Attitude towards Mussolini in Italy. Italian fascism - a creative version of the “third way”

On April 28, 1945, the leader of the Italian fascists Benito Mussolini and his mistress Clara Petacci were shot by Italian partisans.

The main mistake of the Duce

In the last days of the war in Europe, when the world's attention was focused on Berlin, where, together with Adolf Hitler German Nazism was dying in the bunker of the Reich Chancellery, and the Fuhrer’s main ally, the Fuhrer, was somewhat in the shadows. Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini.

If in the second half of April 1945 Hitler was losing the will to live every day, then the Duce made desperate attempts to save himself until the last.

Mussolini's relationship with Hitler was difficult. The head of the Italian fascists seized power in his country in 1922, that is, more than a decade before Hitler came to power in Germany.

However, by the beginning of the 1940s, Mussolini, in the alliance of the two countries, became Hitler’s “junior partner”, forced to build and shape his policy in accordance with the will of Germany.

Mussolini was far from a stupid man. The longer the war went on, the more obvious it became that Italy had made a mistake by firmly tying itself to an alliance with Hitler. More careful Spanish Caudillo Franco, who flirted with the United States and Great Britain, successfully survived World War II and remained in power for another three decades, until his death in 1975.

But Mussolini, stuck in the arms of Hitler, no longer had such an opportunity.

Mussolini and Hitler in 1937. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Hitler puppet

In 1943, after the Allied landing in Sicily, yesterday’s comrades-in-arms of the Duce came to the conclusion that Mussolini needed to be gotten rid of in order to begin negotiations on Italy’s withdrawal from the war. He was deposed and placed under arrest on July 25.

On September 12, 1943, by order of Hitler, German paratroopers under the command Otto Skorzeny Mussolini was kidnapped and taken to Germany.

But the ally who appeared before the Fuhrer bore little resemblance to the Duce of better times. Mussolini complained about his health and spoke of his desire to leave politics. Hitler literally forced the Duce to head the Italian Social Republic, created in northern Italy, which continued the war with the anti-Hitler coalition.

Since 1943, Mussolini actually ceased to be an independent politician. The “Italian Social Republic” was one hundred percent controlled by the Germans, and the Duce became a puppet in their hands.

The only thing his personal will was enough for was to settle scores with traitors from his inner circle, imaginary and real. Even the Duce's son-in-law was among them Galeazzo Ciano, who was sentenced to death and executed.

Mussolini understood the position he was in quite soberly. In 1945 he gave an interview journalist Madeleine Mollier, in which he stated: “Yes, madam, I am finished. My star has fallen. I work and I try, but I know that this is all just a farce... I'm waiting for the end of the tragedy - I don't feel like an actor anymore. I feel like I'm the last one in the audience."

Escape to Switzerland

In mid-April 1945, the Germans no longer cared for the Duce, and he, revived, again tried to take his fate into his own hands. He really didn’t have any great ambitions - Mussolini wanted to escape persecution and save his own life.

For this purpose, he entered into negotiations with representatives of the Italian Resistance movement, but was unable to achieve any guarantees for himself. Mussolini had almost no trump cards left in his hands in order to bargain on equal terms.

After unsuccessful negotiations in Milan, Mussolini and his entourage went to the city of Como, where he settled in the local prefectural building. In Como he met his wife for the last time wife of Raquela Mussolini.

The Duce finally decided to make his way to Italy. On the morning of April 26, having parted with his wife, with a small detachment of people devoted to him, Mussolini moved along Lake Como to the village of Menaggio, from where the road to Switzerland ran.

Not all of his comrades decided to go with the Duce. The fact is that detachments of Italian partisans were actively operating in this area, and a meeting with them threatened quick reprisals.

Mussolini's last mistress joined Mussolini's group Clara Petacci.

From left to right: German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, Reichsleiter Martin Bormann, Reichsmarshal Hermann Goering, Fuhrer Adolf Hitler, Duce Benito Mussolini near A. Hitler’s apartment after the assassination attempt on him on July 20, 1944. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Mussolini's German uniform didn't help

On the night of April 26-27, the Duce met with a detachment of German soldiers consisting of 200 people, who also intended to take refuge in Switzerland. Mussolini and his men joined the Germans.

It seemed that there was very little left to reach the desired goal. But on April 27, the Germans were blocked by a picket of the 52nd Garibaldi partisan brigade, commanded by Count Bellini della Stella. After the ensuing firefight, the commander of the German detachment entered into negotiations.

The partisans put forward a condition - the Germans could move on, the Italian fascists must be extradited.

The Germans did not plan to die for Duce, but they still showed nobility by dressing him in a German uniform and trying to pass him off as one of the soldiers.

The first two inspections of the vehicles by the partisans did not yield anything, but they carried out a third inspection. Apparently, someone gave them information that Mussolini was in the column. As a result, one of the partisans identified him. The Duce was detained.

The partisans did not know Clara Petacci by sight and did not intend to detain her, unlike the Duce. However, the 33-year-old woman, fanatically devoted to the 61-year-old Mussolini, herself declared a desire to share his fate.

Mission of "Colonel Valerio"

Mussolini and his mistress were taken to the village of Dongo, where in the house peasant Giacomo de Maria they spent the last night of their lives.

During these hours, Mussolini's fate was decided. The surviving comrades, having learned about his captivity, were preparing an operation to free him, the command of the Anglo-American troops demanded his extradition... He was ahead of everyone else Walter Audisio, known among Italian partisans as "Colonel Valerio". From the Italian Committee of National Liberation he received a mandate granting emergency powers.

On the afternoon of April 28, he arrived in Dongo with his detachment and took Mussolini along with Petacci from the partisans who had captured them.

Mussolini himself was told by “Colonel Valerio” that he had come to save him. A light of hope lit up in the eyes of the Duce, which, however, soon faded when the partisans rather rudely pushed Mussolini and Petacci into the car.

This journey was not long. The car stopped in the tiny village of Giuliano di Mezgra. A low stone fence stretched along the road, interrupted by an iron gate, behind which one could see an orchard and a large house. The car stopped just in front of the gate.

The fascist leader was shot on the third attempt

“Colonel Valerio” sent two partisans to watch the road so that they would warn if strangers appeared.

Mussolini was ordered to get out of the car and stand between the wall and the goal post. Petacci again voluntarily joined him.

“Colonel Valerio” began to read out the Duce’s death sentence on behalf of the Freedom Volunteer Corps, which united all the main partisan groups in Italy.

Mussolini remained indifferent, but Clara Petacci was distraught with horror. She shouted at the partisans, covered the Duce with her body, literally screaming: “You won’t dare!”

“Colonel Valerio” pointed the machine gun at Mussolini and pulled the trigger, but the weapon misfired. The assistant next to him tried to carry out the sentence with a pistol, but it also misfired.

Then he rushed to the aid of “Colonel Valerio” Michele Moretti- one of the partisans guarding the road. The detachment commander took the machine gun of his subordinate, who did not let him down. Many years later, Moretti even claimed that he personally shot the Duce.

Memorial sign at the site of Mussolini's execution. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Be that as it may, the first bullet went to Clara Petacci, who continued to hug her lover. They did not intend to shoot her, “Colonel Valerio” called her death a tragic accident, however, the partisans did not try to take her away from Mussolini before the execution.

A moment later it was all over, two dead bodies lay against the wall. The execution took place at 16:10 on April 28, 1945.

The whole of Milan mocked the leader's body

The bodies of Mussolini and Petacci were taken to Milan. At the same time, the bodies of five more executed fascists were delivered there.

A huge crowd gathered in the square cursed the dead, they were pelted with stones and various debris.

Mussolini's body was mocked in a particularly sophisticated way - they danced and relieved themselves on it, as a result of which it was disfigured beyond recognition. Then the bodies of the Nazis were thrown into the gutter.

On May 1, 1945, the bodies of Mussolini and Petacci were buried in Milan's Musocco cemetery in an unmarked grave in a poor lot.

Even after this, Mussolini's remains did not find peace. In 1946 they were dug up and stolen by the Nazis, and when they were discovered a few months later, such a serious conflict broke out over where and how to bury him that Mussolini's body remained unburied for another 10 years.

As a result, the remains of Benito Mussolini were buried in the family crypt in his hometown of Predappio.

The tomb of Benito Mussolini in the family crypt in the cemetery in Predappio. Photo:

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Mussolini committed one unforgivable sin for a dictator: he was losing the war. The Italian people reacted to this like any other nation in similar circumstances. The Italians praised him when he won, despite sanctions imposed on him by Britain and the League of Nations, and when he gave them the Ethiopian Empire, but they turned against him when Ethiopia was lost, Libya was lost when more than 150,000 Italian soldiers were captured. captured when Italian cities were brutally bombed, when Sicily was captured by the enemy and when an Allied invasion of the Italian mainland seemed imminent.
Celebrating the anniversary of the seventeenth fascist militia in Italy. Benito Mussolini hosts a fascist parade

