MUSSOLINI'S ASCENT TO POWER IN ITALY

On July 29, 1883, in Predappio Forli, a boy was born who would later become a dictator during the world war two era. When he became of age, Benito Mussolini graduated from the Lausanne University. Later on, he became a socialist. Because of his socialist writings, he was later expelled from Switzerland. He then immigrated to Trent, Austria. He was also expelled from that country because of his political activities. He then returned to Italy and joined the army, he eventually got promoted to the rank of corporal. He was wounded seriously during world war I and, as a result, he was discharged from the army.

After the war, a wave of communism threatened Italy. Mussolini organized a movement to combat them. Thousands of Italians hastened to join. He utilized aggressive dictatorial methods so that Italy could get rid of them. Within a period of three years, he practically destroyed the bad influence of that movement in Italy. He was now considered the top leading man in the Italian Kingdom that was populated by 40 million citizens.

In 1922, with 100 000 Fascists, Mussolini marched on Rome and seized power from the Italian government. The government soon yielded. The head of the Italian government, King Emmanuel, asked him to become the Premier of Italy. The world was soon to learn that he had become Italy's dictator. He began forming a new government, censuring the press and chasing all of his political opponents into exile.

For reasons which only he knew, probably because of his arrogance, he insisted that the Italian railroad run on schedule which is almost an impossibility in such a mountainous country.

Benito's black shirts terrorized the people, burned printing presses, killing some of the Italian government's political opposition members. It was then that he decided that he must become more popular with his own people so he shaved his head claiming that it made him look younger and more virile. One day, he discovered that his fascists had killed an outspoken member of the opposition party so he orders an investigation into the matter. The fascists who were found guilty were executed so that he could create a better image for himself and for his political party.

During October of 1926, in Bologna, he is hailed as a saviour by his people. However, someone tries to kill him while he is travelling in a motorcade. As a result he was sporting a bullet hole in his jacket. Hungry for power, he often contemplated Caesar's statue. His dream was to rebuild the ancient Roman Empire. It was at that point in time that he abolished all opposition political parties in Italy.

In 1929, the printing presses in Rome were printing messages of peace saying that Mussolini had brought good times to Italy. In order to rebuild his public image, he had a new road built. Everyone, including King Emmanuel, criticized the project.

It was at that time that his daughter, Aida, fell in love with a man who was of Jewish descent. An infuriated Mussolini took away her car to insure that she does not see him anymore. The boy's family also rejects her because she is non-Jewish. As a result, the friendship is broken. However, Aida finds a new boyfriend and they eventually get married.

In February 1929, Mussolini decides to restore to the Vatican what the Italian government had previously taken away from it. He said that by his action he has made peace with the Holy Father. He then accepts to be interviewed by a correspondent from the London Herald, a Miss Thompson. However, he disliked the interview from the very beginning. So, he rapes her in his very own office. Her cries for help go unanswered by Mussolini's own special guards posted outside of his door. Immediately following that incident, his daughter Aida gets permission from her father to marry her boyfriend Galatio. A big marriage ceremony was eventually performed.

In 1934, in Rome, it is veterans day. Mussolini begins to build his empire which he labels as the new Roman Empire. His conquests of Africa have already begun. His two sons join the air force making their father, a family man, very proud of them. All Italian children were decreed to be ' The Sons of the Wolf'. Mussolini's two sons eventually receive their pilots wings, the proud Mussolini personally presents the symbolic wings to them. It is at this point in time that Aida finds out that her husband is no longer faithful to her, he surrounds himself with a variety of women.

Hitler had been elected as the Chancellor of Germany and he let it be known that he wanted to meet with the Italian premier. On June 14, 1934, Hitler goes to Italy to meet its leader who has also become a dictator. He is told by Mussolini to stay away from Austria. Then Mussolini, sensing that he has to prove himself to his friend Hitler, attacks and conquers Abissibia. Some time later, in March 1935, Mussolini's youngest favourite son announced that he planned to marry.

Very proud of his own achievements and those of his sons, he addressed the black shirts and tells them that Italy has its Empire. Following that incident, his youngest son gets killed while test-flying a new aircraft, it had faulty engines. Mussolini, a family man, buries his favourite son with much grief. Following that unfortunate episode, he signed a friendship pact with Hitler. He then decides to go to war again. He made the statement that he was a Saviour for the Italian people. His arrogance also drives him towards passionate sexual conquest with a variety of women whom he encountered almost daily.

In September of 1937, Mussolini meets with Hitler once again. He referred to him as a friend. He then chooses his eldest remaining son to liaison with him. It was at this point in time that Mussolini's black shirts began terrorizing the Italian people of Jewish descent, in the same way as Hitler did with the European descent Jews. King Emmanuel of Italy finds it hard to accept the new edict against all Jews but the weak King signs the edict anyway.

Mussolini's reputation worsened because of his various conquests of other lands and of many women whom he was constantly chasing. The Italian people begin to resent him and his new edict against all Italian Jews who were friends of the Italian population. They may have belonged to the Jewish religion but they were Italians, many of them had been born in Italy.

