Mussolini: The First Fascist

Mussolini seized power in Italy in 1922, after his March on Rome. He would hold it in his grasp until his death in 1945, establishing a dictatorship that lasted more than 20 years. Long considered a buffoon and a second-rate dictator, Il Duce invented fascism that was imitated by Hitler, who viewed the Italian as his political master. He wanted to transform his country into a warrior nation and promised Italians a return to the grandeur of the Roman Empire. He governed by violence and trickery and was one of the first populist leaders of modern times, leading his country into the catastrophe of the World War II. But who was Mussolini, this former teacher who came from the extreme left to become a newspaper editor and creator of the Fascist Party? Why did he ally himself with Hitler? Were the Italians really behind him? With archives and interviews with the last-surviving witnesses of the era, this portrait takes a look back at one of the most notorious dictators of the 20th century.

Created by Serge de Sampigny

Images

Cast

Jacques Gamblin

Narrator (voice)

Benito Mussolini

Self (archive footage)

Piero Gandini

Self - Son of a fascist industrialist

Santino Picchetti

Self - Former communist deputy

Marta Badoni

Self - Daughter of a fascist industrialist

King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy

Self (archive footage)

Adriano Monti

Self - Fascist activist

Aldo Bonucci

Self - Fascist activist

Carlo Benvenuti

Self - Son of a fascist activist

Silvana Ajò Cagli

Self - Victim of Mussolini

Antonio Tombesi

Self - Fascist activist

Lidia Menapace

Self - Anti-fascist resistant

Edda Ciano Mussolini

Self (archive footage)

Seasons

Related

How to Become a Tyrant

20217.3out of 10

Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United States

20127.7out of 10

Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos

20248.3out of 10

Hitler's Circle of Evil

20187.2out of 10

The New York Times Presents

20207.0out of 10

Pee-wee as Himself

20257.9out of 10

World War II with Tom Hanks

20268.1out of 10

MOURINHO

20267.7out of 10

Churchill at War

20247.6out of 10

History 101

20207.1out of 10

Apocalypse: War of Worlds (1945-1991)

20197.8out of 10

Death of the Pastor's Wife

20267.4out of 10

World War II: From the Frontlines

20238.0out of 10

The Vietnam War

20178.2out of 10

Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial

20247.5out of 10

Chef's Table

20157.7out of 10