Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini
[1883-1945]
Prime Minister & dictator of Italy from 1922 to 1945; known as 'Il Duce'

here on Page 1: short profile timeline about fascism speeches & written works The March On Rome family & friends + links

top of Page 2 stage plays movies & TV other media image gallery top of Page 3 works about Benito Mussolini jump to 2010 • jump to 2020

“The masses are already longing for a dictator.” - in 1921

U U
Party Slogans
“Everything in the State, nothing outside the State, nothing against the State.”
crowds chanted back “Il Duce is always right!” and “Believe, obey, fight!”
“Make Italy Great Again (Rendere L'Italia di Nuovo Grande)” was in use from 1926

A  Brief  Timeline 1883 July 29: Birthday of Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini in Predappio, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. 1922 Oct 27-29: The March On Rome: Black-shirted fascists led by Benito Mussolini entered the city of Rome and pulled off a bloodless coup; Italy's king appointed Mussolini Prime Minister and authorized him to form a government, leading to two decades of Fascist Party rule. 1945 April 28: Benito Mussolini, his mistress Clara Petacci, and others were caught and executed by local partisans while trying to flee across the border to Switzerland. 1962 Dec 20: Release of the comedy feature film "March On Rome (La Marcia Su Roma)" directed by Dino Risi, starring Vittorio Gassman & Ugo Tognazzi {see below}. 2022 Oct 22: Giorgia Meloni was appointed as the first female Prime Minister of Italy; she has been president of the Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d'Italia, FdI) political party since 2014; the party has neo-fascist roots and is the most far-right group to lead the Italian government since World War II. 2022 Sunday Oct 30: As many as 4,000 fascist sympathizers marched to Predappio, in northern Italy, where the late Italian dictator Benito Mussolini was born and laid to rest at a monument and crypt. The march participants wore black and carried fascist symbols to mark 100 years since the 'March on Rome' that brought Mussolini to power.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benito_Mussolini
credit listing {400 titles since 1932} at Internet Movie Database
search for books on keyword 'mussolini' (returns over 3,000 titles) at Amazon

Fascism is a radical, authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Neo-fascism usually includes nationalism,
anti-immigration policies, or - where relevant - nativism, anti-communism, and opposition to the parliamentary
system and to liberal democracy.

this page was split off from the Working Minds Philosophy of Empowerment website's Fascism Pages in February 2018

on Page 1: top of page • • quotations • • fascist leaders & groups • • books about fascism • • links

on Page 2: top of page • • fiction about fascism • • a few movies • • image gallery

Illustration of the principle of 'fasces': the bundle of rods tied together with the war axe was carried by civic magistrates in Ancient Roman times. The rods were used to mete out punishment unless the axe was needed to execute the criminal. The premise used by fascism is that the individual rods are easy to break (as are individual persons) but unified and with the threat of severe punishment from the state, the group then becomes mighty.

14-point "Early Warning Signs of Fascism" poster graphic (on new page)

