The exact story of Mussolinis death seems to be blurry. Mussolini sold the invasion to the Italian people as a method to get jobs to Rather than Fascism, its probably better to think of Italy in those days as being under the rule of mussolinismo: Mussolini-ism.. These have included Luigi Longo and Sandro Pertini who subsequently became general secretary of the Italian Communist Party and President of Italy respectively. His bald head, deeply set jaw, and piercing brown eyes gave him away. Il Duces days had been numbered. Eventually, in 1957, his remains were allowed to be interred in the Mussolini family crypt in his home town of Predappio. "John" took me outside and told me his orders were to eliminate them both, because Petacci knew many things. Still, he voraciously read the works of great European philosophers like Immanuel Kant, Georges Sorel, Benedict de Spinoza, Peter Kropotkin, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Karl Marx. The night after Benito Mussolinis death, a cargo truck roared into Milans Square of the Fifteen Martyrs. There were differences in Lampredi's account and that of Audisio. Mussolini had been Italy's fascist leader since 1922, first as prime minister and, following his seizure of dictatorial powers in 1925, with the title Il Duce. A third son, Bruno, was killed in an air accident while flying a Piaggio The Allied victory against the Axis was a long journeyone that actually took much longer than the war itself. The death of Benito Mussolini in Lombardy. [76] The discrepancies and obvious exaggerations, coupled with the belief that the Communist Party had selected him to claim responsibility for their own political purposes, led some in Italy to believe that his story was wholly or largely untrue.[76]. [29] Longo subsequently gave a different story: he said that when he and Fermo Solari[it], a member of the Action Party (which was part of the CLNAI), heard the news of Mussolini's capture they immediately agreed that he should be summarily executed and Longo gave the order for it to be carried out. The next day, their captors brought the pair to the small town of Giulino de Mezzegra on the shores of Lake Como and executed them in a hail of machine gun fire. KOMPAS.com - Benito Mussolini adalah seorang politisi yang dikenal sebagai diktator fasis Italia antara 1925-1945. Benito Mussolini was the less dominant half of the Rome-Berlin axis, formalized by the 1939 Pact of Steel between Adolf Hitler and himself. [75] However, within Italy, the subject has been a matter of extensive debate and dispute since the late 1940s to the present and a variety of theories of how Mussolini died has proliferated. At noon, given a lunch of polenta in their upstairs bedroom, Mussolini told Petacci that he had lost his appetite; suspense over their fate was getting to him. He was expelled and sent to the Giosu Carducci School at Forlimpopoli, from which he was also expelled after assaulting yet another pupil with his penknife. In the aftermath of the Battle of Kasserine Pass, US II Corps passed to the command of General Harold Alexanders 18th Army Group. [81][82] Proponents of this theory have included historians such as Renzo De Felice[83] and Pierre Milza[84] and journalists including Peter Tompkins[82] and Luciano Garibaldi[it];[85] however, the theory has been dismissed by many.[81][82][83]. Mussolinis politics took a turn to the right midway through World War I, when he became a proponent for the war effort. A strongman who had seized power in Italy in 1922, then in the midst of its post-World War I troubles, he had restored order, ended partisan squabbling, and built Italy up into a respected military power. Wikimedia CommonsA macabre autopsy photo of Benito Mussolini and his mistress in a Milan morgue. [26], Fighting was still going on in the area around Dongo. He was wrong. Whatever the case, his family was told that he died in the war. He needed more than just fiery speeches and violent rhetoric. A Tale of Two Lebanons: Stuck Between Hezbollah and a Republic. Much has been made in the historical record of the capture of the Ludendorff Bridge over the Rhine River at Remagen, Germany in early March of 1945. This was taken after the mob desecrated their bodies. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Repeatedly, he called for a day of vengeance. [53] After a while, the bodies were hung by their feet from the metal girder framework of a half-built Standard Oil service station. As for Benito Mussolinis death, that story wasnt over yet. Without Hitlers military intervention, a coup surely would have toppled Mussolini in 1941. The Italian masses greeted Mussolini's death without regret. [29], A senior communist in Milan, Luigi Longo, said that the order came from the General Command of the partisan military units "in application of a CLNAI decision". World War II broke out between Germany and the rest of Europe later that year, but Italyits resources already stretched thin by preexisting economic issues and Mussolinis Ethiopian conquest in 1935was hesitant to join. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Then, they took to beating and kicking it. That connection was not lost on the residents of Milan, who then took out 20 years of frustration and fury on the corpses. He obtained a teaching diploma and for a time worked as a schoolmaster but soon realized that he was totally unsuited for such work. It was alongside his longtime mistress, Clara Petacci, that he died, however. [69][70], The authorities then arranged for the body to be hidden at a Capuchin monastery in the small town of Cerro Maggiore where it remained for the next eleven years. The man who had once strutted across the world stage now dangling by his heels, next to his mistress. If they couldn't, they submitted to binding government arbitration. [35][40][41] Audisio then shot them at 4:10p.m. with a submachine gun borrowed from Moretti, his own gun having jammed. After the defeat of the Italian Army in Russia, Mussolini was removed as head of state and imprisoned. A fitting end to a wretched life, the New York Times declared, and there were few, either inside or outside of Italy, who disagreed. [35][39][42] The stagnant economy received a great deal of attention, with a number of well-publicized public works projects to create jobs, including a huge effort to drain the Pontine Marshes outside of Rome. Four bullets near the heart were given as the cause of death. In this case, its hard to argue with the New York Times: a fitting end to a wretched life.. [60] However, Hugh Trevor-Roper believed that this was improbable as it was unlikely that the details would have been reported to Hitler and, in any event, he had already decided on his course of action. [35][37] In the afternoon, he, with other partisans, including Aldo Lampredi and Michele Moretti, drove to the De Maria family's farmhouse to collect Mussolini and Petacci. [81][88] Commenting on the RAI television documentary in 2004, Christopher Woods, researcher for the official history of the SOE, dismissed these claims saying that "it's just love of conspiracy-making". [46][note 4], During his dictatorship, representations of Mussolini's bodyfor example pictures of him engaged in physical labour either bare-chested or half-nakedformed a central part of fascist propaganda. It is unclear whether his objective was to attempt to cross the Swiss border or to go to the Valtellina; if it were the latter, he left the city without the thousands of supporters gathered in Milan intended to be his escort to the last stand in the Alps. Financed by the French government and Italian industrialists, both of whom favoured war against Austria, he assumed the editorship of Il Popolo dItalia (The People of Italy), in which he unequivocally stated his new philosophy: From today onward we are all Italians and nothing but Italians. Additionally, it was better placed for an escape to the Swiss border. The Fhrer convinced Il Duce to set up a Fascist state in northern Italy where it all began with Milan as its headquarters. It is said that the correspondence included offers from Churchill of peace and territorial concessions in exchange for Mussolini persuading Hitler to join the western Allies in an alliance against the Soviet Union. Duce! once upon a time, perhaps not so long ago. Unlike traditional dictatorships, which demanded passive obedience, Mussolinis total state demanded constant involvement, even enthusiasm, for the regime. Swayed by Karl Marxs aphorism that social revolution usually follows war and persuaded that the defeat of France would be a deathblow to liberty in Europe, he began writing articles and making speeches as violently in favour of war as those in which he previously had condemned it. These groups began waging campaigns of terrorism and intimidation against Italys leftist institutions at his behest. In Audisio's account, Mussolini said nothing immediately prior to or during the execution. Benito Mussolini was the creator of fascism. In June 1940, with German armies running riot all over Europe, the Duce decided to strike. By 1925 Mussolini had dismantled Italys democratic institutions and assumed his role as dictator, adopting the title Il Duce (The Leader). After World War I he began organizing fasci di combattimentonationalist paramilitary forces known for wearing black shirts. One battleship was sunk and two more disabled, neutralizing the Italian surface navy for the rest of the war. The list of those who wrecked their homeland is shorter. Bellini delle Stelle said he challenged Audisio as to why Petacci should be executed. They surrendered their liberty in return for the appearance of stability and order. In 1922 Mussolini and other fascist leaders organized a march on Rome with the intention of forcing the king to yield the government to Mussolini. However, to reflect this lack of governmental or judicial authority, sources on the subject have used the term with quotation marks. One version of the subsequent report indicated that he had been shot with nine bullets, while another version specified seven bullets. He called himself the Duce, from the old Latin word dux (chief or boss). Some historians believe that what happened to Mussolini was a factor in Hitler's decision to take his own life and have his body burned. Faces of European History: Fact or Fiction? Undoubtedly, however, the German military was bigger, better equipped, and had better leaders. Benito Mussolini lies dead in Milans Piazza Loroto with his mistress, Clara Petacci. [82], The theory has been criticised for lacking any serious evidence, particularly on the existence of the correspondence with Churchill. The convoy included a number of other Italian fascist leaders. His new location would put him in closer proximity to the Archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Schuster, whom he hoped to use as an intermediary to negotiate with the Allies and the partisans. When he returned to Italy in 1904, even the Roman newspapers had started to mention his name. [63] In accordance with Hitler's prior instructions, his body was immediately burned with petrol, leaving virtually no remains.[64]. The Republic was also a shrinking asset, as the grinding Allied march northwards steadily reduced its influence and the territory it controlled. Learn about Benito Mussolini, his rise to power, and role in World War II. The treaty that Hitler hated even more than the Treaty of Versailles and one of the most important treaties you have probably never heard of. Lampredi said that Mussolini's last words were "aim at my heart". And by the mid-1930s, he began truly looking to assert his power beyond Italys borders. [78][79][80], There have been several claims that Britain's wartime covert operations unit, the Special Operations Executive (SOE), was responsible for Mussolini's death, and that it may have even been ordered by the British prime minister, Winston Churchill. [89][90] The first to put this forward was Franco Bandini in 1978. In any event, on 27 April, he joined a Luftwaffe column travelling in convoy and retreating northwards to Germany.