He was greatly admired in his time. FDR modeled much of the New Deal on Fascist themes. Mussolini's problem is that he was blinded by an imperial dream and was destroyed in overstretch. Italy did not have the resources to match his appetite. After Hitler came to power, Mussolini eventually became entangled with Germany and drowned with it during the war.

Heroic great leader who brought Italy into the 20th century, also completed the dreams of the Risorgimento and unified Italy and tamed the tyrants of the Vatican. His only fault was getting involved with the Axis powers and leader Italy disastorsly into WWII. He overextended himself with his ill conceived invasion of Ethiopia. The world's failure to act upon Italy's invasion of Ethiopia was a disgrace. Fortunalty the British Empire finally acted and delivered Ethiopia from the Axis invaders.

Just as savage and as ruthless of a dictator as Hitler, only this one could be argued as getting his just deserves.

Got less than he deserved...hung him upside down by his bollocks....... Favorite song was I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts........

He didn't come to a very dignified end.

I aways though he was just another thug in a long list. Usually seems to get rate about the same as hitler probably due to his relationship and time in history. Did not follow hitlers order to kill jews in Italy. He did not see the point.

Just another humiliated Hitler puppet with poor military leadership skills. I don't know if dragging him through Rome was fitting for a man like him, but it would have been better for the world for him to die sooner rather than later. He spurred on evil propoganda, led his military to disaster, as I said and under him, Italy went to ruins.

mussolini was a dusch bomb

Mussolini deserves credit for being a modernizing influence for Italy. He was a fascist, a very strong nationalist. He transformed the constitutional monarchy Italy had during the early 1920's into a dictatorship. He strongly opposed political opposition, particularly the socialists and the communists. He organized the economy in the form of a fascist corporate state; a model for governing that was popular in Europe at the time, witness the rise of Franco in Spain and Hitler in Germany. Italy's system was based on heavy government control of the economy. It was a corporatist system essentially; independent trade unions were destroyed and government guilds represented the monied interests within society. The Lateran Treaty basically made Roman Catholicism the state religion of Italy, state and religion were no longer separated. For all their similarities, Hitler and Mussolini were cool towards each other until after the Italy's 1935 invasion of Ethoipia, when he reached out to Germany. The next year, Hitler and Mussolini both assisted Francisco Franco in the Spanish Civil War. Broadly, what was happening in the Western World during the 1930's was an epoch struggle of ideas; socialism and communism versus right-wing fascism. Some like Britain and France remained moderate liberal states. In 1939, this fascist network was formalized with the establishment of Axis Powers which later on included Japan along with Germany and Italy. Many aspect of the fascist program were not popular in Italy, among them anti-semitic policies forced on Mussolini by Hitler. The foreign wars in Ethiopia and Spain were not inspiring nationalism like the Duce had hoped. People were so ambivalent about foreign entanglements that Mussolini didn't enter World War 2 on Germany's side until France had fallen in 1940. Mussolini turned out to be a very poor military leader; Italy failed to be a effective fighting force in the African theatre and as a result, the Allies invaded Italy in 1943. At this point, the king, who was head of state, dismissed Mussolini and placed him under house arrest; many people didn't appreciate the fact that Hitler essentially dictated policy to Italy. Nonetheless, Hitler ended up ordering a rescue operation to free Mussolini and he established a puppet state in Northern Italy which Hitler had control of. When Germany fell in mid-1945, Mussolini was court martialed and executed. His body was dragged down the streets of Milan and was hung in a public execution. His war leadership was atrocious, but he deserves credit for modernizing Italy's infrastructure. Mussolini wasn't the worst totalitarian by a long shot, he did what he thought was right for his country. However, the power just went to his head and he began swimming with the wrong crowd.