Fascism Portal at Wikipedia

Speeches & Written Works by Benito Mussolini

		"L'Amante del Cardinale: Claudia Particella (The Cardinal's Mistress)" [1910] by Benito Mussolini & Santi Corvaja romanzo storico (historical romance) novel published as a serial book in the Trento newspaper Il Popolo, released in installments from 20 January to 11 May in 1910; the novel was bitterly anticlerical, and years later was withdrawn from circulation after Mussolini made a truce with the Vatican; 1928 English translation by Hiram Motherwell [1888-1945] Kindle Edition from Disruptive Publng [1/2013] for $1.99 indep 9x6 pb [2/2024] for $19.99    Albert & Charles Boni hardcover [1928] long out of print/used available as free online English-language flip-book at Internet Archive
		"Giovanni Huss, Il Veridico (Jan Hus, True Prophet)" [1913] by Benito Mussolini historical & political biography about the life & mission of Czech ecclesiastic reformer Jan Hus [1370?-1415] and his militant followers, the Hussites Jan Hus entry at Wikipedia • 10/2010 article "Hus: A Model For The Young Mussolini" Albert & Charles Boni hardcover [1929] out of print/used Italian-language Bonanno pb [1998] from Amazon Australia Italian-language Edizioni Arktos pb [2006] from Amazon Australia Italian-language Edinac Roma pb [1948] out of print/used Italian-language Edinac Roma pb [1948] out of print/used
		"Il Mio Diario di Guerra, 1915-1917" [Feb 1923] by Benito Mussolini & Stefano Poma autobiographical account of Mussolini's military experience; publisher Casa Editrice Imperia Italian-language Kindle Edition from L'Universale [9/2019] for $2.18 Italian-language indep pb [3/2017] for $7.54 available as free online Italian-language flip-book at Internet Archive available as free online Italian-language flip-book at Internet Archive
		"Mussolini As Revealed In His Political Speeches (Nov 1914 - Aug 1923)" [1923] Edited by Barone Bernardo Quaranta di San Severino [1870-1934] Published by J.M. Dent & Sons, London and E.P. Dutton & Co., New York Kindle Edition from Edizioni Savine [3/2019] for $5.99 Dent & Sons hardcover [1923] out of print/used available as free online 422-page flip-book at Internet Archive available as free online 414-page flip-book at Internet Archive
		"My Rise and Fall" autobiography [1928 & 1948] by Benito Mussolini Contains two books by Benito Mussolini: the first volume was published in English in 1928 as "My Autobiography"; the second volume was written during the brief period between his rescue by the Germans in September 1943 and his execution by Italian partisans in April 1945 and published in English in 1948 as "The Fall of Mussolini" Da Capo Press 8½x5½ pb [8/98] for $14.61 Da Capo Press 8½x5½ pb [8/98] for $25.81
		"My Autobiography by Benito Mussolini" [1928] with "The Political and Social Doctrine of Fascism" [1932] Kindle Edition from Dover Publns [2006 edition] for $9.99 Dover Publns 8½x5¾ pb [6/2006] for $13.95
		"The Doctrine of Fascism" essay [1932] by Benito Mussolini [1883-1945] "La Dottrina del Fascismo" is an essay written by Giovanni Gentile, but credited to Benito Mussolini; first published in the Enciclopedia Italiana of 1932 (pages 847-884) as the beginning section of a lengthy entry on 'Fascismo', which includes numerous photographs and graphic images 72-page Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [2/2014] for 99¢ 86-page Free Thought Books 9x6 pb [11/2015] for $6.88 48-page Haole Library 8x5 pb [5/2015] for $5.88 28-page Zhingoora Books/CreateSpace 8x5 pb [8/2012] for $6.00

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Works About Benito Mussolini
search for books on keyword 'fascism' (returns over 8,000 titles) at Amazon
search for books on keyword 'mussolini' (returns over 6,000 titles) at Amazon

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Because this page grew quite large, this section was split to Page 3 in August 2023.

The March on Rome (La Marcia su Roma), 1922 and 2022
On a rainy day at the end of October 1922, Italy's King Vittorio Emanuele III entrusted the leader of a minority political force with the task of forming the government. From that day the fascists held the reins of the country, an era that lasted for twenty years. In the collective imagination, power was not granted from above but was taken by force thanks to a courageous act: The March On Rome. Tens of thousands of Blackshirts, from all over Italy, reached Rome bearing arms, forcing the weak ministers of the Kingdom to resign and allowing the King to bet on the only strong man of the moment: Benito Mussolini. From that October, Italy began a radical transformation that led the country to the upheaval of institutions, society, and daily life. After that event, until its fall, fascism pervaded every aspect of society, every decision up to the most terrible: entering the Second World War on the side of Nazi Germany.
The March on Rome entry at Wikipedia

"The March On Rome (La Marcia Su Roma)" comedy feature film
[Dino de Laurentiis Distribuzione Italy Dec 1962]

Two hapless war veterans are near starvation, so they join the National Fascist Party to get food; but when ordered to kill people, they refuse . . . • Produced by Mario Cecchi Gori; directed by Dino Risi; written by Sandro Conti-nenza, Ghigo De Chiara, Agenore Incrocci, Ruggero Maccari, Furio Scarpelli, Ettore Scola; music by Marcello Giombini; starring Vittorio Gassman, Ugo Tognazzi, Roger Hanin, Mario Brega, Angela Luce, Gérard Landry, Alberto Vecchi-etti, Claudio Perone, Antonio Cannas, Giampiero Albertini, Howard Nelson Rubien, Nino Di Napoli, Nando Ange-lini, Daniele Vargas, Edda Ferronao, Carlo Kechler, Antonio Acqua, Liù Bosisio, Angelo Casadei, Ruggero Rosi full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia Region 1 VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available • Filmauro Region 2 b&w DVD [8/00] for $12.18   in PAL format only

"La Marcia su Roma" lecture [Domus Orobica Oct 2022]