[22]. When Benito Mussolini, the tyrannical ruler of Fascist Italy before and during World War II, was executed on April 28, 1945, it was only the beginning. Finally, in December, a British force under General Richard OConnor attacked Graziani at Sidi Barrani. [20][86] Journalist Peter Tompkins claimed to have established that "John" was Robert Maccarrone, a British SOE agent who had Sicilian ancestry. Benito Mussolini took control of Italy thanks to the pen just as much as the sword. WebMussolini was survived by his wife, Rachele Mussolini, two sons, Vittorio and Romano Mussolini, and his daughters Edda (the widow of Count Ciano) and Anna Maria. In 1935, Mussolini used a border dispute between Abyssinia and neighboring Somaliland as a public excuse to invade the country. [40] The vehicle pulled up at the entrance of the Villa Belmonte on a narrow road known as via XXIV maggio and Mussolini and Petacci were told to get out and stand by the villa's wall. Wikimedia CommonsThe farmhouse in northern Italy where Benito Mussolini would be last seen alive. Mussolini returned triumphantly and kept suppressing his opposition. WebBenito Mussolini , , Politiker, Italien, 1925-1943/45 Diktator Italiens, Die Leichen Mussolinis und seiner letzten, Begleiter auf dem Piazzale Loreto View of the cenotaph of Arnaldo and Sandro Mussolini, in which it is believed the coffin with the remains of He was still 80 miles away from the main British position at Mersa Matruh! One woman felt Il Duce wasnt dead enough. In it, Lampredi confirmed the key facts of Audisio's story but without the embellishments. As an adult, Benito Mussolini would have two wives and many mistresses. Virtually every land on earth has a creator figure, a father of his country: Charlemagne for the French, Peter the Great for the Russians, George Washington for the Americans. But the location wasnt a secret for too long. Italian partisans took his body to Milan and exposed it before an angry crowd. Two Franciscan friars were charged with assisting Leccisi to hide the body. The opposition then kept him locked away in a remote hotel in the mountains of Abruzzi. A mixed force of SS and paratroopers under Otto Skorzeny carried out a high-risk glider raid, overcame Mussolinis guards, and spirited him off the mountain. [note 5] The tomb is decorated with fascist symbols and contains a large marble head of Mussolini. Well, it didnt quite work out that way, as everyone knows. Throughout the 1920s, Mussolini remade Italy in his image. Whatever you call him, Mussolini cut an incredible public figure in the 1930s: strutting on the balcony of the Palazzo Venezia in comic opera style in front of 100,000s of people chanting Duce! But just like that, Mussolinis violent life had come to a violent end. Another few miles and Mussolini would have been free. 945 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 I read utter exhaustion, but not fear Mussolini seemed completely lacking in will, spiritually dead. Mussolini had promised his people Roman glory, but his megalomania had overcome his common sense, [30], Although several conflicting versions and theories of how Mussolini and Petacci died were put forward after the war, the account of Walter Audisio, or at least its essential components, remains the most credible and is sometimes referred to in Italy as the "official" version. WebThe death of Benito Mussolini on April 28, 1945 was characterized A fitting end to a wretched life, by The New York Times. Claras brother, Marcello Petacci, was also shot dead while swimming in Lake Como, trying to escape. Now that steel has met steel, one single cry comes from our heartsViva lItalia! [21], By some accounts, on 26 April, Mussolini, now joined by his mistress Claretta Petacci, made several failed attempts to cross the border into Switzerland. Robert Citino, PhD, is the Samuel Zemurray Stone Senior Historian in the Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy. The tribunal condemned Mussolini and Petacci to death. Hed declared war against the rest of the world with only Germany to back him up. Upon Mussolinis death, the final words he uttered were No! On Easter Sunday 1946, Mussolini's body was located and dug up by a young fascist, Domenico Leccisi, and two friends. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. German troops worked alongside the blackshirts to maintain order. The Frenchdisintegrating all over the mapstopped the Italians cold. A group of local communist partisans led by Pier Luigi Bellini delle Stelle. WebBenito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was born on 29 July 1883 in Predappio in northern central Italy. Mussolini was the first child of the local blacksmith. [13][20] At 8p.m. he headed north toward Lake Como. At 3:00 am, the corpses were dumped on the ground in the old Piazzale Loreto. By May of 1936, the capital city of Addis Ababa fell to the Italian army, which forced emperor Haile Selassie I into a forced exile (via Britannica).). His neighbors, even Great Powers like France and Britain, took both Mussolinis new force and his constant warlike posturing very seriously, indeed. In the afternoon of 25 April,[16] Cardinal Schuster hosted peace negotiations at his residence between Mussolini and representatives of the CLNAI, which were unsuccessful. The country was battered, and it was, many thought, all Il Duces fault. The whereabouts of the body was kept a secret, even from Mussolini's family. Members of the Fascist Party tortured anyone with opposing views, deported anyone with a non-Italian name, and maintained an iron grip in the north. She added, it was as if he had turned to stone.