1
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[man yelling a chant]

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[all chant]

3
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(all, in German) 
Heil! Sieg heil!

4
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(male narrator) Europe 2018.

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00:00:13,433 --> 00:00:16,033
From the Austria to Sweden,

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Hungary to Greece,

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ultranationalism 
is on the rise.

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[man yells]

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00:00:28,100 --> 00:00:31,266
(narrator) 
Fueled by xenophobia 
and a promise

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to fight for the rights 
of white Europeans,

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Extremist groups are emerging 
from the fringes

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and onto the public stage.

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It's a jarring sight.

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But the world 
has been here before.

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The ideologies 
that drive these groups

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can be traced back 
almost 100 years

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to one man...

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Italy's Benito Mussolini

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[cheering & chanting] 
Il Duce! Il Duce!

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Mussolini has been dismissed 
as a buffoon,

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a small-time tyrant who ruled

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in the shadow of Hitler 
and Stalin.

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But he was no one's disciple.

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We heard for years that Hitler 
taught Mussolini

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everything he knew-- 
in fact, it's the opposite.

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(narrator) 
Years before the Third Reich, 
Mussolini was the architect

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of a movement that would plunge 
the continent into darkness.

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He called it fascism.

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[cheering & chanting]

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(man) Il Duce! Il Duce!

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From undermining judges, 
to indoctrinating children,

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Mussolini pioneered tactics

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that other dictators would use 
to seize power.

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Mussolini absolutely 
wrote the blueprint

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for how to destroy a democracy.

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(narrator) 
How did this son of a blacksmith

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come to write key chapters 
of the dictator's playbook

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and turn himself 
into a modern Caesar?

39
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(woman) 
Dictatorships have had 
an incredible impact

40
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in the past century.

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These dictators ended up 
learning from one another.

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(man) 
They're all different but 
many use the same tactics.

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(woman) The use of terror. 
(man) Propaganda.

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(woman) Control the elites. 
Create an enemy.

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Cult of personality. 
(man) Use violence--

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These are tools that dictators 
use to stay in power.

47
00:02:34,733 --> 00:02:38,400
(man)

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(narrator) 
Benito Mussolini is born in 1883

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in the northern Italian 
village of Predappio.

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Like many Italians,

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his family lives 
in almost abject poverty.

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His father works hard 
as a blacksmith

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but making ends meet 
is difficult.

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Much of Italy remains 
an almost feudal society.

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While it has 
a limited democracy,

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most of the power rests with 
the king and his ministers.

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The majority of the population 
is rural and poor.

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Under these difficult 
conditions,

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Mussolini grows 
into a violent child.

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(Matthew Feldman) 
There were elements 
of his personality,

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that we could already see 
at a pretty young age,

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including a kind of attraction 
towards violence.

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I mean, this guy's expelled 
at the age of 11

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for knifing a fellow classmate.

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Something that he does 
again and again.

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He keeps getting in trouble for 
knifing people.

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(narrator) 
As he becomes a young man, 
much of his anger

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is directed at the backward 
nature of his country.

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As millions of his 
countrymen abandon Italy

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to seek a better life abroad,

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Mussolini becomes determined to

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change his country for the 
better, but he's not sure how.

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Even though he wasn't religious 
himself, he saw himself,

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00:04:00,533 --> 00:04:02,900
very similar to Hitler, 
as a man of providence.

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Someone almost divinely 
appointed

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to heal Italy's rifts.

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(narrator) 
Like his father before him,

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he is drawn to 
an extreme form of socialism.

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It calls for 
a violent revolution

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that will strip the rich 
of their wealth

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and share it with the poor.

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(Ruth Ben-Ghiat) Mussolini had 
a rebellious, hothead temper.

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He wanted an overthrow of 
everything, he was a disrupter.

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(Matthew Feldman) 
This is a violent man willing 
to use violent means, either

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politically, or personally, 
right from the start.

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00:04:35,966 --> 00:04:39,266
(narrator) 
His violent nature brings him

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into frequent conflict 
with the law.

88
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July 1903.

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After moving to nearby 
Switzerland,

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Mussolini is arrested 
for allegedly

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trying to incite a revolution.

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He's deported back to Italy.

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00:04:54,400 --> 00:04:56,533
(Matthew Feldman) 
I think it's interesting that 
he's in and out of prison a lot,

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00:04:56,566 --> 00:04:58,666
so by the time 
that he's 20 years old.

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He's come back and lived 
a pretty rough existence,

96
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hiding from the police, 
on trial in a number of cases.

97
00:05:07,700 --> 00:05:10,600
(narrator) 
But Mussolini's more 
than just a troublemaker.

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From a young age he's 
a gifted writer,

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and as he hones his craft, 
he discovers

100
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how language can be a tool 
for shaping a nation.