'The rise of fascism' told by Italian historian Giuseppe Parlato [b. 1952] watch full 10/2022 Italian-language lecture - no subtitles [1:25:31] online at YouTube

"Marcia su Roma (The March On Rome)" [I Wonder Pictures Italy Oct 2022]

97-minute documentary by award-winning filmmaker Mark Cousins depicts the ascent of Mussolini's fascism in Italy in the 1920s & 1930s, and its influence across Europe - a world of toxic masculinity, national hysteria, and fake news • Co-written & directed by Mark Cousins; co-written by Tommaso Renzoni & Tony Saccucci; narrated by Alba Rohrwacher & Mark Cousins; with archive footage of Benito Mussolini [1883-1945], Donald Trump, Haile Selassie, Gabriele D'Annunzio, Giacomo Acerbo full credits at IMDb • official movie homepage DVD/Blu-ray not available • watch 10/2022 Italian-language trailer ufficiale [01:07] online at YouTube

"La Marcia su Roma: L’Inizio del Ventennio Fascista (The Beginning of The Fascist Twenty Years)" [2015] by Francesco De Vito 77-page Italian-language Kindle Edition from Area51 Publng [9/2015] for $1.99 {sic} 72-page Area51 Publng Italian-language 8¼x5 pb [12/2017] for $6.85

The March on Rome: Violence and the Rise of Italian Fascism (Routledge Studies in Fascism and the Far Right) 1st Edition by Giulia Albanese (Author) https://www.amazon.com/March-Rome-Violence-Italian-Routledge/dp/1138069736/ 2/2019

Presentazione del libro "La marcia su Roma", di e con Giorgio dell’Arti (6/12/2022)

LA MARCIA SU ROMA (Italian Edition) Italian Edition | by Asvero Gravelli, Emilio De Bono, et al. | Jun 21, 2023 https://www.amazon.com/MARCIA-ROMA-Italian-Asvero-Gravelli/dp/1447561813/

Family & Friends
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was born in Predappio, Italy in July 1883; he married Ida Dalser in 1914 and (without divorce) Rachele Guidi in 1915;
he was appointed Prime Minister in 1922 and was defeated by the Allies in 1943; he was shot to death by partisans near the Swiss border in April 1945.

first wife Ida Irene Dalser Mussolini [1880-1937]
- married 1914, locked up in insane asylums from 1920s to her death
entry at Wikipedia

son Benito Albino Mussolini [1915-42]
officially recognized as son in January 1916
entry at Wikipedia

"Il Figlio Segreto del Duce: La Storia di Benito Albino Mussolini e di Sua Madre, Ida Dalser" [2006] by Alfredo Pieroni "The Secret Son of The Duce: The Story of Benito Albino Mussolini and His Mother, Ida Dalser" Garzanti Libri Italian-language 8¼x5½ pb [2006] for $19.52

second wife Rachele Guidi Mussolini [1890-1979] - married 12/2015, widowed 4/1945
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachele_Mussolini

daughter Edda Mussolini Ciano [1910-95] - married 1930, 3 children, widowed 1944
"Mussolini's Daughter" [] starring Alessandra Martines
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqYP6NKguQY

son author & movie producer Vittorio Mussolini [1916-97]
browse books • IMDb listing • entry at Wikipedia

son Bruno Mussolini [1918-41]
son Romano Mussolini [1927-2006]
daughter Anna Maria Mussolini [1929-68]

granddaughter Alessandra Mussolini [b. 1962]
daughter of Romano; elected member of Italy's Chamber of Deputies, 2008-2013; elected in 2014 to the European Parliament.
official website (in Italian) • IMDb listing, 1972-2010 • entry at Wikipedia

"Cesira e Benito: Storia Segreta della Governante di Mussolini (Secret History of The Governess of Mussolini)" [2007] by Gianni Scipione Rossi Cesira Casteri was recommended by Margherita Sarfatti for the position of governess to Benito Mussolini's five children; Cesira can be seen in the background of several family photos; Cesira may have been a source of inside information to Sarfatti, but the author's suggestion that Cesira and Benito were involved romantically is hogwash. Rubbettino Italian-language 8¾x5¾ pb [2007] for $28.00

mistress journalist Margherita Grassini Sarfatti [1880-1961]
met in 1911, collaborated politically & personally from 1922 to 1938, self-exiled to Argentina 1938-47
known as the 'Jewish Mother of Fascism'

"Acqua Passata" [1955]

