I did some reading on the early career of Benito Mussolini. Specifically, I did reading on the period of his metamorphosis from hard leftwing socialist to reactionary socialist. After all, Mussolini was Hitler's main ally in Europe: the Rome Berlin Axis.
What did I learn? Benito Mussolini had a huge ego problem. His father Alessandro Mussolini had been a militant socialist in the Romagna area of Central Italy. There were numerous Socialists there. It was only natural that Benito Mussolini would one himself.
Moreover, he came from an extremely poor background. Even as an adult he was often penniless. He lived with his wife Rachel in a rundown apartment.
He had a strong desire to rule over other people and wanted to acquire nationwide political power in Italy.
Aside from his ego problem, Mussolini was a blatant opportunist. Every major decision that he made resulted from his weighing the costs and benefits of staying put on an issue versus reversing himself. Moreover, he had absolutely no respect for the masses.
Let's take for example, the biggest decision he made that prompted his being expelled from the Socialist Party:
He had championed a major Socialist civil cause in Italy and the Socialist Party then awarded him with the editorship of Socialist Party newspaper Avanti. For a long while, he expanded the circulation of that newspaper greatly and brought in converts to the Italian Socialist bandwagon.
Moreover, while he had been a hard left wing Socialist agitator he had been in trouble with the law to the point of being arrested and convicted of being a misfit and causing trouble. So Mussolini, when he reached the rewarded position of managing editor of Avanti, was a tried and true Socialist.
Then came World War I and at first he opposed Italy's entry into that war - with passion. He grew in popularity among his fellow Socialists. Then what happened?
He switched sides. He published an editorial that favored Italy's entry into the First World War. So then, why the turnaround?
He decided that he would be left behind in Italian politics if he maintained his antiwar position. He understood that the trend in favor of Italy entering the war on the Allied side was gaining traction. So he abandoned his original position and shocked the Socialists.
Moreover, he had another newspaper that also championed the entry into the war. When fellow Socialists found out that Mussolini's name was on the masthead of this other newspaper, Populo di Italia, he was not only sacked from Avanti, but he was also expelled outright from being having been a member of the Italian Socialist Party.
Then he also volunteered to enlist at the rank of private in the Italian Army fighting in the Alps against the Austrians whom he greatly hated. On account of his journalistic experience and from having been an editor, Mussolini was in a position to select a more prestigious Army commission.
But no, he chose to serve as a mere infantryman. And he apparently suffered a major wound when a mortar he was loading, exploded and seriously wounded him. According to the story, he required numerous operations. He was honorably discharged.
Upon discharge, he returned to Milan where he now could return to working on Populo de Italia. What transpired now was a major rift with Italy's wartime allies, Great Britain and France. Italy's Prime Minister at the end of World War I, had signed a secret treaty in London, as a condition for entering Italy into the war, that Italy would be rewarded with territories to be added.
Upon the end of the war, the Allies reneged on their promise on account of President Wilson's leadership to give Italy her just reward. The Italian nation was already in debt and politically, this turn of events put the Italian government in deep trouble with the population.
So, now Mussolini begins to see that events in Italy were getting worse and this situation presented him with an opportunity. He began to agitate for those territories. He also began to associate with Italian politicians who now were also sounding off. Next, the population was going left in a big way. There would now be strikes. There would be great disorder throughout.
Mussolini now began to court businesses to back him financially as he now would advocate for their interests, especially since he was once a major leftist in Italian politics. They began to subsidize him. He also began agitating for war veterans to join him. A new movement was created: fascism. There would now be a Fascist Party as well.
Thus, from what I read, Mussolini's entire career from left to then right was all based on what he thought would be opportunity for him to rise politically. What side was Mussolini? He was on his own side, looking out for Number One: himself. Mussolini, according to the S. William Halperin, had believed in Socialism as his political creed but when it became expedient to dump it, he dumped it.
Moreover, according to the book by Robert Leckie, Mussolini used his fascist goon squads to crack the heads of Socialists and hounded them mercilessly. The very same party he had been part of and joined to the hip of, when he decided to go right, he had that party's leaders and members beaten to the pulp. So, it can be said that Mussolini was really just an opportunist testing to see what direction the winds blew toward, and acted accordingly.
S. William Halperin, Mussolini and Italian Fascism, (Princeton, NJ, D Van Nostrand Company, Inc., 1964).
Robert Leckie, Delivered From Evil: The Saga of World War II, (New York, Harper & Row Publishers, 1987).
