Benito Mussolini Dbq

World War I devastated countries throughout Europe. Economies collapsed and dismantled the way of life for the majority of people, especially in Germany. The Allied powers had blamed them for being the perpetrator of the war and so they punished Germany severally. In the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin ruled the country with an iron fist that resulted in millions dead and/or starving. In Italy, the country had been promised territory but never received any land. Powerful dictators such as Adolf Hitler of Nazi Germany, Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union, and Benito Mussolini of Fascist Italy either promised to bring change to their countries, or were just brutal even in the beginning. Economical failures, striking fear in the people, and nationalism

He believed that only a strong leader like himself could defeat conflicts caused by other political parties (especially communists/socialists) and post-war problems (World War I). Mussolini’s first call to action was creating a group called the “Blackshirts” that would carry out beatings against communist leaders and throwing them out of office. People of all different backgrounds joined including teachers, business people, and store owners (Document 5). Mussolini constantly told his people that he was going to restore Italy back to its glorious Roman Empire era. He backed up his sayings by invading Ethiopia. The people of Italy and Mussolini himself wanted to boost Italy’s national prestige. Their prestige had been damaged during the first Italian-Ethiopian War when Italy became the first European country to lose to an African nation. Italy’s modernized military allowed for a swift victory. The win over Ethiopia allowed Mussolini to rebuild Italy with the natural resources that the country had available (Document 6). Benito Mussolini gained the support of many Italians from his encouraging and motivating