Early life Benito Mussolini

1 life

1.1 emigration switzerland , military service
1.2 political journalist, intellectual , socialist
1.3 expulsion italian socialist party
1.4 beginning of fascism , service in world war i

early life

birthplace of benito mussolini in predappio—the building used museum



mussolini s father, alessandro



mussolini s mother, rosa

mussolini born on 29 july 1883 in dovia di predappio, small town in province of forlì in romagna. during fascist era, predappio dubbed duce s town , forlì duce s city . pilgrims went predappio , forlì, see birthplace of mussolini. father, alessandro mussolini, blacksmith , socialist, while mother, rosa (née maltoni), devout catholic schoolteacher. owing father s political leanings, mussolini named benito after mexican leftist president benito juárez, while middle names andrea , amilcare italian socialists andrea costa , amilcare cipriani. benito eldest of parents 3 children. siblings arnaldo , edvige followed.

as young boy, mussolini spend time helping father in smithy. mussolini s political views heavily influenced father idolized 19th-century italian nationalist figures humanist tendencies such carlo pisacane, giuseppe mazzini , giuseppe garibaldi. father s political outlook combined views of anarchist figures carlo cafiero , mikhail bakunin, military authoritarianism of garibaldi, , nationalism of mazzini. in 1902, @ anniversary of garibaldi s death, mussolini made public speech in praise of republican nationalist. conflict between parents religion meant that, unlike italians, mussolini not baptized @ birth , not until later in life. compromise mother, mussolini sent boarding school run salesian monks. after joining new school, mussolini achieved grades, , qualified elementary schoolmaster in 1901.

emigration switzerland , military service

in 1902, mussolini emigrated switzerland, partly avoid military service. worked briefly stonemason in geneva, fribourg , bern, unable find permanent job.

during time studied ideas of philosopher friedrich nietzsche, sociologist vilfredo pareto, , syndicalist georges sorel. mussolini later credited christian socialist charles péguy , syndicalist hubert lagardelle of influences. sorel s emphasis on need overthrowing decadent liberal democracy , capitalism use of violence, direct action, general strike , use of neo-machiavellian appeals emotion, impressed mussolini deeply.

mussolini s booking file following arrest police on 19 june 1903, bern, switzerland

mussolini became active in italian socialist movement in switzerland, working paper l avvenire del lavoratore, organizing meetings, giving speeches workers , serving secretary of italian workers union in lausanne. in 1903, arrested bernese police because of advocacy of violent general strike, spent 2 weeks in jail, deported italy, set free there, , returned switzerland. in 1904, having been arrested again in geneva , expelled falsifying papers, returned lausanne, attended university of lausanne s department of social science, following lessons of vilfredo pareto. in december 1904, returned italy take advantage of amnesty desertion, had been convicted in absentia.

since condition being pardoned serving in army, joined corps of bersaglieri in forlì on 30 december 1904. after serving 2 years in military (from january 1905 until september 1906), returned teaching.

political journalist, intellectual , socialist

in february 1909, mussolini once again left italy, time take job secretary of labor party in italian-speaking city of trento, @ time part of austria-hungary. did office work local socialist party, , edited newspaper l avvenire del lavoratore (the future of worker). returning italy, spent brief time in milan, , in 1910 returned hometown of forlì, edited weekly lotta di classe (the class struggle).

mussolini thought of himself intellectual , considered well-read. read avidly, favorites in european philosophy included sorel, italian futurist filippo tommaso marinetti, french socialist gustave hervé, italian anarchist errico malatesta , german philosophers friedrich engels , karl marx, founders of marxism. mussolini had taught himself french , german , translated excerpts nietzsche, schopenhauer , kant.

during time, published il trentino veduto da un socialista (trentino seen socialist) in radical periodical la voce. wrote several essays german literature, stories, , 1 novel: l amante del cardinale: claudia particella, romanzo storico (the cardinal s mistress). novel co-wrote santi corvaja, , published serial book in trento newspaper il popolo. released in installments 20 january 11 may 1910. novel bitterly anticlerical, , years later withdrawn circulation after mussolini made truce vatican.

by now, 1 of italy s prominent socialists. in september 1911, mussolini participated in riot, led socialists, against italian war in libya. bitterly denounced italy s imperialist war , action earned him five-month jail term. after release helped expel socialist party 2 revisionists had supported war, ivanoe bonomi , leonida bissolati. result, rewarded editorship of socialist party newspaper avanti! under leadership, circulation rose 20,000 100,000. @ time, mussolini familiar marxist literature in own writings not quote well-known marxist works relatively obscure works. during period, mussolini, revolutionaries, considered himself marxist , described marx greatest of theorists of socialism.