Today, as in 1943, Mussolini's supporters are convinced that the coup to overthrow Mussolini was organized by the Freemasons, which included prominent fascists who remained Freemasons in secret, despite the fact that members of the Fascist Party were prohibited from maintaining contact with them. However, not only the “free masons” understood that Mussolini was losing the war. Some of the fascist leaders, including Ciano, Mussolini's foreign minister and his son-in-law, established secret contacts with the British embassy in the Vatican.
On July 19, Mussolini, at the controls of his own plane, flew to Treviso to meet with Hitler in a country house located near Trento. He asked Hitler if he could send German troops to reinforce the defenders of Sicily. Hitler's armies were engaged at Kursk, south of Moscow, in the greatest tank battle peace. Hitler threw all his forces there to try to break the Red Army at the very beginning of the summer campaign. After two weeks of fierce fighting, the Germans advanced 13 miles. Then the Red Army launched a counteroffensive and put the Germans to flight.
Mussolini in front of German soldiers
Benito Mussolini checks the fortified turret position of the Panzer V Panther on a solid base under camouflage mesh, 1944
The meeting of the Supreme Fascist Council was to take place at the Palazzo Venezia at 5 o'clock in the afternoon on Saturday 24 July. Mussolini had no idea what was in store for him, although rumors about it circulated everywhere. They also reached Rachel. When Mussolini left Villa Torlonia for a meeting, she called him, begging him to arrest everyone. He thought she was joking and did not take her words seriously.
At the meeting, Grundy proposed a resolution. In his resolution, after glorifying the valor shown by all soldiers and officers Italian army, Navy and Air Force, a respectful request was made to His Majesty the King to assume personal leadership of the entire armed forces and government. This meant that the king would have to relieve Mussolini from the posts of commander-in-chief and prime minister.
Grundy's resolution was discussed from 5 pm until midnight, with a break for a light dinner. The discussion was conducted in a restrained, almost friendly tone, and both Mussolini and his opponents remained completely calm. Farinacci and other members of the Supreme Council proposed amendments to the resolution that supported Mussolini, but it was decided to vote for Grandi's resolution first. It passed by 19 votes to seven, with one abstention, except Farinacci, who supported Mussolini and refused to vote in protest against the resolution. The 19 who voted for her included: Grandi, two former quadrumvirs De Bono and De Vecchi, Marinelli, who organized the murder of Matteotti, Bottai, Federzoni, Acerbo and three of the closest people whom Mussolini especially trusted - Umberto Albini, Giuseppe Bastianini and Ciano.
Mussolini with a group of miners

Mussolini noted that since Grandi's resolution had passed, there was no point in voting for other resolutions, and declared the meeting closed. He was then taken from Palazzo Venezia to Villa Torlonia. Arriving home, he did not say anything to his family, he only repeated from time to time: “Ciano, Albini and Bastianini too!”
He still hasn't fully realized what happened. The next morning, Sunday July 25, he went to his office at the Palazzo Venezia, where he was to receive the Japanese Ambassador Shinrokura Hidaka. He congratulated Hidaka on the Japanese victories in the war. Mussolini then visited the area of ​​San Lorenzo, which had been damaged during the raid on 19 July. Returning home, he received an invitation from the king to immediately come to his residence at the Villa Savoy. Rachelle suspected something was wrong and urged him not to go, but he went. Victor Emmanuel personally came to the front door of the villa to meet Mussolini. He was friendly and sympathetic. He said that Mussolini served Italy well great service, but now it's time to resign.
When Mussolini left the king, the captain of the royal guard approached him in the reception room and said that he had received orders from the king to take him home in a military ambulance for his safety. Mussolini refused, arguing that he had arrived at the Villa Savoye in his own car, that the driver was waiting for him and could take him home. But the captain insisted that it was better for Mussolini to ride on a military nurse, and finally said: “Duce, this is an order!” They arrived at the army barracks, where they had to wait three quarters of an hour. He was transported from one barracks to another, and eventually a letter was given to him Marshal Badoglio with the message that the king had appointed Badoglio as prime minister and that Mussolini would be transported to a place where he would be kept in safe custody for his own protection.
On July 28, he was taken by sea from Ponza to the island of La Maddalena, near Sardinia. The island has long been used as a prison. One of his captives was Zaniboni, a former Socialist MP sentenced to 30 years in prison for attempting to assassinate Mussolini in 1925. He was released a few days before Mussolini's arrival.
The king appointed Marshal Badoglio as prime minister, who formed a cabinet of civilian officials. Guariglia, who was at that time ambassador to Turkey, was recalled and appointed minister of foreign affairs. Badoglio's government announced that Italy would continue the war on the side of Germany, its ally. Hitler was upset that Mussolini had been removed and was suspicious of Badoglio, but did not want to resort to force against Italy and drive Badoglio into the arms of the Allies. Therefore, he stated that he did not interfere in the internal affairs of Italy, but believed that the Badoglio government would fulfill its treaty obligations with Germany. Badoglio retained all fascist laws, including racial ones, but many anti-fascists and Jews were released from prisons and camps, although communists were not released.
On July 29, four days after his arrest, Mussolini turned 60 years old. He received a congratulatory telegram from Goering, which was delivered to him in prison. Goering wrote that he had hoped to visit Mussolini on his birthday, but events had made this impossible. One of the conditions of the peace treaty that the Allies insisted on was the handover of Mussolini to them. Badoglio's government was aware that when peace terms were announced, the Italian fascists or the Germans would try to save Mussolini from falling into the hands of the Anglo-Americans. On August 28, they suddenly, in great secrecy, without warning, took him from La Maddalena and, after several days of travel, placed him in a safer prison: an uninhabited hotel at the highest point of the Gran Sasso mountain range, near L'Aquila, north of Rome .

Badoglio's government accepted the terms of the peace treaty proposed by the Allies, and on August 8 it was publicly announced that the armistice had been signed. Hitler immediately ordered German troops to occupy Italy. The Allies also landed on the Apennine Peninsula, but did not have time to prevent the German occupation of Rome and territories north of the river Volturno. The king and the government of Badoglio hastily left Rome and settled in Brindisi. The Allies held Naples and the entire south, but most of Italy was occupied by the Germans.
However, Hitler hoped to save his friend Mussolini. This task was to be carried out by the commander of the paratroopers, Otto Skorzeny.
SS Standartenführer Otto Skorzeny

Skorzeny discovered that Mussolini was being held at the Gran Sasso and decided to drop paratroopers onto the mountain peak.
A group of paratroopers under the command of O. Skorzeny

By that time, the German army occupied all of Italy north of Rome, including the territory of Gran Sasso. Therefore, it was said that Skorzeny's rescue of Mussolini was a propaganda stunt staged on Hitler's orders. After all, it was possible to free Mussolini without the risk of destroying the plane while landing on the top of the mountain. But Hitler had good reason to fear that British paratroopers might reach Mussolini and capture him before Skorzeny. When the terms of the truce were announced on the radio, Mussolini became terribly worried, fearing that he would be handed over to the British, and shared his fears with the officer guarding him. This officer replied that he himself had been a prisoner of the British at Tobruk, where he had been treated horribly, and that he would never hand over a single Italian to the British.
Funicular in Gran Sasso during the operation to free Benito Mussolini

On September 12, Skorzeny and his team landed on Gran Sasso. They were accompanied by General Stoleti of the Italian police. Skorzeny believed that his presence could be useful.
Liberation of Benito Mussolini. German paratroopers and Italian soldiers in the foreground

They ran up to the hotel with light machine guns ready. Skorzeny ran ahead, with General Stoleti next to him. Mussolini's guards were already preparing to shoot at them when Mussolini looked out the window.
Liberation of Benito Mussolini. General Ferdinando Stoleti, Benito Mussolini, General Guieri, Waffen-SS soldier with machine gun (MP)

At first he decided that the British had come for him. But, seeing the German uniform of Skorzeny’s men and recognizing Stoleti in an Italian uniform, he ordered the guards not to shoot, because there was an Italian general there. The security offered no resistance.
Benito Mussolini near the Hotel Campo Imperatore with German paratroopers and Italian soldiers

Skorzeny entered the hotel and addressed Mussolini. “Duce, the Fuhrer sent me to save you.” Mussolini replied: “I always knew that my friend Adolf Hitler would not leave me in trouble.”
Benito Mussolini leaves the Hotel Campo Imperatore. Next to him, General Ferdinando Stoleti

They immediately flew away, although it was very difficult to take off from the mountain top.
Otto Skorzeny, Mussolini. General Ferdinando Stoleti with German paratroopers and SS men on the way to the plane

Storch light aircraft with liberated Mussolini

Skorzeny took Mussolini to Pratica di Mare airport near Rome, and from there to Vienna.
Benito Mussolini on the way to the plane with German paratroopers

From Vienna, Mussolini went by train to Munich, and then flew to Rastenburg to thank Hitler for the rescue.
In Rastenburg the Duce meets his liberator Adolf Hitler

Liberation of Benito Mussolini

Liberator Duce as guest of honor at the Berlin Sports Palace

Honoring Otto Skorzeny

Reward

The Germans occupied the area around Forli and Rocca delle Caminate. German officer released the Italian police guarding Rachel. Hitler sent a plane on which Rachel, Romano and Anna Maria flew to Munich to see Mussolini. Rachel was very grateful to Hitler. 5 years later, in her memoirs, she thanked him for his kindness. She was very simple-minded and took everything from a personal point of view.
Many of the Nazi leaders, including some generals, wanted to treat the Italians as enemies and Italy as an enemy country. But Hitler trusted Mussolini and decided to restore him at the head of the Italian fascist state as a counterweight to the Badoglio government. He gave instructions that Mussolini address the country by radio from a broadcasting station in Munich, and that same evening, September 18, Mussolini delivered his address to all of Italy. His conversion was regarded by friends and supporters as highly successful. He said that the king and Badoglio had betrayed Italy and that he would now lead the Italian Socialist Republic and continue the war on the side of the German allies.
Mussolini had to create his government in the far north of Italy, in Salo on Lake Garda. His residence and office were located at the Villa Feltrinelli in Gargnano, a few miles from Salò.
Villa Feltrinelli in Gargnano. Contemporary photography

