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How Mussolini Came to Power

A turbulent childhood paved the way for the Il Duce’s use of force to bend the will of the Italian people.
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How Mussolini Came to Power
Benito Mussolini as a political leader, from Tempo, Oct. 26, 1939. Public Domain
Walker Larson
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In 1919, Benito Mussolini looked like just another failed politician.

His defeat seemed so complete after he lost his seat in the Italian Chamber of Deputies that his socialist opponents carted around a coffin symbolizing, they said, the death and burial of Mussolini’s career.

Walker Larson
Walker Larson
Author
Prior to becoming a freelance journalist and culture writer, Walker Larson taught literature and history at a private academy in Wisconsin, where he resides with his wife and daughter. He holds a master's in English literature and language, and his writing has appeared in The Hemingway Review, Intellectual Takeout, and his Substack, The Hazelnut. He is also the author of two novels, "Hologram" and "Song of Spheres."