in 1913, published giovanni hus, il veridico (jan hus, true prophet), historical , political biography life , mission of czech ecclesiastic reformer jan hus , militant followers, hussites. during socialist period of life, mussolini used pen name vero eretico ( sincere heretic ).

mussolini rejected egalitarianism, core doctrine of socialism. influenced nietszche s anti-christian ideas , negation of god s existence. mussolini felt socialism had faltered, in view of failures of marxist determinism , social democratic reformism, , believed nietzsche s ideas strengthen socialism. while associated socialism, mussolini s writings indicated had abandoned marxism , egalitarianism in favor of nietzsche s übermensch concept , anti-egalitarianism.

expulsion italian socialist party

members of italy s arditi corps in 1918 holding daggers, symbol of group. arditi s black uniform , use of fez adopted mussolini in creation of fascist movement.

with outbreak of world war number of socialist parties supported war when began in august 1914. once war began, austrian, british, french, german, , russian socialists followed rising nationalist current supporting country s intervention in war. outbreak of war had resulted in surge of italian nationalism , war supported variety of political factions. 1 of prominent , popular italian nationalist supporters of war gabriele d annunzio promoted italian irredentism , helped sway italian public support intervention in war. italian liberal party under leadership of paolo boselli promoted intervention in war on side of allies , utilized società dante alighieri promote italian nationalism. italian socialists divided on whether support war or oppose it. prior mussolini taking position on war, number of revolutionary syndicalists had announced support of intervention, including alceste de ambris, filippo corridoni, , angelo oliviero olivetti. italian socialist party decided oppose war after anti-militarist protestors had been killed, resulting in general strike called red week.

mussolini held official support party s decision and, in august 1914 article, mussolini wrote down war. remain neutral. saw war opportunity, both own ambitions of socialists , italians. influenced anti-austrian italian nationalist sentiments, believing war offered italians in austria-hungary chance liberate rule of habsburgs. decided declare support war appealing need socialists overthrow hohenzollern , habsburg monarchies in germany , austria-hungary said had consistently repressed socialism. further justified position denouncing central powers being reactionary powers; pursuing imperialist designs against belgium , serbia historically against denmark, france, , against italians, since hundreds of thousands of italians under habsburg rule. argued fall of hohenzollern , habsburg monarchies , repression of reactionary turkey create conditions beneficial working class. while supportive of entente powers, mussolini responded conservative nature of tsarist russia stating mobilization required war undermine russia s reactionary authoritarianism , war bring russia social revolution. said italy war complete process of risorgimento uniting italians in austria-hungary italy , allowing common people of italy participating members of italian nation in italy s first national war. claimed vast social changes war offer meant should supported revolutionary war.

as mussolini s support intervention solidified, came conflict socialists opposed war. attacked opponents of war , claimed proletarians supported pacifism out of step proletarians had joined rising interventionist vanguard preparing italy revolutionary war. began criticize italian socialist party , socialism having failed recognize national problems had led outbreak of war. expelled party support of intervention.

the following excerpts police report prepared inspector-general of public security in milan, g. gasti, describe background , position on first world war resulted in ousting italian socialist party. inspector general wrote:

professor benito mussolini, ... 38, revolutionary socialist, has police record; elementary school teacher qualified teach in secondary schools; former first secretary of chambers in cesena, forlì, , ravenna; after 1912 editor of newspaper avanti! gave violent suggestive , intransigent orientation. in october 1914, finding himself in opposition directorate of italian socialist party because advocated kind of active neutrality on part of italy in war of nations against party s tendency of absolute neutrality, withdrew on twentieth of month directorate of avanti! on fifteenth of november [1914], thereafter, initiated publication of newspaper il popolo d italia, in supported – in sharp contrast avanti! , amid bitter polemics against newspaper , chief backers – thesis of italian intervention in war against militarism of central empires. reason accused of moral , political unworthiness , party thereupon decided expel him ... thereafter he ... undertook active campaign in behalf of italian intervention, participating in demonstrations in piazzas , writing quite violent articles in popolo d italia ...