He called on the Parliament of the Republic to meet him in Verona. Before Mussolini and Rachel left Munich, Ciano arrived there in mid-September.
Anti-fascists began to seize the south of Italy, which was under the rule of the Badoglio government and the Allied occupation. At the same time, Ciano discovered that his vote against Mussolini at the meeting of the Supreme Fascist Council on July 24 was not enough to make anti-fascists forget his long past as a prominent fascist and Mussolini's foreign minister. Therefore he decided to join Mussolini. It was a very awkward family meeting, and the atmosphere at dinner remained tense and cold.
When Mussolini and Rachel went to Rocca delle Caminate and then to Gargnano, Ciano remained in Munich. Five more members of the Supreme Fascist Council who voted against Mussolini on July 24 also arrived in German-occupied territory: De Bono, Marinelli, Luciano Gottardi, Carlo Paresci and Gianetti. Others remained in the south or, like Grandi, went to Spain, where Franco granted them political asylum. Extremely fanatical fascists like Farinacci believed that Ciano and other traitors who defected from Mussolini should be brought to justice. The Germans supported their demands. Mussolini's government in Salo created a Special Tribunal to try these traitors.
Benito Mussolini visits a children's play pavilion in a town built by the Fascist Party

On October 7, German authorities in Munich informed Ciano that he was being handed over to the government of the Italian Socialist Republic for trial. Two days later he was flown in custody to Verona, where he was placed in prison along with De Bono, Marinelli, Gottardi, Pareschi and Gianetti to await trial on charges of treason.
In November 1943, a fascist congress met in Verona. He abolished the monarchy and adopted the constitution of the Italian Socialist Republic. In his propaganda, Mussolini emphasized the fact that the Italian Socialist Republic rejected the monarchy of the bourgeoisie. Some began to believe that he had returned to his old socialism.
In the south, socialists and liberals were unhappy with Badoglio as prime minister, believing that Badoglio, with his fascist past and war crimes in Ethiopia, could not be a suitable leader for the new anti-fascist Italy, which was fighting in alliance with Western democracies against Hitler and Mussolini. They demanded that Badoglio be replaced by the liberal philosopher Benedetto Croce. The Italian Communist Party did not support these demands. At Stalin's direction, the Communists became Badoglio's supporters because Stalin wanted political stability in Southern Italy and, as a leader, a competent general who could assist in the military victory over Germany and Mussolini's fascists.
The Italian Socialist Republic intensified its campaign against Jews, officially declaring them "hostile foreigners." For the first time, Italian Jews were deported from German-occupied territory to Poland, to camps. But it was very difficult for the Germans from Himmler’s special units to carry out this task.
On Saturday, October 16, 1943, they attempted to arrest all the Jews of Rome. Herbert Keppler, the German head of the Roman police, and his assistant Theodor Dannecker, who had experience in deporting Jews in Paris and Sofia, expected local anti-Semites to appear with voluntary information about where the Jews were hiding. But no local anti-Semites in Rome helped him. On the contrary, many of the Romans helped the Jews escape. Keppler and Dannecker were only able to arrest 1,007 Jews in Rome. They reported to Himmler that for every Jew captured, 11 escaped. Subsequently, 6,000 Jews were arrested in Northern Italy, but during the 20 months of German occupation, only 7,000 Italian and foreign Jews in Italy died in the gas chambers of Poland, that is, 15% of all Jews in Italy. A much lower percentage than in any other German-occupied country in Europe, with the exception of Denmark.
Many Catholics urged the Pope to make a radio statement condemning the deportation and extermination of Jews, believing that his influence on Hitler's Catholic soldiers would force the Nazis to abandon the extermination program. The Pope refused this offer, believing that if he publicly condemned the extermination of the Jews, Hitler would send troops to the Vatican, arrest him and kill those Jews hiding there. There were a lot of Jews hiding in the monasteries of Rome.
Edda Ciano hoped that her father would save her husband's life. Mussolini found himself in a difficult position. He adored Edda, as well as the rest of his children, but felt that he had to fulfill his duty, like Brutus in Ancient Rome, who 2500 years ago killed his son who betrayed the city. How could Mussolini spare a traitor and not fulfill his duty, sternly and impartially, just because the traitor was his son-in-law? Edda tried to save her husband. She fled to Switzerland, taking with her diaries in which Ciano, over the course of several years, wrote down frank remarks by Mussolini, which could be very unpleasant for the Duce and the Germans. Contacting Himmler, she offered to hand over these diaries to him if Ciano escaped to Switzerland. But Hitler said: “No deal.”
The trial of Ciano and others took place on January 8–9, 1944. Ciano, De Bono, Marinelli, Gottardi and Pareschi were sentenced to death. Gianetti, who at one time, the morning after the significant meeting of the Supreme Fascist Council, changed his mind and withdrew his vote, was sentenced to 30 years in prison. After the verdict was pronounced, Marinelli, who was awaiting death, confirmed that Mussolini did not know about the plan to assassinate Matteotti, which Marinelli himself organized without the knowledge of the Duce.
The court's verdict had to be confirmed by a state judge, and the prosecution rushed to find one who would quickly do this and allow them to execute Ciano before Mussolini pardoned him. After several judges, under various plausible pretexts, refused to do this, one was found ready to oblige. The next morning all five were shot. When Mussolini was told this news, he said that for him Ciano had died a long time ago. But Rachel knew what a personal tragedy this death was for him because of the impact it would have on his relationship with Edda.
A few months later he wrote to Edda in Switzerland that he had always loved her and would always love her. But she looked at him not as a loving father, but as a murderer of her husband. She told him that she was proud to be Ciano's wife, the wife of a traitor, and let him tell his German masters about this. He sent a priest to her in Switzerland, but she rejected all attempts at reconciliation. Only 10 years after Mussolini’s death she agreed to make peace with her mother and visited her father’s grave with her.
The differences between the German and Italian administrations were very serious. Thus, conflicts arose when the Germans arrested Mussolini's police chief, and Mussolini's police arrested an official who was supported by the Germans. True, these disputes were quickly settled. But there was one question that caused sharp protest from Mussolini. These are the actions of the German military authorities. Members anti-fascist movement in occupied Italy, German soldiers were killed at every opportunity. The Germans responded to this as in any country they occupied: they took hostages and announced that they would shoot 50 or 100 people for each German killed. Hostages were seized from among the local population. 50 local residents were shot for one German soldier killed by the Resistance in the area. Mussolini was outraged. The shooting of 50 Italians for one German meant that Germany considered Italy a hostile nation. Mussolini insisted that the Italians were loyal allies of the Germans, and that it was traitors who were killing German soldiers. He believed that the Germans should punish only partisans and their political supporters.
Benito Mussolini reviews Italian troops 1944

Despite all the differences with the Germans, Mussolini had no doubt that the Italian Socialist Republic should remain an ally of Germany. He was confident that if the Allies won the war, then Europe and the world would be ruled by the United States and Soviet Union, and Italy as an independent power will be finished. British and American air Force increased the number and power of air raids on Italian cities. Mussolini, who had applauded Italian air raids over the skies of Ethiopia and Spain, now indignantly denounced the murderers of Italian women and children. He wrote that the incessant bombing was causing such heavy civilian casualties that it amounted to a daily holocaust.
Benito Mussolini inspecting heavy mortars on the Adriatic coast 1944

The activity of anti-fascist partisans increased sharply. In May 1944, they tied down almost 16,000 German soldiers in northern Italy, as well as many of Mussolini's fascist units. In addition, they committed acts of sabotage on the territory of the Italian Socialist Republic. They killed several prominent fascist figures. Professor Gentile, the first minister of education in the Mussolini government, publisher of the Encyclopedia Italiana, continued to support him after the armistice of September 8, 1943. In April 1944, four partisans on motorcycles waylaid Gentile on a street corner in Florence and shot him. Mussolini angrily condemned the murder of this outstanding intellectual and loyal fascist.
Bad news came from all over. The military situation worsened, the Allies managed to invade France across the English Channel. They occupied Rome on June 5 and landed in Normandy the next day. Mussolini took the fall of Rome hard. He vowed to bring it back and revived Garibaldi's old slogan of 1862: "Rome or death!" He was especially outraged that there were many black American soldiers in the troops that took Rome. Blacks marched through the streets and under arches built in honor of Rome, ancient and modern. His propaganda emphasized the horror of the "black invasion" of Italy.
On July 9, 1944, Mussolini went by train to visit Hitler in Rastenburg. On July 20, Hitler met him at the station with his arm in a sling. He was slightly injured a few hours before the meeting when a bomb exploded in a meeting room in Rustenburg. It was carried by Major Claus von Stauffenberg, who was trying to kill the Fuhrer. However, no one was killed, and although the four officers in the room were seriously wounded, Hitler himself was only slightly wounded.
Italian dictator Benito Mussolini (left) together with Adolf Hitler and a group of officers inspect the consequences of the explosion at the Fuhrer's headquarters "Wolfschanze" (Wolf's Lair)

Mussolini congratulated Hitler on his happy escape and said that this proved that Hitler was under the special protection of Providence.


