Benito Mussolini

Profession: Italian Dictator

Nationality:

Biography: One of the main leaders of the Axis Powers during World War II, Mussolini founded the Italian Fascist Party and was called 'Il Duce' or the leader by its members. In this capacity he governed Italy from 1922 until his dismissal in 1943 following Italy's collapse in World War II.

Mussolini organized the March on Rome in 1922 and was appointed prime minister, the youngest in history until Matteo Renzi's appointment in 2014. Following this he systematically destroyed the opposition forces. Aspiring to create a totalitarian state, he established dictatorial authority by both legal and extraordinary means.

Creating a strong alliance with Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany, Mussolini sought to establish an empire of his own. He annexed Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and officially joined the war on the side of Germany in 1940, just prior to the Fall of France. Italy did not have the military capability to conduct a lengthy war with the United States and the British Empire. The country suffered several disasters in Russia, North Africa and in Sicily, which the Allies occupied, followed by mainland Italy itself.

Dismissed by the government, Mussolini was rescued from house arrest by German paratroopers and put in charge of a client state in Northern Italy until 1945. Attempting to escape at the end of the war, Mussolini was captured, executed and his body hung upside down in public.

Born: July 29, 1883
Birthplace: Predappio, Forlì, Italy

Generation: Lost Generation
Star Sign: Leo

Died: April 28, 1945 (aged 61)
Cause of Death: Shot by communist partisans