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In time he makes 
a name for himself

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as a prominent 
socialist journalist.

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(Marla Stone) His skill as a 
journalist was absolutely 
central.

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He knew what to play up.

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He knew how to play on people's 
fears,

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he knew how to play 
on people's dreams,

107
00:05:39,466 --> 00:05:43,233
(narrator) 
In 1912, Mussolini is hired 
as editor of Avanti!,

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Italy's leading socialist paper.

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Under his leadership, 
circulation doubles.

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He should be 
on top of the world.

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He's a crusading journalist for 
one of Italy's leading papers.

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But his faith in socialism 
is wavering.

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it seems to be 
moving too slowly

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for the man of action.

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He's exposed to a new movement

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that celebrates speed, 
power, and violence.

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Its followers call themselves 
futurists,

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and their ideas will contribute 
to the rise of fascism.

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(Marla Stone) 
Futurism was an artistic, 
cultural, intellectual movement

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founded in 1909 by a group 
of Italian artists.

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They wanted an art 
and culture of speed,

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of movement, of technology.

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00:06:38,433 --> 00:06:41,600
(narrator) 
The futurists celebrate action,

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adventure, violence, and its 
ultimate expression-- war.

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[loud explosions]

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Before World War 1, many people 
welcomed the idea of war

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without knowing how awful 
it would be,

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00:06:55,700 --> 00:06:58,666
of course, as a kind of 
cleansing force

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for the decadence 
that ruled in society.

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There was a famous quote from 
one of the futurist manifestos,

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"War is the hygiene 
of the world."

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00:07:09,300 --> 00:07:12,933
(narrator) 
August 1914.

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The futurists rejoice

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as the carnage 
of World War I begins.

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00:07:20,100 --> 00:07:23,766
Mussolini calls for Italy 
to enter the conflict.

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But the socialists oppose 
the war, knowing that

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00:07:26,733 --> 00:07:29,966
the working class on both sides 
will do the fighting.

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They kick Mussolini 
out of the party.

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For the young agitator, 
it's a turning point.

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He leaves his position 
as editor of Avanti!,

141
00:07:39,666 --> 00:07:42,566
the Italian socialist paper, 
and he founds

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00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:46,133
what will be the fascist 
newspaper, "Il Popolo d'Italia."

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00:07:46,166 --> 00:07:48,633
(narrator) 
Bankrolled by 
wealthy industrialists

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00:07:48,666 --> 00:07:51,433
who favor joining the battle,

145
00:07:51,466 --> 00:07:55,733
Mussolini uses its pages 
to beat the drum for war.

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[loud explosions]

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00:08:00,233 --> 00:08:05,233
In 1915, 
Italy enters the Great War

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on the side of Britain, 
France, and Russia.

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Now Mussolini must do 
more than write about war.

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00:08:12,700 --> 00:08:16,233
He is drafted 
and joins the fight himself.

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00:08:16,266 --> 00:08:21,666
On the battlefield he witnesses 
the power of nationalism

152
00:08:21,700 --> 00:08:25,566
and learns how it can motivate 
men into action.

153
00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:28,766
If it can lead men to storm a 
machine-gun nest, he reasons

154
00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:32,033
it can power a revolution.

155
00:08:32,066 --> 00:08:34,166
I think he realizes that 
the power of nationalism

156
00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:36,566
is something that is

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00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:38,666
a massive building block 
for a political party.

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00:08:38,700 --> 00:08:42,799
(narrator) 
In February of 1917,

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00:08:42,833 --> 00:08:46,933
Mussolini is wounded 
and returns to Milan.

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00:08:46,966 --> 00:08:51,633
There he begins to create 
a new political ideology

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00:08:51,666 --> 00:08:57,266
that builds on the nationalism 
he experienced in the trenches.

162
00:08:57,300 --> 00:09:01,566
He calls it fascism.

163
00:09:04,500 --> 00:09:08,233
It's hard to overestimate 
how revolutionary it was.

164
00:09:08,266 --> 00:09:11,033
It was a new political system.

165
00:09:11,066 --> 00:09:14,266
Fascism takes certain things 
from the left, like revolution,

166
00:09:14,300 --> 00:09:16,800
but marries them with

167
00:09:16,833 --> 00:09:18,900
a nationalist, imperialist 
doctrine

168
00:09:18,933 --> 00:09:22,700
and it makes an amalgam 
of something new.

169
00:09:22,733 --> 00:09:25,066
(narrator) 
Fascism celebrates 
military might,

170
00:09:25,100 --> 00:09:27,500
extreme devotion to country,

171
00:09:27,533 --> 00:09:30,333
and the superiority of 
the Italian people.

172
00:09:30,366 --> 00:09:33,200
It is also built around 
a promise--

173
00:09:33,233 --> 00:09:37,166
to restore Italy to 
the grandeur of ancient Rome.