The last meeting of Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler. 1944

Hitler felt well enough to discuss the military situation with Mussolini on July 20. The next day Mussolini returned to Gargnano. They never met with Hitler again.
Mussolini refused to consider the possibility of the Axis defeat in the war. In March 1944, he summarily rejected the proposal of his police chief, Tullio Tamburini, to keep a submarine ready in Trieste in which he could escape if the Allied armies occupied all of Italy.
In the fall of 1944, the Allies advanced. By November, before winter stopped their advance, they took Forlì. Mussolini could no longer travel to the Rocca delle Caminate. The Germans prepared for a stubborn defense of Florence. They were helped by the Voluntary National Security Police, including a fascist unit. Mussolini warmly welcomed their patriotism and military training.
Benito Mussolini in conversation with an Italian Blackshirt, 1944

On December 16, 1944, Mussolini spoke at a rally at the Teatro Lirico in Milan. The rally had been announced just a few hours earlier over loudspeakers. In this way they sought to reduce the chances of an Anglo-American air raid that might interfere with the meeting. However, the theater hall quickly filled up. Thousands of people unlucky enough to get inside stood in the square in front of the theater, listening to Mussolini's speech via broadcast. At the end of the day, Mussolini spoke at another rally in Piazza San Sepolcro in Milan. The crowd cheered him enthusiastically. A crowd that was not embarrassed by any bombs: neither those from Allied aircraft, nor those thrown by communist partisans.
Benito Mussolini inspects Panzer V fortified turrets under camouflage netting, 1944

In January 1945, Mussolini left Gargnano with its mild climate and joined his troops in the Apennines, where there were severe frosts. He was again in good health, 61 years old, and seemed to be happily walking through the snow with his soldiers.
On April 12, President Roosevelt died. Mussolini wrote that proof of God's justice is that he died cursed by the mothers of the whole world, including the United States.
On 25 April, Mussolini and Graziani met with Cadorna and other members of the National Council of the Resistance at Cardinal Schuster's palace in Milan. Mussolini asked whether the Resistance and the Allied command could guarantee the lives of him, his ministers and their families if they all surrendered. Cadorna responded that the British Commander-in-Chief, Field Marshal Sir Harold Alexander, had already announced to his soldiers that the soldiers of Mussolini's Italian Socialist Republic were to be treated as prisoners of war if they surrendered. However, those responsible for war crimes will be brought to justice. Cadorna could only promise Mussolini that the trial would be fair.
Mussolini headed to Como, and on April 27, along with Bombacci and other members of his government, he joined a group of two hundred German soldiers who were going to travel by truck to the Swiss border. Mussolini got into the last truck, wearing a German flight helmet for camouflage.
They drove up to the western tip of Lake Como, where near Musso they were stopped by a large detachment of partisans. The partisan commander said that he would allow the Germans to travel to Switzerland, but not the Italians who were traveling with them. After searching the trucks for Italians, the partisans found Mussolini. One of them identified him. There were shouts: “We took Mussolini!” They took him and other Italians to Dongo.
Before leaving Como, Mussolini wrote to Claretta Petacci that he would try to move to Switzerland with German soldiers, and persuaded her to try to escape too. She convinced her brother Marcello to drive her in his Alfa Romeo after the German column in which Mussolini was riding. Marcello and Claretta were stopped by the partisans, identified and taken to Dongo, joining Mussolini and his employees captured with him.
Murdered Clara Petacci

At Dongo, Mussolini was separated from the rest of the prisoners. Claretta refused to leave him, so they were both taken to Giugliano di Mezzegra and placed under guard in a farmhouse. Bombacci, Marcello Petacci and other prisoners were shot right there, near the lake in Dongo. Bombacci's last words were: “Long live Mussolini! Long live socialism!” Other prominent fascists, including Farinacci, were also captured and shot on the spot by the partisans. Preziosi and his wife jumped out of a fifth-floor window to avoid being captured and handed over to the Jews for execution.
After the execution

Stories about what happened to Mussolini in last hours his life is very contradictory. The most reliable, perhaps, is the official version. The National Council of the Resistance decided that Mussolini, based on the totality of his crimes, should be executed. When Tolyatti, who was in Rome, heard that the partisans had captured Mussolini, he radioed the order to the communist members of the National Resistance Council not to allow him to fall alive into the hands of the British or Americans. As soon as his identity is established, he must be executed immediately. Togliatti's attitude is understandable: too many British and American politicians in the past praised Mussolini for his zeal in the fight against communism.

For many years it was believed that the communist leader in the National Council of the Resistance, Luigi Longo, ordered Mussolini's immediate execution without the consent of the council's chairman, General Cadorna. However, recently an order to execute Mussolini was found, and it was signed by Cadorna. It is quite possible that in 1945 the Communists had little difficulty in persuading Cadorna to do what they wanted.

The Communist guerrilla commander, whose nom de guerre was Colonel Valerio, commanded the execution. His real name was Walter Audisio. He subsequently became a communist deputy in the Chamber of Deputies in Rome.

On the afternoon of April 28, he went to the house where Mussolini and Claretta had spent the previous night, and led Mussolini to a crossroads near the house. Once again Claretta refused to leave him, so they took her with them. Colonel Valerio read out the death sentence of the National Council of the Resistance and, together with his comrades, shot Mussolini and Claretta. After the first shot, Mussolini was only wounded, and the submachine gun jammed. But they finished him off with another pistol. Claretta was killed by the first shot. This happened at 4.30 pm.

The bodies of Mussolini, Claretta and other members of the government, shot near the lake in Dongo, are brought to large area, Piazzale Loreto, near Milan Central Station. This place was chosen because several months earlier several partisans had been executed there by the Nazis.

14 corpses were hung by their feet on an iron fence in front of a gas station, and a huge crowd gathered in the square attacked them, hurling insults and kicking them. They were kicked and spat on mostly by old and elderly women, mothers of young partisans captured and shot by the Germans or Mussolini's fascist militia. Mussolini's body was later removed and buried in the family crypt in the San Cassiano cemetery in Predappio.

Benito Mussolini lies next to Clara Petacci in the morgue in Milan, Italy, April 29, 1945

Rachel, Romano and Anna Maria were arrested by partisans in Como, but taken under protection American army. They were interned in the camp for several months and then released.
Rachelle in the internment camp

Vittorio fled to Switzerland. Mussolini's papers, including his correspondence and diaries, disappeared. Before fleeing to Switzerland, he handed them over to the Japanese ambassador Hidaka, who also reached Switzerland and returned them there to Vittorio. Vittorio entrusted them to some Catholic priest with instructions not to give them to anyone without his permission. But the priest gave them to a man who forged a letter from Rachel asking him to give the documents to the bearer of the letter. Today Vittorio claims to know who has these documents, but will not reveal the name and can only say that it is not English. Whoever kept them hasn't published them for 50 years.

Rachel's greatest grief was that it was not she, but Claretta Petacci, who was with Mussolini when he died. But she has no doubt that his last thoughts were about her, his lawful wife, and their children. Vittorio sees this differently than his mother. For him, the unforgivable crime of the partisans is that they shot such a beautiful young woman as Claretta.

The official story of Mussolini's death is much more likely. So, unless new facts come to light to refute it, we can believe that he was killed by Colonel Valerio and the Communist partisans under his command at the crossroads of Giugliano di Mezzegra at 4.30 pm on Saturday 28 April 1945 .

19 years earlier, when Mori was conducting his long trial of the mafia in Sicily, Mussolini wrote to him, urging him to quickly end the arrests, since this was more in keeping with the spirit of the times, that is, more fascist. Colonel Valerio and his partisans put an end to Mussolini very quickly, also in the spirit of the times, very fascist. They shot him, as many times over the past 25 years the fascists had shot communists on his orders.
Photos not included in issues
Romano, the young son of Benito Mussolini, feeds antelopes with his schoolmates during a visit to the zoo. 1935

Mussolini greets George 5 during his arrival in Rome on May 10, 1921

Benito Mussolini skiing with his son Romano on Mount Terminillo. 1935

An irrepressible thirst for power was the dominant feature of Mussolini's life. Power determined his concerns, thoughts and actions and was not fully satisfied even when he found himself at the very top of the pyramid of political dominance. His own morality, and he considered moral only that which contributed personal success and the preservation of power, like a shield, covered him from the outside world. He constantly felt lonely, but loneliness did not weigh on him: it was the axis around which the rest of his life revolved.

A brilliant actor and poser, abundantly endowed with the characteristic Italian temperament, Mussolini chose a wide role for himself: an ardent revolutionary and a stubborn conservative, a great Duce and his own “shirt guy,” an unbridled lover and a pious family man. However, behind all this is a sophisticated politician and demagogue who knew how to accurately calculate the time and place to strike, pit opponents against each other, and play on people’s weaknesses and base passions.

He sincerely believed that strong personal power was necessary to control the masses, for “the masses are nothing more than a flock of sheep until they are organized.” Fascism, according to Mussolini, was supposed to turn this “herd” into an obedient instrument for building a society of general prosperity. Therefore, the masses must, they say, love the dictator “and at the same time fear him. The masses love strong men. The mass is a woman.” Mussolini's favorite form of communication with the masses was public speeches. He systematically appeared on the balcony of the Palazzo Venezia in the center of Rome in front of a crowded square that could accommodate 30 thousand people. The crowd exploded with excitement. The Duce slowly raised his hand, and the crowd froze, eagerly listening to every word of the leader. Usually the Duce did not prepare his speeches in advance. He kept only basic ideas in his head, and then relied entirely on improvisation and intuition. He, like Caesar, stirred the imagination of Italians with grandiose plans, the mirage of empire and glory, great achievements and general well-being.

The future Duce was born on July 29, 1883 in a cozy village called Dovia in the province of Emilia-Romagna, which has long been known as a hotbed of rebellious sentiments and traditions. Mussolini's father worked as a blacksmith, occasionally “giving a hand” in raising his first-born (later Benito had another brother and sister), his mother was a rural teacher. Like any petty-bourgeois family, the Mussolinis did not live richly, but they were not poor either. They were able to pay for the education of their eldest son, who was systematically expelled from school for fighting. Having received a secondary education, Mussolini tried to teach in the lower grades for some time, led a completely dissolute life and received a venereal disease, from which he was never able to fully recover.

However, his active nature was looking for a different field, and his ambitious plans pushed him to adventurous decisions, and Mussolini went to Switzerland. Here he did odd jobs, was a mason and laborer, clerk and garson, lived in cramped closets common for emigrants of that time, and was arrested by the police for vagrancy. Later, at every opportunity, he recalled this period when he experienced “hopeless hunger” and experienced “a lot of life’s difficulties.”