Hitler began his European conquests by invading Austria. Mussolini pleads with him, asking him not to invade Czechoslovakia. Hitler promised both Mussolini and England's prime minister Chamberlain that he would not invade Czechoslovakia. Then, he changes his mind and invaded that land regardless of the promise he had previously made. Italy's dictator now tells the Italian people that his pact with Germany has brought them peace. Germany's dictator then invades Poland, making the Italian premier unhappy as he was not able to do so himself because he did not have the necessary manpower and resources.

In May 1940, Italy's dictator declared publicly, "I will make war on England." However, his army generals attempted to tell him that Italy was not ready to go to war against major world powers. He refused to listen to any sound reasoning whatsoever. In his madness for more power, he declared war on England and France. He then calls on all Italian citizens to rush to arms. He told them that the earth would once again tremble under the marching of the powerful Roman Legions.

Power hungry, Mussolini later declared his intentions to invade Greece. However, Hitler told him to desist. He told him that the Greek armed forces were much too strong for him. It would be a suicidal mission for him to attack Greece. The Italian dictator refused to listen to Hitler, he attacks Greece and loses the battle. His army was practically annihilated by the much stronger Greek armed forces who fought against the Italians tenaciously and with great ferocity.

Hitler came to the rescue, he saved the battle by attacking Greece through Bulgaria. The Italian dictator lost all prestige that he may have had previously, his supposedly new Roman Empire began to crumble. The Italian people were beginning to rebel because of a shortage of food that was felt throughout all of Italy.

In 1942, the British were sinking all of Italy`s merchant ships, Italy was without coal. An Italian red cross ship is mistaken for a merchant vessel and is sunk by the allies during the night. Mussolini's daughter was on board the vessel as a red cross nurse. On the following day, she was found alive and well amongst other survivors.

Hitler begins his invasion of Russia, his friend Mussolini meets him on the Russian front. In 1943, the tide of battle was changing, the Russians began receiving war material from her western allies through the back door. They were beginning to get the upper hand in their fight against the Germans. Hitler had made the same mistake as Napoleon, he was beginning to lose the battle against Russia. The Italians, having great hopes in their leader, lost 100 000 men on the Russian front, causing the axis power to collapse. Many of the Italian people were now trying to overthrow their leader, they were also attempting to make peace with the allies who had already landed on the shores of Sicily.

It was at that time that an overwhelming majority of the Grand Council of Italy asked Mussolini to resign, the war leader refused. The King of Italy took action, he had him arrested and put in protective custody in the mountains of Italy. His mistress, Claretta, was also arrested and went into exile with him. The people of Italy finally realized that they had put their hopes in the wrong man who gave them nothing but war and all of the miseries that it brought. They began to hate their premier who had become a warmonger.

Hitler, having learned about Mussolini's arrest, sent some of his soldiers into the mountains of Italy to rescue him and to take over the defence of Italy. Hitler's soldiers found Mussolini who had been hiding in the Appenian mountains. Hitler sets him up as the leader of a puppet government in exile. The Italian dictator then goes to Germany to speak privately with Hitler. He was told by Hitler himself what was expected of him. Hitler told him that he wanted Gallatio, his son in law, to be executed because he considered him a traitor to their cause. Upon his return to Italy, he had Gallatio executed.

By September of 1943, Hitler has saved all the members of his Italian friend's family from certain death. Duce is now set up in his new headquarters at lake Garda in Italy. It was at that point in time that he ordered all the members of the Grand Council executed because they had voted against him in parliament. Aida, fearing for her own life and that of her children, escaped to Switzerland. She was the last member of her family to be accepted by the Swiss government.

In July 1944, the Allied armies of the west liberated Rome. From the depths of his bunker in Berlin, Hitler communicated with Mussolini who was in hiding at lake Garda in the Italian Alps. He tells him that he will not leave his bunker because Russian troops were already advancing on Berlin. Italy's premier then tells his son Vittorio that all is lost, he must attempt to escape the wrath of the Italian Partisans. He then writes his last letter to his wife saying to her that he has written the last page to the last chapter of his life.

On April 26, 1945, as the Allied armies kept advancing further into Italy, the Italian dictator attempted to flee to Switzerland but was apprehended by the Italian Partisans. Two days later, he and his mistress Claretta were executed. Their bodies were brought to Milan, hung upside down by their feet and abused by the local population. They were later buried together in the pauper's section of the local cemetery.

Another dictator had failed to learn from history and had bitten the dust. What a cost it has been for his own people and for his own country? Italy was never to see the revival of the great Roman Empire, certainly not at the hands of another fanatical dictator such as Mussolini.

PROPHECIES PERTAINING TO MUSSOLINI

Nostradamus has well described some of the very sad events of the second world war. He suggested not only Hitler's ascension to power but also that of Mussolini. He labelled the Italian dictator as the Wolf, the people of Italy had also labelled him as the Wolf. It is definitely a befitting description of Mussolini.

En la cite ou le loup entrera,
Bien pres de la les ennemis seront;
Copie estrange grand pays gastera,
Aux monts et Alpes les amis passeront.
Century 3 quatrain 33

In the city where the wolf shall enter,
Closely by shall the enemies be, (The Germans)
The strangers shall spoil this great country,
Over the mountains, over the Alps shall the friends go over.