174
00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:40,000
Even the name "fascism" is an 
attempt to link the movement

175
00:09:40,033 --> 00:09:42,200
with Italy's glorious past.

176
00:09:42,233 --> 00:09:44,166
The name comes from "Fasce,"

177
00:09:44,200 --> 00:09:47,166
the Latin word 
for the bundle of rods

178
00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:49,933
that symbolized authority and 
power in the age of Caesar.

179
00:09:49,966 --> 00:09:52,266
He played on the idea

180
00:09:52,300 --> 00:09:55,300
that he was going to 
make Italy great again.

181
00:09:55,333 --> 00:09:58,566
Italy, really since the time 
of the Roman Empire,

182
00:09:58,600 --> 00:10:01,200
had been beaten up 
in the international sphere.

183
00:10:01,233 --> 00:10:04,100
He talked about things like 
Italians are seen by the world

184
00:10:04,133 --> 00:10:05,933
as spaghetti-eaters 
and mandolin players.

185
00:10:05,966 --> 00:10:08,066
Italians are going to be 
warriors.

186
00:10:08,100 --> 00:10:10,500
And he was going to create 
a fascist new man.

187
00:10:13,033 --> 00:10:15,833
(narrator) 
At the age of 35,

188
00:10:15,866 --> 00:10:18,866
the rebel has 
finally found his cause.

189
00:10:21,566 --> 00:10:24,266
Through speeches, 
through his newspaper,

190
00:10:24,300 --> 00:10:27,266
Mussolini spreads 
the new ideology.

191
00:10:30,100 --> 00:10:33,866
His ideas find fertile ground 
among his fellow soldiers.

192
00:10:33,900 --> 00:10:36,866
(Marla Stone) 
So they come home from the war

193
00:10:36,900 --> 00:10:39,266
with this memory of 
great violence.

194
00:10:39,300 --> 00:10:42,866
They have shell shock or what 
we would today call PTSD.

195
00:10:42,900 --> 00:10:45,733
Mussolini brings together 
all these discontents.

196
00:10:48,300 --> 00:10:50,733
(narrator) 
In Milan, and then 
throughout the north,

197
00:10:50,766 --> 00:10:54,266
he gathers a core group 
of true believers.

198
00:10:54,300 --> 00:10:58,233
They call themselves 
"Blackshirts."

199
00:10:58,266 --> 00:11:02,433
They model their uniform 
on that of the Arditi,

200
00:11:02,466 --> 00:11:07,166
the elite Italian brigade 
of the First World War.

201
00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:09,566
(Matthew Feldman) 
Mussolini hosts 
a meeting of futurists

202
00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:12,700
and war veterans 
on the 23rd of March,

203
00:11:12,733 --> 00:11:16,866
it's a meeting of kind of 
strange characters, 50 of whom

204
00:11:16,900 --> 00:11:19,366
decide they're going to form 
the first fascist movement.

205
00:11:21,466 --> 00:11:24,166
(narrator) 
Less than a month later,

206
00:11:24,200 --> 00:11:26,533
they send a message 
to Italy's socialists.

207
00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:35,633
A Fascist squad demolishes 
the offices of Avanti!,

208
00:11:35,666 --> 00:11:38,666
the newspaper Mussolini 
once led.

209
00:11:38,700 --> 00:11:41,700
Four people are killed.

210
00:11:41,733 --> 00:11:44,766
If you needed one word 
to define fascism

211
00:11:44,800 --> 00:11:47,100
in its early years-- violence.

212
00:11:47,133 --> 00:11:52,033
A kind of tactical violence 
is really at the core.

213
00:11:52,066 --> 00:11:54,400
(narrator) 
Mussolini has a gang,

214
00:11:54,433 --> 00:11:57,633
but he wants an army.

215
00:11:57,666 --> 00:12:01,566
To build one, he uses an 
essential tool of dictatorship.

216
00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:09,000
One of the important tools 
for any dictatorship

217
00:12:09,033 --> 00:12:11,900
is to create an enemy.

218
00:12:11,933 --> 00:12:14,433
They need to have 
some sort of enemy

219
00:12:14,466 --> 00:12:17,366
that they can use 
as a scapegoat,

220
00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:20,433
as a unifying force

221
00:12:20,466 --> 00:12:24,233
to galvanize the public and 
the elites behind their rule.

222
00:12:24,266 --> 00:12:27,033
(Dan Slater) There's really 
no better way

223
00:12:27,066 --> 00:12:30,633
to get a dictator in a position 
where he will be unchallenged

224
00:12:30,666 --> 00:12:33,466
than if people believe he 
is actually protecting them,

225
00:12:33,500 --> 00:12:35,400
protecting their country 
from ruination

226
00:12:35,433 --> 00:12:37,733
at the hands of neighbors,

227
00:12:37,766 --> 00:12:41,233
internal enemies 
who they do not trust.

