Mussolini: The Rise and Fall of Il Duce – Review
When many people think of the Axis powers of the Second World War, they often think of Germany and Japan. But the Axis began between Germany and Italy and Benito Mussolini played a major role in that.
What kind of leader was Mussolini? Christopher Hibbert goes into great detail in his biography, Mussolini: The Rise and Fall of Il Duce. He takes readers from his humble birth to his execution by his own people.
While Mussolini is identified with fascism, he actually began as a radical promoter of socialism. It took some time for Mussolini to become dissatisfied with socialism and to switch to the other extreme. It almost seemed that all that mattered is that there were people who looked up to him and that there was a worldview around which his support could gather.
One of the things that I found very interesting was the relationship between Mussolini and Hitler. While at first Mussolini really detested Hitler, Hitler seemed to have a genuine fondness for Mussolini. Hitler repeatedly came to Mussolini’s aid, which may have been motivated by friendship but ultimately battered down Mussolini’s ego.
Mussolini, while wildly popular in Italy leading up to the war, was jealous of Hitler. At least at the beginning, everything Hitler touched turned to victory. Unfortunately for Mussolini, his equipment and people did not allow him to duplicate Hitler’s success on the battlefield.
While Hibbert clearly shares the ugly side of Mussolini, as his story progresses, it comes easy to pity Mussolini. He becomes a broken man. His body and spirit crumbled as he saw the direction his destiny was taking him.
I very much enjoyed this biography and would recommend it to anyone wanting to get a better understanding of Mussolini and the Italian experience of the war.