What did I learn? Benito Mussolini had a huge ego problem. His father Alessandro Mussolini had been a militant socialist in the Romagna area of Central Italy. There were numerous Socialists there. It was only natural that Benito Mussolini would one himself.
Moreover, he came from an extremely poor background. Even as an adult he was often penniless. He lived with his wife Rachel in a rundown apartment.
He had a strong desire to rule over other people and wanted to acquire nationwide political power in Italy.
Aside from his ego problem, Mussolini was a blatant opportunist. Every major decision that he made resulted from his weighing the costs and benefits of staying put on an issue versus reversing himself. Moreover, he had absolutely no respect for the masses.
Let's take for example, the biggest decision he made that prompted his being expelled from the Socialist Party:
He had championed a major Socialist civil cause in Italy and the Socialist Party then awarded him with the editorship of Socialist Party newspaper Avanti. For a long while, he expanded the circulation of that newspaper greatly and brought in converts to the Italian Socialist bandwagon.
Moreover, while he had been a hard left wing Socialist agitator he had been in trouble with the law to the point of being arrested and convicted of being a misfit and causing trouble. So Mussolini, when he reached the rewarded position of managing editor of Avanti, was a tried and true Socialist.
Then came World War I and at first he opposed Italy's entry into that war - with passion. He grew in popularity among his fellow Socialists. Then what happened?
He switched sides. He published an editorial that favored Italy's entry into the First World War. So then, why the turnaround?
He decided that he would be left behind in Italian politics if he maintained his antiwar position. He understood that the trend in favor of Italy entering the war on the Allied side was gaining traction. So he abandoned his original position and shocked the Socialists.
Moreover, he had another newspaper that also championed the entry into the war. When fellow Socialists found out that Mussolini's name was on the masthead of this other newspaper, Populo di Italia, he was not only sacked from Avanti, but he was also expelled outright from being having been a member of the Italian Socialist Party.
Then he also volunteered to enlist at the rank of private in the Italian Army fighting in the Alps against the Austrians whom he greatly hated. On account of his journalistic experience and from having been an editor, Mussolini was in a position to select a more prestigious Army commission.
But no, he chose to serve as a mere infantryman. And he apparently suffered a major wound when a mortar he was loading, exploded and seriously wounded him. According to the story, he required numerous operations. He was honorably discharged.
Upon discharge, he returned to Milan where he now could return to working on Populo de Italia. What transpired now was a major rift with Italy's wartime allies, Great Britain and France. Italy's Prime Minister at the end of World War I, had signed a secret treaty in London, as a condition for entering Italy into the war, that Italy would be rewarded with territories to be added.
Upon the end of the war, the Allies reneged on their promise on account of President Wilson's leadership to give Italy her just reward. The Italian nation was already in debt and politically, this turn of events put the Italian government in deep trouble with the population.
So, now Mussolini begins to see that events in Italy were getting worse and this situation presented him with an opportunity. He began to agitate for those territories. He also began to associate with Italian politicians who now were also sounding off. Next, the population was going left in a big way. There would now be strikes. There would be great disorder throughout.
Mussolini now began to court businesses to back him financially as he now would advocate for their interests, especially since he was once a major leftist in Italian politics. They began to subsidize him. He also began agitating for war veterans to join him. A new movement was created: fascism. There would now be a Fascist Party as well.
Thus, from what I read, Mussolini's entire career from left to then right was all based on what he thought would be opportunity for him to rise politically. What side was Mussolini? He was on his own side, looking out for Number One: himself. Mussolini, according to the S. William Halperin, had believed in Socialism as his political creed but when it became expedient to dump it, he dumped it.
Moreover, according to the book by Robert Leckie, Mussolini used his fascist goon squads to crack the heads of Socialists and hounded them mercilessly. The very same party he had been part of and joined to the hip of, when he decided to go right, he had that party's leaders and members beaten to the pulp. So, it can be said that Mussolini was really just an opportunist testing to see what direction the winds blew toward, and acted accordingly.
REFERENCES
S. William Halperin, Mussolini and Italian Fascism, (Princeton, NJ, D Van Nostrand Company, Inc., 1964).
Robert Leckie, Delivered From Evil: The Saga of World War II, (New York, Harper & Row Publishers, 1987).
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