Benito Mussolini: The Brutal Dictator Who Created Fascism

From schoolyard bully to violent authoritarian, Mussolini rose to power through brute force and ruled with an iron fist

Benito Mussolini looking over a crowd of Italian Blackshirts with his hands on his hips. (Source: Licensed by author via Alamy)

“We do not argue with those who disagree with us, we destroy them.” — Benito Mussolini

Just off the shore of the Mediterranean Sea among the lush rolling hills of Naples, Italy, the earth rumbles under the boots of 40,000 Italian Fascists as they roar, “Rome! Rome! Rome!”

With his chin high and his chest puffed, a dictator-to-be scans over the crowd as they prepare to march on Rome and overthrow the Italian government. On October 28, 1928, they did just that, and the era of Italian Fascism was born.

Benito Mussolini was a ruthless authoritarian with a propensity for violence and a thirst for power. He had an uncanny ability to enamor a vulnerable nation and a dedication to seize power by force — a disastrous combination. From a schoolyard bully to a ruthless dictator, Mussolini ultimately met a demise befitting of a life of such egregious sin. But his legacy didn’t end there.

THE PARENTS OF A DICTATOR