in summary, inspector noted:

he ideal editor of avanti! socialists. in line of work esteemed , beloved. of former comrades , admirers still confess there no 1 understood better how interpret spirit of proletariat , there no 1 did not observe apostasy sorrow. came not reasons of self-interest or money. sincere , passionate advocate, first of vigilant , armed neutrality, , later of war; , did not believe compromising personal , political honesty making use of every means – no matter came or wherever might obtain them – pay newspaper, program , line of action. initial line. difficult extent socialist convictions (which never either openly or privately abjure) may have been sacrificed in course of indispensable financial deals necessary continuation of struggle in engaged ... assuming these modifications did take place ... wanted give appearance of still being socialist, , fooled himself thinking case.

beginning of fascism , service in world war i

mussolini italian soldier, 1917

after being ousted italian socialist party support of italian intervention, mussolini made radical transformation, ending support class conflict , joining in support of revolutionary nationalism transcending class lines. formed interventionist newspaper il popolo d italia , fasci rivoluzionari d azione internazionalista ( revolutionary fasci international action ) in october 1914. nationalist support of intervention enabled him raise funds ansaldo (an armaments firm) , other companies create il popolo d italia convince socialists , revolutionaries support war. further funding mussolini s fascists during war came french sources, beginning in may 1915. major source of funding france believed have been french socialists sent support dissident socialists wanted italian intervention on france s side.

on 5 december 1914, mussolini denounced orthodox socialism failing recognize war had made national identity , loyalty more significant class distinction. demonstrated transformation in speech acknowledged nation entity, notion had rejected prior war, saying:

the nation has not disappeared. used believe concept totally without substance. instead see nation arise palpitating reality before us! ... class cannot destroy nation. class reveals collection of interests—but nation history of sentiments, traditions, language, culture, , race. class can become integral part of nation, 1 cannot eclipse other.

the class struggle vain formula, without effect , consequence wherever 1 finds people has not integrated proper linguistic , racial confines—where national problem has not been resolved. in such circumstances class movement finds impaired inauspicious historic climate.

mussolini continued promote need of revolutionary vanguard elite lead society. no longer advocated proletarian vanguard, instead vanguard led dynamic , revolutionary people of social class. though denounced orthodox socialism , class conflict, maintained @ time nationalist socialist , supporter of legacy of nationalist socialists in italy s history, such giuseppe garibaldi, giuseppe mazzini, , carlo pisacane. italian socialist party , support of orthodox socialism, claimed failure member of party revitalize , transform recognize contemporary reality revealed hopelessness of orthodox socialism outdated , failure. perception of failure of orthodox socialism in light of outbreak of world war not solely held mussolini; other pro-interventionist italian socialists such filippo corridoni , sergio panunzio had denounced classical marxism in favor of intervention.

these basic political views , principles formed basis of mussolini s newly formed political movement, fasci rivoluzionari d azione internazionalista in 1914, called fascisti (fascists). @ time, fascists did not have integrated set of policies , movement small, ineffective in attempts hold mass meetings, , regularly harassed government authorities , orthodox socialists. antagonism between interventionists, including fascists, versus anti-interventionist orthodox socialists resulted in violence between fascists , socialists. opposition , attacks anti-interventionist revolutionary socialists against fascists , other interventionists violent democratic socialists opposed war such anna kuliscioff said italian socialist party had gone far in campaign of silencing freedom of speech of supporters of war. these hostilities between fascists , revolutionary socialists shaped mussolini s conception of nature of fascism in support of political violence.

mussolini became ally irredentist politician , journalist cesare battisti and—like him—entered army , served in war. sent zone of operations injured explosion of grenade.

the inspector general continued:

he promoted rank of corporal merit in war . promotion recommended because of exemplary conduct , fighting quality, mental calmness , lack of concern discomfort, zeal , regularity in carrying out assignments, first in every task involving labor , fortitude.

mussolini s military experience told in work diario di guerra. overall, totaled 9 months of active, front-line trench warfare. during time, contracted paratyphoid fever. military exploits ended in 1917 when wounded accidentally explosion of mortar bomb in trench. left @ least 40 shards of metal in body. discharged hospital in august 1917 , resumed editor-in-chief position @ new paper, il popolo d italia. wrote there positive articles czechoslovak legions in italy.

on 25 december 1915, in treviglio, contracted marriage fellow countrywoman rachele guidi, had borne him daughter, edda, @ forlì in 1910. in 1915, had son ida dalser, woman born in sopramonte, village near trento. legally recognized son on 11 january 1916.