The Final Moments of Benito Mussolini

Sep 1, 2022 | Benito Mussolini was one of the most notorious dictators of the 20th century. But how did his empire come crashing down? What happened in his gruesome final moments? And how did he wind up in a monastery after his death? …

The very unpleasant end of a tyrant and his regime. Such unpleasantness comes to them all. Not always in the same way, of course, but always unpleasant and usually cruel as the people determine to seek their revenge. — © Mark Alexander

Mussolini's Fall from Grace | Documentary | Part 2

May 16, 2024 | In the mid-1930s, after 15 years in power, Mussolini remained unsatisfied with his accomplishments. Becoming increasingly radical, he was consumed by a singular obsession: to transform Italians into "new men" and Italy into a warrior nation.

By 1938, having already defeated the Left in the 1920s and the Ethiopians in the mid-1930s, he identified a new enemy: the Jews.

Aligning himself with Hitler, whom he believed would assist him in establishing a new empire along the Mediterranean shores, Mussolini found Italy less willing to rally behind him.


For Part 1, click here.

Rise to Power: Mussolini's March on Rome I Documentary | Part 1

May 19, 2024 | In the fall of 1922, former teacher and journalist Benito Mussolini had only recently been elected to parliament when he seized power. His legal coup d’état, which began on 24 October in Naples, was a masterstroke. Standing before 40,000 Fascist party members, he issued an ultimatum to the fragile Italian parliamentary monarchy: “Either they hand us the power, or we will descend on Rome!”

The militants, wearing black shirts and armed with clubs, headed for the capital. Following on from this legendary march on Rome, Mussolini headed up a totalitarian regime that lasted two decades.

The first episode of this portrait of Il Duce will explore how Mussolini took power and consolidated it until the Second Italo-Ethiopian War in the mid-1930s.

He was a populist leader in terms of how he spoke to the Italian people, and a dictator in terms of how he exerted his power. He came from the extreme left but governed from the extreme right. Mussolini invented the new ideology of fascism and was helped in his mission by the business community who wanted an end to left-wing rule.

Despite his brutality, he sought to please the Italian people, promising them a return to the grandeur of Rome. He enjoyed undeniable success for several years, both at home and abroad, until his inevitable downfall.

Mussolini & Hitler: The Alliance That Broke Italy I PART 1 | SLICE WHO

Jun 9, 2025 | In the mid-1930s, Mussolini’s ambition to forge “new men” and a Mediterranean empire led him from conquering Ethiopia to allying with Hitler.

This film traces his radicalization, the rise of anti-Jewish laws in 1938, and Italy’s disillusioning World War II collapse. Deposed in July 1943, Il Duce resurfaced in northern Italy under Nazi protection, presiding over a brutal puppet regime.

Follow his final days in April 1945, when Italian partisans executed him and his mistress, leaving his once-admired legacy in ruins. A gripping portrait of power, ideology, and downfall.

Documentary : Mussolini, The First Fascist EP:2 The Fall Of A Dictator
Direction : Serge de Sampigny
Production : Histodoc (2021)


PART TWO.
PART THREE.
PART FOUR.

The Dictators: Mussolini | Full Documentary

Dec 26, 2024 | Power, control, and terror are the hallmarks of dictatorship. This series explores 20th-century tyrants, starting with Benito Mussolini. From his humble beginnings as the son of a blacksmith to becoming Italy's fascist leader, Mussolini's reign was marked by violence and brutality. As the founder of fascism and a key figure in Italy's expansionist policies, he was responsible for up to 1 million deaths and immense suffering. His life and legacy reflect the devastating impact of authoritarian rule and the dark side of political ambition.

Cast: Guy Walters, Lisa Pine
Director: Ben Sempey
Licensed through EM Productions Ltd


With fascism on the rise again, we all need to familiarise ourselves with the dangers that lie ahead. – © Mark Alexander

Becoming Il Duce: Mussolini's Fascist Revolution | Full Documentary | Episode 1

May 25, 2024 | In the fall of 1922, former teacher and journalist Benito Mussolini had only recently been elected to parliament when he seized power. His legal coup d’état, which began on 24 October in Naples, was a masterstroke. Standing before 40,000 Fascist party members, he issued an ultimatum to the fragile Italian parliamentary monarchy: “Either they hand us the power, or we will descend on Rome!” The militants, wearing black shirts and armed with clubs, headed for the capital. Following on from this legendary march on Rome, Mussolini headed up a totalitarian regime that lasted two decades.