At the same time, he became involved in trade union activities, spoke passionately at workers’ meetings, met many socialists and joined the socialist party. Particularly important for him was his acquaintance with the professional revolutionary Angelica Balabanova. They talked a lot, argued about Marxism, translated from German and French (Mussolini studied these languages ​​in courses at the University of Lausanne) the works of K. Kautsky and P.A. Kropotkin. Mussolini became acquainted with the theories of K. Marx, O. Blanca, A. Schopenhauer and F. Nietzsche, but he never developed any coherent system of views. His worldview at that time was a kind of “revolutionary cocktail”, mixed with the desire to become a leader in the labor movement. The most reliable way to gain popularity was revolutionary journalism, and Mussolini began to write on anti-clerical and anti-monarchist topics. He turned out to be a talented journalist who wrote quickly, energetically and clearly for readers.

In the fall of 1904, Mussolini returned to Italy, served in the army, and then moved to his native province, where he decided on two urgent matters: he acquired a wife, a blue-eyed, blond peasant woman named Raquele, and his own newspaper, Class Struggle. It was he who acquired it - against the will of his father and mother Rakel, for he once appeared at her house with a revolver in his hand, demanding to give him his daughter. The cheap trick was a success, the young people rented an apartment and began to live without registering either a civil or church marriage.

The year 1912 turned out to be decisive in the revolutionary career of the Duce (“Duce” - they began to call him the leader back in 1907, when he went to prison for organizing public unrest). His fierce struggle against the reformists within the PSI won him many supporters, and soon the party leaders invited Mussolini to lead Avanti! - the central newspaper of the party. At the age of 29, Mussolini, still little known a year ago, received one of the most important posts in the party leadership. His dexterity and unscrupulousness, boundless narcissism and cynicism were also evident in the pages of Avanti!, whose circulation within a year and a half staggeringly increased from 20 to 100 thousand copies.

And then the First World War broke out. The Duce, who was known as an irreconcilable anti-militarist, initially welcomed the neutrality declared by Italy, but gradually the tone of his speeches became more and more militant. He was confident that the war would destabilize the situation and make it easier to carry out a social revolution and seize power.

Mussolini played a win-win game. He was expelled from the ISP for renegade, but by this time he already had everything he needed, including money, to publish his own newspaper. It became known as the “People of Italy” and launched a noisy campaign to join the war. In May 1915, Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary. The Duce was mobilized to the front and spent about a year and a half in the trenches. He tasted the “delights” of front-line life to the fullest, then was wounded (accidentally, from a training grenade exploding), hospitals, and demobilized with the rank of senior corporal. Mussolini described everyday life at the front in his diary, pages from which were regularly published in his newspaper, which was published in mass circulation. By the time of demobilization, he was well known as a man who had gone through the crucible of war and understood the needs of front-line soldiers. It was these people, accustomed to violence, who saw death and had difficulty adapting to peaceful life, who became the combustible mass that could blow up Italy from the inside.

In March 1919, Mussolini created the first “combat union” (“fascio di combattimento”, hence the name - fascists), which included mainly former front-line soldiers, and after some time these unions appeared almost everywhere in Italy.

In the fall of 1922, the fascists mobilized forces and staged the so-called “March on Rome.” Their columns marched on the “Eternal City,” and Mussolini demanded the post of prime minister. The military garrison of Rome could resist and disperse the loudmouths, but for this the king and his inner circle needed to show political will. This did not happen, Mussolini was appointed prime minister and immediately demanded a special train to travel from Milan to the capital, and crowds of Blackshirts entered Rome on the same day without firing a single shot (a black shirt is part of the fascist uniform). This is how a fascist coup took place in Italy, ironically called by the people “the revolution in a sleeping car.”

Having moved to Rome, Mussolini left his family in Milan and for several years led the dissolute life of a Don Juan unencumbered by family concerns. This did not prevent him from engaging in government affairs, especially since meetings with women, of which there were hundreds, took place in work time or during lunch break. His behavior and style were far from aristocratic sophistication and a little vulgar. Mussolini demonstratively despised secular manners and even at official ceremonies did not always follow the rules of etiquette, since he did not really know and did not want to know them. But he quickly acquired the habit of talking arrogantly to his subordinates, without even inviting them to sit in his office. He got himself a personal guard, and on duty he preferred to drive sports car bright red color.

By the end of the 20s, a totalitarian fascist dictatorship was established in Italy: all opposition parties and associations were dissolved or destroyed, their press was banned, and opponents of the regime were arrested or expelled. To persecute and punish dissidents, Mussolini created a special secret police (OVRA) under his personal control and a Special Tribunal. During the years of dictatorship, this repressive body convicted more than 4,600 anti-fascists. The Duce considered reprisals against political opponents to be quite natural and necessary when establishing a new government. He said that freedom has always existed only in the imagination of philosophers, and the people, they say, ask him not for freedom, but for bread, houses, water pipes, etc. And Mussolini really tried to satisfy many of the social needs of the working people, creating such a broad and multifaceted social security system that did not exist in any capitalist country in those years. The Duce understood well that it was impossible to create a solid foundation for his rule through violence alone, that something more was required - the consent of people with the existing order, the renunciation of attempts to counteract the authorities.

The image of a man with a large hydrocephalic skull and a “decisive, strong-willed look” accompanied the average person everywhere. In honor of the Duce, they composed poems and songs, made films, created monumental sculptures and stamped figurines, painted pictures and printed postcards. Endless praise flowed at mass rallies and official ceremonies, on the radio and from the pages of newspapers, which were strictly forbidden to print anything about Mussolini without permission from the censor. They were not even able to congratulate him on his birthday, since the dictator’s age was a state secret: he was supposed to remain forever young and serve as a symbol of the regime’s unfading youth.

To create a “new moral and physical type of Italian,” Mussolini’s regime began to violently introduce ridiculous and sometimes simply idiotic standards of behavior and communication into society. Among the fascists, handshakes were abolished, women were forbidden to wear trousers, and one-way traffic was established for pedestrians on the left side of the street (so as not to interfere with each other). The fascists attacked the “bourgeois habit” of drinking tea and tried to erase from the speech of Italians the polite form of address “Lei”, which was familiar to them, supposedly alien in its softness to the “courageous style of fascist life.” This style was strengthened by the so-called “fascist Saturdays,” when all Italians had to engage in military, sports and political training. Mussolini himself set an example to follow, organizing swims across the Bay of Naples, hurdles and horse racing.

Known at the dawn of his political biography as an adamant anti-militarist, Mussolini zealously set about creating military aviation and the fleet. He built airfields and laid down warships, trained pilots and captains, and organized maneuvers and reviews. The Duce absolutely loved watching military equipment. He could stand motionless for hours, with his hands on his hips and his head up. He was unaware that to create the appearance of military power, zealous assistants drove the same tanks through the squares. At the end of the parade, Mussolini himself stood at the head of the Bersaglieri regiment and, with a rifle at the ready, ran with them in front of the podium.

In the 30s, another mass ritual appeared - “fascist weddings.” The newlyweds received a symbolic gift from the Duce, who was considered an imprisoned father, and in a return telegram of gratitude they promised to “give a soldier to their beloved fascist homeland” in a year. In his youth, Mussolini was an ardent supporter of artificial contraceptives and did not object to their use by the women with whom he interacted. Having become a dictator, he turned in the opposite direction in this respect too. The fascist government introduced criminal penalties for those who advocated the distribution of such drugs, and increased the already considerable fines for abortions. By personal order of the Duce, infection with syphilis began to be considered a criminal offense, and the ban on divorce was reinforced by new severe penalties for adultery.

He declared war on fashionable dancing, which seemed “indecent and immoral” to him, imposed strict restrictions on various types of night entertainment and banned those that involved undressing. Far from being inclined to puritanism, the Duce was concerned with the styles of women's swimsuits and the length of skirts, insisting that they cover most of the body, and fought against the widespread use of cosmetics and high-heeled shoes.

Carried away by the struggle to increase the birth rate, the Duce called on his fellow citizens to double its pace. The Italians joked about this that to achieve their goal they could only halve the pregnancy period. Childless women felt like lepers. Mussolini even tried to impose tribute on childless families and introduced a tax on “unjustified celibacy.”

The Duce also demanded more offspring in the families of the fascist hierarchs, being a role model: he had five children (three boys and two girls). People close to the dictator knew about the existence of an illegitimate son from a certain Ida Dalser, whom Mussolini long years supported financially.

Since 1929, the Duce family lived in Rome. Rakele shunned high society, took care of the children and strictly followed the daily routine established by her husband. This was not difficult, since Mussolini did not change his habits in everyday life and on ordinary days led a very measured lifestyle. He got up at half past seven, did his exercises, drank a glass of orange juice and took a horseback ride through the park. When he returned, he took a shower and had breakfast: fruit, milk, wholemeal bread, which Rakelé sometimes baked, coffee with milk. He left for work at eight, took a break at eleven and ate fruit, and returned for lunch at two in the afternoon. There were no pickles on the table: spaghetti with tomato sauce was the simplest and favorite by most Italian dish, fresh salad, spinach, stewed vegetables, fruits. During siesta I read and talked with children. By five he returned to work, had dinner no earlier than nine and went to bed at ten-thirty. Mussolini did not allow anyone to wake him, except in the most urgent cases. But the village
Since no one really knew what this meant, they preferred not to touch it under any circumstances.

