Benito Mussolini Criticism
Benito Mussolini (1883-1945) was an Italian politician, journalist, and a pivotal figure in the establishment of fascism. His writings and political activities chart a remarkable journey from socialist beginnings to becoming one of the twentieth century's most infamous dictators. Mussolini's rhetoric was characterized by a fervent nationalism, drawing inspiration from classical Roman ideals and marked by a bold, rebellious tone.
Born in Predappio, Italy, Mussolini's upbringing was deeply influenced by his father's anarchist beliefs and his mother's devout Catholicism. Early exposure to the works of Nietzsche and Machiavelli shaped his intellectual development, although he struggled to find direction in his youth, drifting through various jobs before settling in Switzerland, where he joined a group of revolutionary Italian socialists. His talent for oratory and propaganda writing quickly became evident, leading to a prominent role at the socialist newspaper Avanti! in Milan.
Mussolini's political trajectory took a dramatic turn during World War I when he broke with the Socialist Party to support Italy's involvement in the war, founding the pro-interventionist newspaper Il popolo d'Italia. This period saw the birth of his fascist ideology, culminating in the formation of the National Fascist Party in 1921. Mussolini's adept manipulation of nationalist and anti-establishment sentiments, combined with his use of paramilitary force, facilitated his rise to power as prime minister in 1922, following the March on Rome.
As prime minister, Mussolini centralized control, suppressing dissent through censorship and brutality, yet he maintained a significant level of popularity due to his economic reforms and nationalist rhetoric. His ambitions extended to foreign conquests, notably in Ethiopia and Spain, and he eventually allied with Nazi Germany, adopting anti-Semitic policies and engaging Italy in World War II. This alliance proved disastrous, leading to military defeats and Mussolini's eventual downfall. He was deposed in 1943, and after a brief period as a puppet leader under German control, he was captured and executed by Italian partisans in 1945.
Mussolini's legacy is a complex one, as he was initially admired internationally, including by some American intellectuals who saw him as a symbol of virility and strength, as discussed by John P. Diggins. However, his regime's brutality and the catastrophic consequences of his expansionist policies overshadow any achievements. His personal narratives, while often distorted, remain valuable historical documents, as noted in A review of The Fall of Mussolini: His Own Story. Mussolini's complex personality and political maneuvers continue to be subjects of extensive scholarly analysis, such as in Ciano's Early Diary and Adams, Mussolini, and the Personality of Genius.
Contents
- Principal Works
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Essays
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Who Are the War Criminals?
(summary)
In the following review of The Trial of Mussolini, which was originally published in the London Tribune, Orwell argues against both the sense and the effectiveness of a war crimes trial for Mussolini, noting that before the advent of World War II, the dictator received support from other European leaders.
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How Mussolini Fell
(summary)
In the following essay, Saporiti details Mussolini's last days of power.
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A review of The Fall of Mussolini: His Own Story
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In the following review of The Fall of Mussolini: His Own Story by Benito Mussolini, Albrecht-Carrié considers the volume a “distorted” account of the events surrounding Mussolini's last days in power but valuable nonetheless for posterity.
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The English Historical Review (essay
date 1951)
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Benito Mussolini: Memoirs 1942-1943
(summary)
In the following review of Benito Mussolini: Memoirs 1942-1943, the anonymous critic considers the memoirs biographically and politically significant but otherwise lacking in substance.
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Benito Mussolini: Memoirs 1942-1943
(summary)
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Times Literary Supplement (essay
date 1962)
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Duce and Führer
(summary)
In the following review of The Brutal Friendship: Mussolini, Hitler, and the Fall of Italian Fascism, the anonymous critic calls the book 'enthralling reading.' Mr. Deakin's The Brutal Friendship is above all a book for specialists and must be judged as such; within the stern limits he has set himself it is a very fine piece of writing and for the specialist it makes enthralling reading. As Mr. Deakin explains, the book grew out of a study of the events leading to the meeting of the Fascist Grand Council on July 24, 1943, and its theme is essentially that of the decline and fall of Mussolini; Hitler is there rather as Mussolini's love-hate nightmare: when he woke from it both their lives ended.
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Duce and Führer
(summary)
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Ciano's Early Diary
(summary)
In the following essay, Namier examines Mussolini and his regime using the diary of his foreign minister and son-in-law, Galeazzo Ciano.
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The American Writer, Fascism and the Liberation of Italy
(summary)
In the following essay, Diggins explains the varied reactions of American literary intellectuals—including Henry Miller, John Horne Burns, Sinclair Lewis, and Ernest Hemingway—to Italian fascism and Mussolini, noting that few American writers managed to rise above “narcissistic nationalism” when dealing with the issue in their works.
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Mussolini as American Hero
(summary)
In the following essay, Diggins explores Mussolini's appeal to Americans as a signifier of heroic redemption.
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The Not-So-Great Dictator
(summary)
In the following review of Mussolini: An Intimate Biography by His Widow, Barzini describes conditions in Italy that led to Mussolini's rise to power and many personal and character traits that may have led to his fall.
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Understanding Pound's Changing Views on Mussolini and Italian Fascism
(summary)
In the following essay, Dasenbrock chooses the middle section of Ezra Pound's Cantos as the basis to understanding Pound's changing views on Mussolini and Italian fascism during the 1930s. Dasenbrock argues that while Pound believed that both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were to be equated politically with Mussolini, he also recognized the polarity of the two early American politicians, and his shift from Jeffersonian ideology to that of Adams, as seen in the Cantos, represents his changing thoughts regarding Mussolini's political doctrine.
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Reading Pound's Politics: Ulysses as Fascist Hero
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In the following essay, Sicari examines Ezra Pound's Cantos written before the fall of Mussolini and Italian fascism to find evidence of Pound's conception of the prototypical fascist hero.
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Adams, Mussolini, and the Personality of Genius
(summary)
In the following essay, Cody suggests that the attraction of Mussolini was related to the notion of “personality” advanced by the German Romantics, which sought to distinguish itself from both the bourgeoisie and the aristocracy by its tenet of inborn—rather than inherited or gained—superiority.
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Ezra Pound, the Last Ghibelline
(summary)
In the following essay, Dasenbrock argues that Ezra Pound's devotion to Mussolini must be understood within the context of Pound's reading and understanding of the political writings of the late-medieval Italian poet Dante Alighieri, particularly in light of Dante's idealization of King Henry VII as a God figure, which may have influenced Pound's perception of Mussolini.
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Who Are the War Criminals?
(summary)
- Further Reading