The first episode of this portrait of Il Duce will explore how Mussolini took power and consolidated it until the Second Italo-Ethiopian War in the mid-1930s. He was a populist leader in terms of how he spoke to the Italian people, and a dictator in terms of how he exerted his power. He came from the extreme left but governed from the extreme right. Mussolini invented the new ideology of fascism and was helped in his mission by the business community who wanted an end to left-wing rule. Despite his brutality, he sought to please the Italian people, promising them a return to the grandeur of Rome. He enjoyed undeniable success for several years, both at home and abroad, until his inevitable downfall.

Documentary: Mussolini, The First Fascist – Episode 1: The Word and the Cosh (2021)
Direction: Serge de Sampigny
Production: Histodoc

'Why Aren't People More Alarmed?': As Trump Becomes More Extreme, Americans Get Used to It

Oct 19, 2024 | Donald Trump's campaign rhetoric has become so extreme that analysts and historians are openly comparing him to Hitler and Mussolini. And yet the American public seems to treat him with the same semi-seriousness that has characterized his entire political career. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, New York University history professor, and Jason Stanley, Yale University philosophy professor, discuss with Ali Velshi.

Italiens neue Faschisten | ARTE Re:

Jan 20, 2023 | Wie Neofaschisten Italien infiltrieren

Die rechtsextreme Aktivistin Desideria Raggi ist ins norditalienische Predappio gereist. Im Heimatort Mussolinis feiern Faschismus-Nostalgiker das hundertjährige Jubiläum zum Machtantritt des Duce. Auch zahlreiche junge Rechtsextreme wie Desideria Raggi pilgern zur Mussolini-Gruft. Unter vielen jungen Leuten in Italien gilt rechtsextrem sein bereits als cool. „Fascio-Rock“-Konzerte, aber auch intellektuelle „Treffen für Tradition und Identität“ finden immer häufiger statt.

Wenige Wochen später zieht der Gründer der identitären Bewegung „Festung Europa“, Emanuele Tesauro, mit einem Protest-Fackelzug von rechtsextremen Gruppen aus ganz Norditalien durch Mailand. Tesauro zählt schon lange zur militanten rechten Szene. Heute schließen sich ihm immer mehr junge Leute an. In Verona, dem historischen Nabel der italienischen Neofaschisten, bekommt ARTE Einblick in viele verborgene Treffpunkte der rechtsextremen Szene.

Gegner der Neofaschisten ist der Journalist Paolo Berizzi, der seit 20 Jahren über den italienischen Rechtsextremismus und seine europäische Vernetzung schreibt. Wegen Morddrohungen lebt er unter 24-stündigem Polizeischutz. Berizzi erwartet das Urteil im Prozess gegen einen Neofaschisten. Am Tag der Verkündung ist ARTE dabei.

Reportage (D 2022, 32 Min)
Video verfügbar bis zum 19/01/2024

Terra X History: Mussolini - Der erste Faschist | Doku (2023)

Jul 11, 2023

Benito Mussolini: The Father of Fascism | Evolution of Evil | Timeline

Jul 28, 2022 | The rise and fall of Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini, whose involvement in the creation of fascism made him a role model to Adolf Hitler and other 20th-century dictators.
This documentary is age-restricted; so it cannot be embedded on external websites. For this reason, it must be watched on YouTube itself. Please click here to watch it.

The Origins of Mussolini's Italy | Secrets of War | Timeline

Jan 10, 2021 | An inside look at fascist Italy. Starting with Mussolini's rise to power, the unknown stories of the shadowy figures who protected "Il Duce" and the tenuous Axis relationship with Nazi Germany.