The main source of income for the Mussolini family was the newspaper “People of Italy” that he owned. In addition, the Duce received a deputy's salary, as well as numerous fees for publishing speeches and articles in the press. These funds allowed him not to deny anything necessary to himself or his loved ones. However, there was almost no need to spend them, since the Duce had almost no control over the colossal state funds spent on entertainment expenses. Finally, he had huge secret funds of the secret police and, if he wanted, could become fabulously rich, but he did not feel any need for this: money, as such, did not interest him. No one ever even tried to accuse Mussolini of any financial abuses, since there simply were none. This was confirmed by a special commission that investigated the facts of embezzlement among the fascist hierarchs after the war.

By the mid-30s, the Duce turned into a real celestial, especially after declaring himself First Marshal of the Empire. By the decision of the fascist parliament this is the highest military rank was assigned only to the Duce and the king and thereby seemed to put them on the same level. King Victor Emmanuel was furious: he only formally remained the head of state. The timid and indecisive monarch did not forget about the revolutionary past and anti-royalist statements of the dictator, despised him for his plebeian origin and habits, feared and hated his “humble servant” for the power he had. Mussolini felt the monarch's internal negative mood, but did not attach serious importance to it.

He was at the zenith of glory and power, but next to him was already looming the ominous shadow of another contender for world domination - a truly powerful maniac who had seized power in Germany. The relationship between Hitler and Mussolini, despite the seemingly obvious “kinship of souls,” the similarity of ideology and regimes, was far from fraternal, although sometimes it looked like that. The dictators did not even have any sincere sympathy for each other. In relation to Mussolini, this can be said for sure. Being the leader of fascism and the Italian nation, Mussolini saw in Hitler a petty imitator of his ideas, a little possessed, a little caricatured upstart, devoid of many qualities necessary for a real politician.

In 1937, Mussolini officially visited Germany for the first time and was deeply impressed by it. military power. With his nose and gut, he felt the approach of a big war in Europe and took away from the trip the conviction that it was Hitler who would soon become the arbiter of the destinies of Europe. And if so, then it is better to be friends with him than to be at enmity. In May 1939, the so-called “Pact of Steel” was signed between Italy and Germany. In the event of an armed conflict, the parties pledged to support each other, but Italy’s unpreparedness for war was so obvious that Mussolini came up with the formula of temporary “non-participation,” thereby wanting to emphasize that he was not taking a passive position, but was only waiting in the wings. This hour struck when the Nazis had already captured half of Europe and were completing the defeat of France.

On June 10, 1940, Italy declared a state of war with Great Britain and France and launched 19 divisions on the offensive in the Alps, which got bogged down within the first kilometers. The Duce was discouraged, but there was no turning back.

Failures at the front were accompanied by major troubles in the dictator’s personal life. In August 1940, his son Bruno died in an accident. The second misfortune was associated with his mistress Claretta Petacci, who in September underwent a difficult operation that threatened to lead to death.

The Italian armies suffered one defeat after another and would have been completely defeated if not for the help of the Germans, who in Italy themselves behaved more and more impudently. There was growing mass dissatisfaction with the hardships of wartime in the country. Many people no longer had enough bread, and strikes began. On July 10, 1943, Anglo-American troops landed in Sicily. Italy found itself on the brink of a national catastrophe. Mussolini turned out to be the culprit of military defeats, all troubles and human suffering. Two conspiracies matured against him: among the fascist leaders and among the aristocracy and generals close to the king. The Duce was aware of the plans of the conspirators, but did nothing. Like no one else, he understood that resistance could only prolong the agony, but not prevent a sad ending. This consciousness paralyzed his will and ability to fight.

On July 24, at a meeting of the Fascist Grand Council, a resolution was adopted that actually invited the Duce to resign. The next day, the emboldened king relieved Mussolini from the post of head of government. Upon leaving the royal residence, he was arrested by carabinieri and sent to the islands. Italy was immediately occupied by Hitler's troops, the king and the new government fled from Rome. On the occupied territory, the Nazis decided to create a fascist republic, headed by Mussolini.

German intelligence spent a long time looking for the place of his imprisonment. At first, the Duce was transported from island to island, and then sent to the high-altitude winter resort of Gran Sasso, to the Campo Imperatore hotel, located at an altitude of 1,830 meters above sea level. It was here that he was found by SS captain Otto Skorzeny, whom Hitler instructed to free the prisoner. To get to the high mountain plateau, Skorzeny used gliders that could be blown away by the wind, crash during landing, the Duce’s guards could provide strong resistance, the escape route could be cut off, and you never know what else could happen. However, Mussolini was safely delivered to Munich, where his family was already waiting for him.

The Duce was pathetic. He did not want to return to active work, but the Fuhrer did not even listen to him. He knew that no one except Mussolini would be able to revive fascism in Italy. The Duce and his family were transported to Lake Garda, near Milan, where a new, openly puppet government was located.

The two years Mussolini spent on Lake Garda were a time of complete humiliation and despair. The anti-fascist Resistance movement was expanding in the country, the Anglo-American allies were advancing, and the Duce had no chance of salvation. When the ring finally tightened, he tried to flee to Switzerland, but was caught near the border by partisans. With him was Claretta Petacci, who wanted to share the fate of her lover. The partisan command sentenced Mussolini to death. When he was executed, Claretta tried to cover the Duce with her body and was also killed. Their bodies, along with the bodies of executed fascist hierarchs, were brought to Milan and hung upside down in one of the squares. Jubilant townspeople and partisans threw rotten tomatoes and fruit cores at them. This is how the Italians expressed hatred for a man who had treated people with deep contempt all his life.

Lev Belousov, doctor historical sciences, Professor

- a young, unusually beautiful woman entered Mussolini’s life back in the mid-30s. They met by chance, on the road in the suburbs of Rome, but Claretta (the daughter of a Vatican doctor) was already a secret admirer of the leader. She had a fiancé, they got married, but a year later they separated peacefully, and Claretta became the Duce’s favorite. Their connection was very stable, all of Italy knew about it, except Raquele Mussolini. The Italian establishment initially treated the Duce’s latest hobby with condescension, but over time, Claretta, who sincerely loved Mussolini, became a significant factor in political life: she had the opportunity to influence the Duce’s personnel decisions, learned to convey various information to him at the right time and facilitate the adoption of the necessary decisions , provide protection and remove unwanted people. High-ranking officials and entrepreneurs increasingly began to turn to her and her family (mother and brother) for assistance. At the beginning of the war in Italy they were already openly talking about the “Petacci clan” ruling the country.

Several times, tired of the hysterics and tragic scenes that the insanely jealous Claretta created, the Duce decided to break up with her and even forbade the guards to let her into the palace. However, a few days later they were together again and everything started all over again.

In the small Italian village of Dovia, July 29, 1883, in the family of local blacksmith Alessandro Mussolini and school teacher Rosa Maltoni's first child was born. He was given the name Benito. Years will pass, and this dark boy will become a merciless dictator, one of the founders of the fascist party of Italy, which plunged the country into the most brutal period of the totalitarian regime and

The youth of the future dictator

Alessandro was a conscientious worker, and his family had some wealth, which made it possible to place the young Mussolini Benito in a Catholic school in the city of Faenza. After receiving secondary education, he took up teaching in primary school, but such a life weighed on him, and in 1902 the young teacher left for Switzerland. At that time, Geneva was crowded with political emigrants, among whom Benito Mussolini constantly moved. The books of K. Kautsky, P. Kropotkin, K. Marx and F. Engels have a fascinating effect on his consciousness.

But the most powerful impression is made by the works of Nietzsche and his concept of the “superman”. Having found itself on fertile soil, it resulted in the conviction that it was he - Benito Mussolini - who was destined to fulfill this great destiny. The theory, according to which the people were reduced to the level of a pedestal for their elected leaders, was accepted by him without hesitation. There was no doubt about the interpretation of the war as highest manifestation human spirit. This is how the ideological foundation of the future leader of the fascist party was laid.

Return to Italy

Soon the socialist rebel is expelled from Switzerland, and he finds himself back in his homeland. Here he becomes a member of the Socialist Party of Italy and with great success tries his hand at journalism. The small newspaper he publishes, “Class Struggle,” publishes mainly his own articles, in which he passionately criticizes the institutions of bourgeois society. Among the broad masses, this position of the author meets with approval, and for short term The newspaper's circulation doubles. In 1910, Mussolini Benito was elected as a deputy at the next congress of the Socialist Party, held in Milan.

It was during this period that the prefix “Duce” - leader - began to be added to Mussolini’s name. This incredibly flatters his pride. Two years later, he was assigned to head the central printed organ of the socialists - the newspaper Avanti! ("Forward!"). It was a huge breakthrough in my career. Now he had the opportunity to address everything multimillion-dollar in his articles, and Mussolini coped with this brilliantly. Here his talent as a journalist was fully revealed. Suffice it to say that within a year and a half he managed to increase the newspaper's circulation fivefold. It became the most read in the country.

Leaving the socialist camp

Soon followed his break with his former like-minded people. Since that time, the young Duce has headed the newspaper “People of Italy”, which, despite its name, reflects the interests of the big bourgeoisie and the industrial oligarchy. In the same year, Benito Mussolini's illegitimate son, Benito Albino, was born. He is destined to end his days in a clinic for the mentally ill, where his mother, the common-law wife of the future dictator Ida Daltzer, will also die. After some time, Mussolini married Raquele Gaudi, with whom he would have five children.

In 1915, Italy, which had until then remained neutral, entered the war. Mussolini Benito, like many of his fellow citizens, found himself at the front. In February 1917, after serving for seventeen months, the Duce was discharged due to injury and returned to his previous activities. Two months later, the unexpected happened: Italy suffered a crushing defeat from Austrian troops.