Mussolini is a study in contrasts. He managed to do a considerable amount of good domestically in Italy, but his foreign policy brought nothing but disaster to Italy. Hitler was, believe it or not, once a disciple of Mussolini, but the roles were reversed in a rather brief span of time. The Italians followed Mussolini initially, but tended to become less enthusiastic as his foreign misadventures multiplied. There are plenty of older Italians today who will tell you that you can make all the jokes you want, but that the trains DID run on time under Mussolini (and they don't today), that you were safer walking the streets, and that things overall weren't so bad. They do fault him for making a really bad decision to ally with Hitler. Some of his policies were applied rather haphazardly and erratically. One of the prime examples was his anti-Semitic policy (which was prompted by Hitler's and, ostensibly was just as harsh). In practice, anti-Semitic laws were largely ignored by Italians in all segments of society (although there were some brutal exceptions). About 80% of Italian Jews managed to survive with assistance from ordinary Italians (and at times with active collusion from police authorities). OK, I'm getting off subject here. Mussolini himself would have been remembered in a much more positive light had he not allied himself with Hitler. Many Italians charactereize him as a fesso, which translates more or less as dummy, but has connotations in Italian of one who is just not smart enough to outwit people seeking to take advantage of him.

Three stars for his effectiveness as a domestic leader in Italy after the ravages of the First World War, and as a unifying force in the country. Yet he was a tyrant of the type common in early to mid century, and as a military leader he was a disastrous failure (and believe me this was a damned good thing).

Hung by a noose and torn limb for limb by his own people - a fitting tribute to the greatest salesman of modern day fascism.

stupid motherf*cker. his military was weak and he became hitler's puppet

• Benito Mussolini hired people to cultivate land so that it could be used for farming and constructing buildings • He increased the size of Italy’s transport system like the train, buses, airplanes and roads, this created a lot of jobs for people to construct them and to ride them • Brought up Italy’s education • Built up Italy’s military this created many jobs • Italy’s military technology skyrocketed this created hi-tech jobs • Started up social security where pensioners and low income people got some money to pay there bills and other stuff • Expanded Italy’s empire

in the end he was merely a humiliated puppet.

showed what does fascism actually mean!

Origianaly a Social-democrat writter who became a Ultra-nationalist, he was promiscues and an athiest. Most of what has been writen in English about this guy comes from Cambrage University (Left wing) who have delibrately mistranslated his comments, articals, delibrately leaving imporant bits out, as well as making many false claimes about him. Most Italians (including mainly center and left wing ones) are angry at the British for changing their history contrary to what they lived through. He was very ANTI-racist (prime facist party policy after its principles): highly subidising families who adopted black children whose parents have been killed in battle, (more on his anti racism, I can write an essay on it)... The British politicaly pressured him on to Hitlers side after he advised them to watch him as his bulding up is dagerous and to join him in a coelition against Germany. Mussolini also advised the USA about Japan (who were also Ultranationalist)... Exapantionist war monger and lost a son in this process. As a leader he orginized things efficiently, drained swamps thus eliminating maleria, has been said that his Compulsury education to a certain age temperelily eliminated the IQ problem in the south, jailing all the mafia, arbitrated with the Unions - increasing pay almost when every time asked, got rid of the communist & socialist(social-democrat) malitias that were burning down houses & farms - threateniing people they will do the same to them if they did not vote for them, got the trains running on time, gave authority to party members to oppress individuals,...[I have been compiling this mainly from what people who lived under him have told me.]

Probably the most insignificant of the famous 20th century leaders, who cares? Italy could barely beat Ethiopia in their military battle. The Italians showed sense when they flocked to the Allies side when we invaded Italy.

He got what he deserved- killed by his own people and paraded through Rome and beaten by his own people.

RANK HIM UP THERE WITH ADOLF HITLER, JOSEF STALIN, OSAMA BIN LADEN, AND SADDAM HUSSEIN! ANOTHER HORRIBLE EUROPEAN LEADER!

Better than Clinton.

Benito Mussolini is an insult to humanity and the Italian nationality. He aided in Hitler's propaganda machine so that Fascism could begin to rule the world. Along with Hitler and Emporer Hirohito of Japan, he comprised the Axis powers that attempted to achieve world domination through slavery and ethnic cleansing. I don't know if he deserved to be burned and carried around Rome after his death, but he was definitely a terrible man.

Of course,as has been pointed out,Mussolini had his strengths(dictators usually do!)and i've no doubt if he and Hitler had won the war,the trains would have continued running on time...while millions -unimaginable numbers- would have been horrifically enslaved and slaughtered.The consequences for the world,for every country,for us all,simply don't bear thinking about.