Italiens neue Faschisten | ARTE Re:

Jan 20, 2023 | Wie Neofaschisten Italien infiltrieren Die rechtsextreme Aktivistin Desideria Raggi ist ins norditalienische Predappio gereist. Im Heimatort Mussolinis feiern Faschismus-Nostalgiker das hundertjährige Jubiläum zum Machtantritt des Duce. Auch zahlreiche junge Rechtsextreme wie Desideria Raggi pilgern zur Mussolini-Gruft. Unter vielen jungen Leuten in Italien gilt rechtsextrem sein bereits als cool. „Fascio-Rock“-Konzerte, aber auch intellektuelle „Treffen für Tradition und Identität“ finden immer häufiger statt.

Wenige Wochen später zieht der Gründer der identitären Bewegung „Festung Europa“, Emanuele Tesauro, mit einem Protest-Fackelzug von rechtsextremen Gruppen aus ganz Norditalien durch Mailand. Tesauro zählt schon lange zur militanten rechten Szene. Heute schließen sich ihm immer mehr junge Leute an. In Verona, dem historischen Nabel der italienischen Neofaschisten, bekommt ARTE Einblick in viele verborgene Treffpunkte der rechtsextremen Szene.

Gegner der Neofaschisten ist der Journalist Paolo Berizzi, der seit 20 Jahren über den italienischen Rechtsextremismus und seine europäische Vernetzung schreibt. Wegen Morddrohungen lebt er unter 24-stündigem Polizeischutz. Berizzi erwartet das Urteil im Prozess gegen einen Neofaschisten. Am Tag der Verkündung ist ARTE dabei.

Reportage (D 2022, 32 Min)
Video verfügbar bis zum 19/01/2024

Der starke Mann führt Italien in den Abgrund – vor hundert Jahren übernahm Benito Mussolini die Macht

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Der Duce versprach eine Revolution, sie endete in der Katastrophe. In Propagandafilmen und auf Propagandafotos wird das Wesen des Faschismus sichtbar.

Der «Duce» spricht zu seinem Volk, Rom 1938. | Imago
Der Führer

Das ist ein Mann! Benito Mussolini reitet, ficht, schwimmt, sogar fliegen kann er. Der Duce zeigt sich gerne in Sportlerpose, mit nacktem Oberkörper auf dem Traktor, mit Fliegerhaube im Cockpit. Immer ist er der Stärkste und der Beste. Er verkörpert die neue Zeit, die Zeit des Faschismus, eine Zeit der Kraft, der Motoren, der Schnelligkeit, auch eine Zeit des Kampfs, des Muts und des Übermuts. Die Männer bewundern diesen Mann, die Frauen himmeln ihn an. Korbweise erhält Mussolini Fanpost und Liebesbriefe aus allen Gegenden Italiens.

Mussolini, Sohn einer Lehrerin und eines Spenglers, ist der Erfinder des Faschismus. Seine politische Karriere beginnt er als sozialistischer Agitator und Journalist. Der Pazifist wird 1915 zum Kriegshetzer, das ist seine Wende. Die neue Ideologie entwickelt er über Jahre hinweg, von Tag zu Tag, von Artikel zu Artikel, von Rede zu Rede, aus der Praxis heraus, je nach Laune und Umständen. Sie ist nichts weiter als eine Sammlung von Sprüchen zu Arbeit und Pflicht, Ordnung und Gehorsam, Volk und Grösse. Die «Aktion» bestimmt die Richtung. Die Theorie erledigen andere. Mit Videos » | Andres Wysling, Rom | Freitag, 14. Oktober 2022

Biography: Benito Mussolini

A Look at How a Racial Theorist Tied to Mussolini & Hitler Influenced Steve Bannon

Journalist Joshua Green talks about two men who influenced Steve Bannon’s philosophy: the Italian philosopher Julius Evola, whose ideas became the basis of fascist racial theory, and René Guénon, who developed an anti-modernism philosophy called "Traditionalism." Green writes about Evola and Guénon in his new book, "Devil’s Bargain: Steve Bannon, Donald Trump, and the Storming of the Presidency."

Fascism: Mussolini in Power

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Mussolini Cult Alive and Well in Italy
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Every year, thousands of people in Italy hang a fresh calendar of images depicting Benito Mussolini on their wall, just one of many indications that the cult of "Il Duce" is alive and well in the country. Many still consider the fascist dictator to have been an honorable man, and it is a weakness that politicians such as Silvio Berlusconi have been able to exploit.