Birth of the Fascist Party

But a national tragedy that cost hundreds of thousands of lives served as an impetus for Mussolini on his path to power. From recent front-line soldiers, people embittered and exhausted by the war, he creates an organization called the “Combat Union”. In Italian it sounds like "fascio de combattimento". This very “fascio” gave its name to one of the most inhuman movements - fascism.

The first major meeting of union members took place on March 23, 1919. About a hundred people took part in it. For five days, speeches were made about the need to revive the former greatness of Italy and numerous demands regarding the establishment of civil liberties in the country. The members of this new organization, who called themselves fascists, addressed in their speeches to all Italians who were aware of the need for radical changes in the life of the state.

Fascists are in power in the country

Such appeals were successful, and soon the Duce was elected to parliament, where thirty-five mandates belonged to the fascists. Their party was officially registered in November 1921, and Mussolini Benito became its leader. More and more new members are joining the ranks of the fascists. In October 1927, columns of his followers made the famous march of thousands on Rome, as a result of which the Duce became prime minister and shared power only with King Victor Emmanuel III. The Cabinet of Ministers is formed exclusively from members of the fascist party. Skillfully manipulating, Mussolini managed to enlist the support of the Pope in his actions, and in 1929 the Vatican became an independent state.

Fight against dissent

Benito Mussolini's fascism continued to strengthen against the backdrop of widespread political repression- an integral feature of all totalitarian regimes. A “Special State Security Tribunal” was created, whose competence included the suppression of any manifestations of dissent. During its existence, from 1927 to 1943, it reviewed more than 21,000 cases.

Despite the fact that the monarch remained on the throne, all power was concentrated in the hands of the Duce. He simultaneously headed seven ministries, was prime minister, head of the party and a number of security agencies. He managed to eliminate almost all constitutional restrictions on his power. A regime was established in Italy. To top it off, a decree was issued banning all other political parties in the country and abolishing direct parliamentary elections.

Political propaganda

Like every dictator, Mussolini attached great importance to the organization of propaganda. In this direction, he achieved significant success, since he himself worked in the press for a long time and was fluent in the techniques of influencing the consciousness of the masses. The propaganda campaign launched by him and his supporters took on the widest scale. Portraits of the Duce filled the pages of newspapers and magazines, looked from billboards and advertising brochures, and adorned boxes of chocolates and packaging of medicines. All of Italy was filled with images of Benito Mussolini. Quotes from his speeches were circulated in huge quantities.

Social programs and the fight against the mafia

But as an intelligent and far-sighted man, the Duce understood that propaganda alone could not earn lasting authority among the people. In this regard, he developed and implemented an extensive program to boost the country's economy and improve the living standards of Italians. First of all, measures were taken to combat unemployment, which effectively increased employment. As part of his program, more than five thousand farms and five agricultural cities were built in a short period of time. For this purpose, the Pontic swamps were drained, the vast territory of which for centuries had been nothing but a breeding ground for malaria.

Thanks to the reclamation program carried out under Mussolini's leadership, the country received an additional almost eight million hectares of arable land. Seventy-eight thousand peasants from the poorest regions of the country received fertile plots on them. During the first eight years of his reign, the number of hospitals in Italy quadrupled. Thanks to his social policy, Mussolini gained deep respect not only in his country, but also among the leaders of the leading countries of the world. During his reign, the Duce managed to do the impossible - he practically destroyed the famous Sicilian mafia.

Military ties with Germany and entry into the war

In foreign policy Mussolini hatched plans for the revival of the Great Roman Empire. In practice, this resulted in the armed seizure of Ethiopia, Albania and a number of Mediterranean territories. During this time, the Duce sent significant forces to support General Franco. It was during this period that his fatal rapprochement with Hitler, who also supported the Spanish nationalists, began. Their alliance was finally established in 1937 during Mussolini’s visit to Germany.

In 1939, an agreement was signed between Germany and Italy concluding a defensive-offensive alliance, as a result of which on June 10, 1940, Italy entered the World War. Mussolini's troops take part in the capture of France and attack the British colonies in east africa, and in October invade Greece. But soon the successes of the first days of the war gave way to the bitterness of defeat. The troops of the anti-Hitler coalition intensified their actions in all directions, and the Italians retreated, losing previously captured territories and suffering heavy losses. To top things off, on July 10, 1943, British units captured Sicily.

Collapse of the Dictator

The former delight of the masses was replaced by general discontent. The dictator was accused of political myopia, as a result of which the country was drawn into war. They remembered the usurpation of power, the suppression of dissent, and all the miscalculations in foreign and domestic policy that Benito Mussolini had previously made. The Duce was removed by his own comrades from all his posts and arrested. Before the trial, he was kept in custody in one of the mountain hotels, but from there he was abducted by German paratroopers under the command of the famous Otto Skorzeny. Soon Germany occupied Italy.

Fate gave the former Duce the opportunity to head the puppet government of the republic created by Hitler for some time. But the end was approaching. At the end of April 1945, the former dictator and his mistress were captured by partisans while trying to illegally leave Italy with a group of their associates.

The execution of Benito Mussolini and his girlfriend followed on April 28. They were shot on the outskirts of the village of Mezzegra. Their bodies were later taken to Milan and hung by their feet in the city square. This is how Benito ended his days, who in some ways is certainly unique, but in general is typical of most dictators.

Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini(Italian Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini, July 29 - April 28) - Italian politician, writer, leader of the fascist party ("Duce"), dictator who led Italy (as prime minister from to). First Marshal of the Empire (30 March 1938). He is the author of the term “fascism”.

early years

The Ministry of Internal Affairs opens a case against him, which says in part: “Mussolini is a voluptuous person, as evidenced by his numerous relationships with women... Deep down, he is very sentimental, and this attracts people to him. Mussolini is not interested in money, which gives him a reputation as an unselfish person. He is very smart, kind and well versed in people, knows their shortcomings and strengths. He is prone to showing unexpected likes and dislikes, and is sometimes extremely vindictive.”

On October 27, 1922, the “black plague” begins its march on Rome. By the evening of October 30, with the permission of the frightened King Victor Emanuel III, Mussolini finished forming the cabinet of ministers.

On April 10, 1923, in the Vatican, at a meeting between Mussolini and Cardinal Pietro Gasparri, Mussolini promised to cleanse Italy of communists and freemasons, strengthen sanctions against those who insult religion, install crucifixes in schools and in judicial institutions, and introduce compulsory religious education in educational institutions and restore the position of military chaplains in the army.

In February 1924, the Duce government recognized the USSR.

On July 10, 1924, a decree with the force of law was issued, which introduced restrictions on freedom of the press.

On July 31, the Ministry of Press and Propaganda was created (headed by Dino Alfieri). The measures he took lead to the closure of most opposition newspapers. Only a member of a fascist trade union can now become the head of a newspaper.

On December 5, Mussolini in his speech on the Catholic religion: “Fascism respects the God of ascetics, saints, heroes and the faith that fills the hearts of ordinary people with prayer. Unlike Bolshevism, fascism does not try to expel God from human souls.”

On December 31, the Duce gives the order to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (headed by Luigi Federzoni) to seize opposition journalists and conduct a search of the leading leaders of the anti-fascist movement. The police dissolve the Free Italy association, close more than 100 “subversive” institutions and arrest several hundred people.

Mussolini gives a speech to the people

Published January 31, 1926 new law, giving the government the right to make laws without the consent of parliament. And on December 24, Justice Minister Alfredo Rocco issues a series of laws aimed at eliminating the administrative and political institutions of the democratic system. The Duce gains full executive power and will no longer answer to anyone except the king.

April 7 Violeta Gibson (a British citizen) shoots Mussolini with a revolver. The bullet grazes his nose. A medical examination declares her insane. Wanting to save a good relationship in Great Britain, Mussolini orders her to be deported to her homeland. In October, anarchist Gino Luchetti (from France) threw a bomb at Mussolini's car, it injured 4 passers-by, but the Duce was not injured. On December 31, 15-year-old Anteo Zamboni fired at Benito's car, after which he was captured on the spot and torn to pieces by the crowd. In November, the Organization for Monitoring and Suppression of Anti-Fascist Activities was created. The Duce receives political police.

January 20, 1927 general secretary League of Nations Sir Eric Drummond makes a statement in Rome: “... the policy of Italy is in complete agreement with the policy of the League of Nations.” Thus, he officially approved the behavior of the fascists at the international level.

On September 2, 1928, the Fascist Grand Council, at the proposal of trade unions and other associations, draws up an election list of candidates for parliament in accordance with the new electoral law, according to which voters vote for or against the entire list of deputies. On March 24, parliamentary elections take place which shows that Italy voluntarily accepts fascism. (Upvote/downvote ratio = 8.51/0.13 million people).

1928 - Mussolini creates an independent Road Service. Her responsibilities include construction Europe's first motorways.

July 20, 1932 Mussolini takes over the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (his deputy Suvic, Fulvio), Dino Grandi is sent as ambassador to London.

Mussolini long time was very skeptical of Hitler’s ideas about the superiority of some races over others. In 1932, during a conversation with the German writer Emil Ludwig, Mussolini sharply condemned the Nazi theory of racism and anti-Semitism: “... I do not believe in any biological experiments that can supposedly determine the purity of a race, nor in the superiority of one race over others. Those who proclaim the nobility of the German race, by a funny coincidence, themselves have nothing in common with the German race... This cannot happen in our country. Anti-Semitism does not exist in Italy. Italian Jews have always behaved like true patriots. They fought bravely for Italy during the war..."...but after 6 years, for the sake of an alliance with Germany, his opinion will change to the opposite.

June 14, 1934 Mussolini receives Hitler in Venice. At the end of the visit, the Duce spoke of his guest as follows: “This annoying man... this Hitler is a ferocious and cruel creature. It makes me remember Attila. Since the time of Tacitus, Germany has remained a country of barbarians. She is the eternal enemy of Rome."

