Fascist Leaders: Benito Mussolini And Adolf Hitler

Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler were both fascist leaders during World War 2 and the lead up to it. Fascism was first founded by Mussolini once World War I ended. He gained support very fast from unemployed war veterans, also known as Black Shirts, who helped him torment any opponents he had politically. When Italy fell into a great political mess he slid into power by telling people he was the only option to save Italy. Mussolini’s military was uncomparable, he would invade countries around him and take over their government and military to add onto his. All of Mussolini’s work led to Adolf Hitler wanting to be a dictator of the same type and having complete control of Germany. Hitler's takeover began with his involvement with the Nazi

The first group he needed to gain support from was the Fascists themselves, and the outsiders who were not followers of the fascist group. One of the ways he did this was from the assassination of a socialist leader named Giacomo Matteotti. Matteotti was a critic of the fascists and tried to get Parliament to turn down the Acerbo Law of 1923. Mussolini got his fascist group to kidnap and kill Matteotti, which lead to others to boycott Parliament and give Mussolini the power to put fear into those eyes who were not apart of the Fascists. In Benito Mussolini’s “Afternoon Speech,” he tells his listeners that “I have the impression that the present regime in Italy has failed. It is clear to everyone that a crisis now exists. During the war all of us sensed the inadequacy of the government; today we know that our victory was due solely to the virtues of the Italian people, not to the intelligence and ability of its leaders.” This part of his speech is a great example of how Mussolini manipulated Italians to like him for the person he was putting himself off to be. He told his fellow followers that they were the reason for their victory, not the leaders that stood before

Hitler’s ideals leaned on how Mussolini gained his power and how he worked his own government. Hitler was gaining support from the Nazi political party before anything, and used his amazing public speaking skills to attract newcomers fast. In the early stages, him and his Nazi group spent most of their money on newspapers and posters to get attention out there to gain easy support. Hitler used mass meetings as one of his most powerful ways to gain support. Written in the Mein Kampf, which was by Hitler himself he states, “The mass meeting is also necessary for the reason that in it the individual, who at first, while becoming a supporter of a young movement, feels lonely and easily succumbs to the fear of being alone, for the first time gets the picture of a larger community, which in most people has a strengthening encouraging effect…” This is an important part of his literature because he is telling us that an individual who may have his own individual thoughts about Hitler, is too scared to voice them allowed, and be alone. Even if he is not so political he feels like he is now due to the mass pressure that is surrounding him making him think that their thoughts are indeed better and correct compared to his. These mass meetings were imperative for his rise as a totalitarian