Why Did Benito Mussolini Rise To Power?

After World War One, Italy was in shambles. Italy had entered the war in support of the allies and has emerged victorious. They lost more men than Britain but less than France. Despite this, Italy gained little territory in the Treaty of Versailles because President Wilson was not in support of more colonies. Italy’s political, economic, cultural, and territorial circumstance after World War One precipitated Benito Mussolini’s rise to power. Overall, the weak Liberal government faced great political, social and economic problems after the Great War, even though they were one of the victor countries. In immediate post war chaos, the economy collapsed, and nationalism rose. As an underdeveloped nation going into the war, Italy’s lack of …show more content…
Italy’s socioeconomic circumstance allowed Mussolini to rise to power. The Italian people’s disaffection with the political parties in power, and the common feeling of frustration towards Italy’s lack of territorial gains in the treaty of Versailles, enabled the public to be susceptible to Mussolini’s propaganda. Although his quest for a revived Italian empire did not come into full fruition, Benito Mussolini has left a large impact on international politics today. Donald Trump, the leading republican presidential candidate, tweeted a quote from the fascist dictator recently. He tweeted that “It is better to live one year as a lion than 100 years as a sheep.” Trump is in no way a fascist, saying that minimizes past tragedies and gives Trump credit for something he knows nothing about. But the situation in which they rose to power is surprisingly similar. Trump as well as Mussolini benefits from public discontent with their country 's situation. Although, America’s current socioeconomic situation is nowhere near as desperate as Italy’s after the First World War. Benito Mussolini’s empires still echoes throughout international politics, and his propaganda tactics are resourced by multiple rising political