Benito Mussolini on the cover of Time magazine

On July 25, 1934, trying to carry out a coup d'etat, the Nazis assassinate Austrian Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss. Mussolini hastily mobilizes four divisions, orders them to approach the border - to the Brenner Pass and be ready to go to the aid of the Austrian government. Mussolini is counting on the support of Great Britain and France - but they will do nothing. But Italy’s actions are enough for Hitler to retreat and the coup attempt to fail. Mussolini speaks to the press: “ German Chancellor promised more than once to respect the independence of Austria. But the events of recent days have clearly shown whether Hitler intends to respect his rights before Europe. One cannot approach with ordinary moral standards a person who, with such cynicism, violates the elementary laws of decency.”

In October 1935, Italy launched a war of conquest against Ethiopia.

In November, member states of the League of Nations (except the United States) undertake to boycott Italian goods, deny loans to the Italian government, and ban the import of strategic materials into Italy. Upon learning of this, the Duce becomes furious. Germany supports Italy.

On May 8, 1936, in connection with the victory in Ethiopia, Mussolini proclaimed the rebirth of the Roman Empire. King Victor Emmanuel III assumed the title of Emperor of Ethiopia.

Fearing that during civil war The communists will win in Spain. The Duce actively supports the nationalists who fought against the republic. In 1936, the rapprochement between Mussolini and Hitler began. The reason for this was the joint military and economic support of Franco’s speech in Spain. Suvic was sent as ambassador to the United States, and Mussolini's son-in-law G. Ciano became minister of foreign affairs.

On January 4, 1937, Mussolini negotiates with Goering, Hitler's emissary. In response to Goering's proposal to consider the annexation of Austria a settled matter, Mussolini shakes his head and decisively declares that he will not tolerate any changes in the Austrian question.

After five refusals to visit Germany, the Duce accepted the Fuhrer’s invitation, and from September 30, for a week, Hitler unfolded a theatrical show of military parades and rallies in front of Mussolini. In Berlin, in front of a crowd of thousands, the impressed Duce declares: “Italian fascism has finally found a friend, and he will go with his friend to the end.”

On November 6, Benito Mussolini announced his country’s accession to the Anti-Comintern Pact, previously signed by Germany and Japan. He said that Stalin and the Communists posed a threat to Europe and that he was "tired of defending Austrian independence." On December 11, Italy leaves the League of Nations.

On February 19, 1938, the Italian ambassador in London made a statement about the need to prevent the Anschluss - the seizure of Austria by the Nazis. Mussolini is trying to prevent the creation of a "Greater Germany", but no concrete statements have been given from Great Britain or France. On March 12, 1938, Hitler, confident that the Duce would not dare to act alone, gave the order to his troops to cross the border into Austria.

Through the efforts of Mussolini and Hitler, the Munich Agreement on the division of Czechoslovakia was concluded in 1938.

The Second World War

On May 22, 1939, the Italian and German foreign ministers Ciano (Mussolini's son-in-law) and Ribbentrop signed the Italo-German Treaty on a Defensive and Offensive Alliance (the so-called “Pact of Steel”). However, contrary to Italy's obligations, after the outbreak of war between Germany, on the one hand, and Poland, France and England on the other, the Duce declared his neutrality. He orders the acceleration of work on the construction of defensive structures on the border with Germany. In addition, Italy continues to supply France with aviation equipment and vehicles.

In May, the Germans launched a successful offensive on the Western Front, and Mussolini decided that decisive hour struck. On June 10, 1940, from the balcony of the Venice Palace, in front of a crowd of thousands, the Duce announced Italy's entry into the war. However, 32 Italian divisions were unable to significantly dislodge 6 French divisions from their positions in the Alps. As a result, Italy received nothing under the Compiegne Truce. Mussolini tried to compensate for this shame by conquering Greece, which he, without warning Hitler, attacked on October 28. However, even here he was never able to win laurels: after the first successes, the Italians were defeated in November and thrown back to Albania at the Lake Ohrid - Lake Ohrid line. Mount Tamar. Only Germany's intervention in the war in the spring of 1941 made it possible to defeat Greece.

In Africa, Marshal Graziani launched an attack on Egypt and managed to penetrate deeper into its territory, but on December 9 the British launched a counter-offensive and by February not only ousted Granziani from Egypt, but also captured Cyrenaica, completely defeating Graziani and taking 130 thousand prisoners. In May 1941, the British, with the help of partisans, liberated Ethiopia and also occupied the Italian colonies of Eritrea and Somalia.

By this time, the transfer of Rommel's Afrika Korps to Libya had led to North Africa The advantage was on the side of the Italo-German troops. Rommel managed not only to return Cyrenaica, but also to reach El Alamein (100 km from Alexandria) in the summer of 1942.

On October 23, 1942, a counteroffensive by British troops began near El Alamein, which ended in the complete defeat of the Italo-Germans. On November 8, the Americans began landing in Morocco.

May 13 Italo-German troops in Africa total number 250 thousand people (about half of them Italians) capitulated in Tunisia. On July 10, the Anglo-Americans landed in Sicily. 19-20 July Mussolini meets with Hitler in Feltre, asking him to organize the defense of Sicily; but Hitler, busy with the battle on the Kursk Bulge, was unable to help his ally and demanded that Mussolini evacuate Sicily.

Arrest and "Republic of Salo"

By this time, among the elite, including even the top of the Fascist Party, a conviction had formed about the need to remove Mussolini and withdraw from the war. Upon news of the landing in Sicily, the leaders of the Fascist Party, led by Dino Grandi, began to insist that Mussolini convene the Great Fascist Council, which had not met since 1939. The Council was convened on July 24 under the chairmanship of Grandi and passed a resolution demanding the resignation of Mussolini and the transfer of supreme command army into the hands of the king. Mussolini did not recognize this resolution as binding on himself, but the next day he was summoned to an audience with the king and was arrested there. A government led by Marshal Pietro Badoglio was formed and began secret negotiations with the Anglo-Americans. The news of Mussolini's arrest caused violent anti-fascist protests, and on July 27 the dissolution of the fascist party was announced.

Badoglio began secret negotiations with the allies about leaving the war, and on September 3 a truce was signed, one of the points of which was the surrender of Mussolini. On the same day, the Anglo-Americans began landing in Italy. On September 8, Italy's withdrawal from the war was officially announced. In response, the Germans occupied Italy.

On 12 September, Mussolini, who was being held at the Hotel Albergo Rifugio in the Apennine Mountains, was freed by German paratroopers under the command of Otto Skorzeny. He was taken to a meeting with Hitler, from there to Lombardy, where he headed the puppet “Italian Social Republic” with its capital in the town of Salo (the so-called “Republic of Salo”). In fact, all power in this formation belonged to the German military.

Death

In April 1945, upon learning of the impending surrender German troops in Italy, Mussolini headed to Como, and from there to Menaggio, where he hoped to gather the remnants of the Blackshirts. After nothing came of this plan, on the morning of April 27, Mussolini, along with his mistress Clara (Claretta) Petacci, and other leaders of the Republic of Salo joined a convoy of German trucks heading north. At noon, the column was stopped by a picket of the 52nd Garibaldi Brigade (commander - “Pedro” - Count P. Bellini della Stelle, commissar - Bill - U. Lazzaro). After a shootout, the partisans agreed to let the convoy through on the condition that the Italian fascists be handed over to them. They tried to pass off Mussolini as a German by dressing him in the uniform of a Luftwaffe non-commissioned officer. However, Commissioner Bill and communist partisan D. Negri identified Mussolini, after which he was arrested. The fascists created a group to free Mussolini, but the group was detained by communist partisans. Mussolini and Clara Petacci were sent to the village of Giulina di Mezzegra, where they were kept in a peasant house under conditions of strict secrecy. Meanwhile, the allied command, having learned about Mussolini's arrest, persistently demanded that the National Liberation Committee hand over the dictator to him. For their part, the communist members of the KNO decided to shoot the dictator and all the fascist leaders arrested with him. For this purpose, Colonel Valerio (Walter Audisio) was sent with a detachment to Giulina di Mezzegra, equipped with a mandate vesting him with emergency powers on behalf of the CCNO. Mussolini and Petacci were taken to Villa Belmonte, near the fence of which it was decided to shoot Mussolini. Audisi invited Petacci to step aside, but she grabbed Mussolini’s sleeve and tried to shield him with her body. As a result, she died along with Mussolini.

Moreover, there is strange story about the place where the Duce was executed. 10 years before his death, he was driving near Mezere, and his car almost fell off a cliff. Mussolini then said “Damn this place.” It was there, years later, that he was shot.

The bodies of Mussolini and Petacci were brought to Milan. At a gas station near Piazza Loretto, where 15 partisans were executed on August 10, 1944, they, along with the bodies of 5 other executed fascist party leaders, were hanged upside down. After this, the ropes were cut, and the bodies lay in the gutter for some time. On May 1, Mussolini and Petacci were buried in Milan's Cimitero Maggiore cemetery, in a plot for the poor.

Hobby

From a young age he plays the violin. This is his favorite instrument

The Duce practiced fencing, swimming, skiing, horse riding, went for long runs along the beach, and participated in regattas. He was involved in flying sports. In his hobbies, Mussolini led the movement for healthy image life.

Mussolini in cinema

Many films have been made about the life and death of Mussolini, of which the following stand out: the Italian-English film directed by Franco Zeffirelli “Tea with Mussolini” ( Tea with Mussolini, ), American "Mussolini and I" ( Mussolini and I, ), American-Yugoslav production "Mussolini: The Untold Story" ( Mussolini: The Untold Story,