Decked out in army fatigues, his hand raised in fascist salute, he emblazons newsstands, lies ready in bookshops and is splashed across countless websites: Benito Mussolini, the Italian dictator and founder of fascism known simply as "Il Duce", enjoys massive popularity in Italy as a calendar pin-up. One month he's in a steel helmet, his chin jutting sharply forward, the next he's clutching a Roman short sword, the famous chin still at attention. His valiant, steel-helmeted soldiers also march on annually, in color or black and white, accompanied by fascist symbols like the swastika.

Foreign tourists, especially Germans, are shocked when they see these openly flaunted calendars. Yet even in 2013, the former Italian dictator has a loyal fan base at home. And they're not just buying calendars. » | Hans-Jürgen Schlamp in Rome | Tuesday, January 08, 2013

Le Premier ministre turc compare le président syrien Assad à Hitler

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Le Premier ministre turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan a de nouveau critiqué le président syrien Bachar al-Assad, comparant son attitude à celle des dictateurs comme Adolf Hitler ou Benito Mussolini.

Le Premier ministre turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan a demandé mardi la démission du président syrien Bachar al-Assad afin de «prévenir davantage d’effusion de sang» dans le pays. Damas a de son côté qualifié de «déclaration de guerre» un projet de résolution de l’Onu condamnant la répression de la contestation.

«Pour le salut de ton peuple, de ton pays et de la région, quitte désormais le pouvoir», a dit le chef du gouvernement turc devant le groupe parlementaire de son Parti de la justice et du développement (AKP). M. Erdogan, qui était un ami personnel du dirigeant syrien, avait déjà annoncé avoir rompu avec le régime de Damas, mais c’est la première fois qu’il demande ouvertement le départ de M. Assad.

M. Erdogan a aussi de nouveau critiqué M. Assad, qui s’est dit «tout à fait» prêt à combattre et à mourir s’il devait affronter des forces étrangères, comparant son attitude à celle des dictateurs comme Adolf Hitler ou Benito Mussolini. » | AFP | mardi 22 novembre 2011

Winston Churchill 'Ordered Assassination of Mussolini to Protect Compromising Letters’
THE TELEGRAPH: Winston Churchill ordered the assassination of Benito Mussolini as part of a plot to destroy potentially compromising secret letters he had sent the Italian dictator, a leading French historian has suggested.

Pierre Milza, an expert on fascist Italy, theorizes that the wartime prime minister may have wanted Mussolini dead to prevent the letters, in which Churchill expressed his admiration for his Italian counterpart before the outbreak of the Second World War, coming to light.

“There is no doubt, judging by his public declarations back in the 1920s and early 1930s, that Churchill was a fan of Mussolini. Roosevelt too,” Mr Milza said.

“Churchill even once said: 'Fascism has rendered a service to the entire world... If I were Italian, I am sure I would have been with you entirely’.

“But that was understandable in 1927, as then a fascist did not mean a friend of Hitler and accomplice to genocide. But when you are head of state and legitimate war hero of the British people, you don’t really want all that put up in lights.” >>> Henry Samuel, Paris | Thursday, September 02, 2010

Silvio Berlusconi
Compares Himself to Mussolini
THE TELEGRAPH: Silvio Berlusconi has compared himself to Benito Mussolini, complaining that like the Second World War leader he does not have enough real power.

The Italian prime minister said he empathised with Il Duce, who had complained that he lacked real authority and that true power lay with officials in his fascist administration.

Mr Berlusconi said he had recently been reading Mussolini's diaries, which had led him to reflect on the challenges of governing Italy in the 21st century.

"I will dare to quote you a phrase from someone considered a dictator, a great, powerful dictator, Benito Mussolini," the 73-year-old media tycoon told a news conference at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris.

"In his diary, I recently read this phrase. 'They say I have power. It isn't true. Maybe my party officials do. But I don't know. All I can do is say to my horse go right or left. And I have to be happy with that.'" >>> Nick Squires in Rome | Friday, May 28, 2010