RE: Mussolini
September 13, 2009 at 6:01 am
(This post was last modified: September 13, 2009 at 6:03 am by Oldandeasilyconfused.)
Older Italians (my dad's) generation remembered Benny fondly for getting the trains to run on time.
Mussolini's fantasy was to recreate the Roman Empire,with himself as Caesar,naturally.
He founded the fascist party and made true Upton Sinclair's description of fascism as "Capitalism plus murder". He came to power,and held it as Hitler did,by the simple expedient murdering any and all opposition. An indicator of his ruthlessness was that he had his son-in-law executed because the Nazis told him to.
Mussolini also signed the Lateran Treaty in 1929,which made the Vatican legallly a state in its own right, with all that implies. (I stopped myself here from going off on a tangent about the history of the Papal States,Garibaldi,and the unification of Italy,all of which I find fascinating)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateran_Treaty
Under Mussolini,Italy invaded Ethiopia (again) in 1935,but were unsuccessful.
Mussolini's fantasy was to recreate the Roman Empire,with himself as Caesar,naturally.
He founded the fascist party and made true Upton Sinclair's description of fascism as "Capitalism plus murder". He came to power,and held it as Hitler did,by the simple expedient murdering any and all opposition. An indicator of his ruthlessness was that he had his son-in-law executed because the Nazis told him to.
Mussolini also signed the Lateran Treaty in 1929,which made the Vatican legallly a state in its own right, with all that implies. (I stopped myself here from going off on a tangent about the history of the Papal States,Garibaldi,and the unification of Italy,all of which I find fascinating)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateran_Treaty
Under Mussolini,Italy invaded Ethiopia (again) in 1935,but were unsuccessful.
