totally friendly with the Church ii. Ethiopian takeover because of League of Nations sanctions (Lorenzini)  Economically i. Battle of Land was inconsistent with the Battle of Grain (small plots of land were inappropriately allocated for large-scale wheat production) ( New World Encyclopedia) ii. Huge tariffs associated with the Battle of the Grain resulted the country to go further into debt( New World Encyclopedia) iii. Battle of Land initiative was abandoned in 1940 ( New World Encyclopedia)  Socially i. Poverty was still present ii. Failed to secure the commitment of the youth to the Fascism (Rudbeck)

13.  Education- Mussolini tried to implicate policies that turned students into “creatures of the state”, and youth groups were established (Education in Fascist Italy). The policies failed however because he failed to “secure the commitment of the youth to Fascism” (Rudbeck)  Free press was outlawed and free speech was destroyed (Hibbert)

14.  Women- Mussolini wanted women to stay home and have babies. This was considered to be a failure due to the drop in birthrate (Rudbeck)  Minorities- Mussolini followed Hitler’s policy of anti-semitism and shipped 20% of Italy’s Jews to concentration camps in Germany (Hibbert). This could be considered a success  Religious Groups (Catholic Church)- Mussolini agreed to leave the Vatican alone and in exchange he received the backing and acceptance of the Church (Rudbeck). This was a great success.

15.  "Benito Mussolini." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 06 Jan. 2013.  "Benito Mussolini." New World Encyclopedia. New World Encyclopedia, 2 Oct. 2011. Web. 06 Jan. 2013.  "Education in Fascist Italy." N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Jan. 2013.  Hibbert, Christopher. "Mussolini, Benito." Biography Reference Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.  "Mussolinis Italy." IBHistoryHLWiki - Mussolinis Italy. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Jan. 2013.  Rudbeck. "Mussolini's Domestic Policies: Social and Religious, 1922 - 1939." Rudbeck-IB-History-Revision. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Jan. 2013.  Ryan, James. "Benito Mussolini." Biography Resource Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.  "The March on Rome." The March on Rome. History Learning Site, n.d. Web. 06 Jan. 2013