	"Il Duce's Other Woman" [1993] by Philip V. Cannistraro & Brian R. Sullivan Wm. Morrow & Co. 9¾x6½ hardcover [2/93] for $10.10 published in Italian as "Ultra Donna del Duce" [Mondadoro 1993] info not found on Amazon
	"Margherita Sarfatti: Dal Mito del Dux al Mito Americano (From The Dux Myth To The American Myth)" audiobook [11/2003] by Simona Urso Editore Marsilio Saggi audiobook not available, at either Amazon USA or Amazon.IT (2018)
	"Margherita Sarfatti: La Donna Che Inventò Mussolini" biography [2010] by Roberto Festorazzi Colla Editore Italian-language 8¼x5½ pb [10/2010] for $29.28 Colla Editore Italian-language pb [10/2010] for €18,00 via Amazon.IT
	"My Fault: Mussolini As I Knew Him" [2014] by Margherita Sarfatti Edited, Annotated & with Commentary by Brian R. Sullivan Written first in English while in self-exile in South America, then serialized in 1945 in Spanish in the Buenos Aires daily newspaper Critica. Scholar of Italian history Sullivan here adds significant annotations and commentary. Enigma Books 9½x6½ hardcover [4/2014] out of print/used
	"Margherita Sarfatti: La Regina dell'Arte nell'Italia Fascista (The Queen of Art In Fascist Italy)" [2015] di Rachele Ferrario Author is an art critic and historian in Italy, so the emphasis is on Sarfatti's influence on Italy's art scene and on the Novacento Movement circa 1922. not found on Amazon USA (2018) Italian-language Kindle Edition from Mondadori [11/2015] for €12,99 via Amazon.IT Mondadori Italian-language pb [3/2018] for €13,17 via Amazon.IT Mondadori Italian-language hardcover [11/2015] for €21,25 via Amazon.IT watch short English-language news video [6/2016 upload; 3:59] online at YouTube

mistress Claretta Petacci [1912-45] - met Mussolini in 1932; died at his side, both shot by partisans
IMDb listing {archive footage 1962-2013} • entry at Wikipedia

"Claretta" [1984] starring Claudia Cardinale /tt0087064/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVZypIXtMiA [2.24.48]

	"Mussolini Segreto: I Diari di Claretta Petacci, 1932-1938" [2010] by Claretta Petacci, Edited by Mauro Suttora Italian-language Kindle Edition from Rizzoli [9/2010] for $12.99 Rizzoli 7¾x5 Italian-language hardcover [2013] for $15.74 Editiones Crítica Spanish-language hardcover [2013] out of print/used Editiones Crítica Spanish-language hardcover [11/2012] out of print/used
	"Claretta: Mussolini's Last Lover" [2017] by R.J.B. Bosworth Kindle Edition from Yale Univ Press [2/2017] for $14.99 Yale Univ Press 9½x6¼ hardcover [2/2017] for $21.01

son-in-law & Foreign Minister Count Gian Galeazzo Ciano [1903-44]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galeazzo_Ciano

"Mussolini's Shadow: The Double Life of Count Galeazzo Ciano" [1999] by Ray Moseley Yale Univ Press 9¼x6 pb [10/99] for $29.00 Yale Univ Press 9¼x6¼ hardcover [2/2000] for $29.65

L i n k s
search for books on keyword 'fascism' (returns over 8,000 titles) at Amazon
search for books on keyword 'mussolini' (returns over 6,000 titles) at Amazon
credit listing {400 titles since 1932} at Internet Movie Database

here on the Benito Mussolini [1883-1945] Pages at Working Minds Philosophy of Empowerment

top of Page 1  •  short profile  •  timeline  •   about fascism  •  written works & speeches  •  family & friends  •  links

top of Page 2  •   stageplays  •   movies & TV  •   other media  •   image gallery

top of Page 3  •  works about Benito Mussolini

v                             v

see also the Fascism & Barbarians Page at Working Minds Philosophy of Empowerment

top of page • • quotations • • fascist leaders • • books about fascism • • a few movies • • image gallery • • links

see also the Barbarians & Fascists Pages at Working Minds Philosophy of Empowerment

top of page • • books on the subject • • a few movies • • links

Barbarian / Fascist Organizations Section
A.L.E.C. • • Bain Capital • • Halliburton • • The U.S. Supreme Court

Barbarian / Fascist Individuals Page
Steve Bannon • • Jeffrey Epstein • • Koch Brothers • • Rupert Murdoch

v                             v

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