228
00:12:41,266 --> 00:12:46,700
(narrator) 
Mussolini did not have to look 
far to find the ideal enemy.

229
00:12:46,733 --> 00:12:50,966
Two years earlier 
in October 1917,

230
00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:54,133
Vladimir Lenin's Communist 
Revolution created

231
00:12:54,166 --> 00:12:57,933
a political earthquake that was 
felt around the world.

232
00:12:57,966 --> 00:13:02,233
For many it was seen 
as the end of capitalism,

233
00:13:02,266 --> 00:13:06,033
the end of private property, 
the end of God.

234
00:13:08,966 --> 00:13:11,266
(Ruth Ben-Ghiat) 
Communism terrified people,

235
00:13:11,300 --> 00:13:15,400
for the real changes 
it could bring--

236
00:13:15,433 --> 00:13:19,233
emancipation of workers, 
destruction of capital.

237
00:13:19,266 --> 00:13:22,600
(narrator) 
Following the end of the war,

238
00:13:22,633 --> 00:13:24,866
inflation and unemployment 
soar throughout Italy,

239
00:13:24,900 --> 00:13:28,433
and communism's appeal 
begins to spread.

240
00:13:28,466 --> 00:13:32,200
(Ruth Ben-Ghiat) 
There was a sense of emergency 
after World War I in Italy.

241
00:13:32,233 --> 00:13:34,533
The communist party had 
just been founded

242
00:13:34,566 --> 00:13:36,933
on the heel 
of the Russian Revolution.

243
00:13:36,966 --> 00:13:39,300
The socialist party 
was mushrooming.

244
00:13:39,333 --> 00:13:43,366
Worker's rights were leading to 
occupations at the factories,

245
00:13:43,400 --> 00:13:46,666
there was a situation 
some called a civil war.

246
00:13:46,700 --> 00:13:50,800
(narrator) 
In 1920, some 2 million 
Italian workers

247
00:13:50,833 --> 00:13:53,033
participate 
in more than 2000 strikes.

248
00:13:53,066 --> 00:13:56,600
Factories are closed, 
manufacturing stops.

249
00:13:56,633 --> 00:13:59,133
Italy's democratically 
elected government

250
00:13:59,166 --> 00:14:02,466
seems powerless 
to stop the chaos.

251
00:14:02,500 --> 00:14:05,466
Just 8 years earlier, 
all Italian males

252
00:14:05,500 --> 00:14:08,366
were given the vote,

253
00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:12,000
but the experiment with 
democracy isn't working.

254
00:14:12,033 --> 00:14:15,366
(Marla Stone) 
There was almost a consensus 
in Europe that democracy

255
00:14:15,400 --> 00:14:18,100
is not necessarily 
the best form of government.

256
00:14:18,133 --> 00:14:20,666
(Ruth Ben-Ghiat) 
Democracy to some was 
uninspiring.

257
00:14:20,700 --> 00:14:23,700
It was fat old men 
discussing things in parliament

258
00:14:23,733 --> 00:14:26,033
and never getting anything done.

259
00:14:26,066 --> 00:14:29,566
Compromise and collaboration 
didn't seem to be the way

260
00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:32,166
to respond 
to situations of crisis.

261
00:14:32,200 --> 00:14:36,566
(narrator) 
Italy appears 
on the brink of revolution.

262
00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:38,966
And Mussolini claims 
the fascists

263
00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:42,633
are the only ones 
who can stop it.

264
00:14:42,666 --> 00:14:45,866
(Ruth Ben-Ghiat) One thing that 
strongmen really know how to do

265
00:14:45,900 --> 00:14:48,133
is become the prophets of doom.

266
00:14:48,166 --> 00:14:50,466
And this is counterintuitive 
for politicians.

267
00:14:50,500 --> 00:14:54,100
You wouldn't think someone would 
go up in front of his people

268
00:14:54,133 --> 00:14:56,633
and say you're all doomed, 
like negative politics.

269
00:14:56,666 --> 00:14:59,533
But what strongmen do, 
and Mussolini was the first

270
00:14:59,566 --> 00:15:02,833
to really specialize 
in doing this, he said

271
00:15:02,866 --> 00:15:04,866
everything is cracking, 
everything is going downhill.

272
00:15:04,900 --> 00:15:07,366
But I will reverse 
the degeneration,

273
00:15:07,400 --> 00:15:11,400
and I am your savior.

274
00:15:11,433 --> 00:15:14,200
(narrator) 
Mussolini writes 
an appeal to the nation,

275
00:15:14,233 --> 00:15:16,466
calling on every soldier

276
00:15:16,500 --> 00:15:19,066
to join the fight 
against the communists.

277
00:15:19,100 --> 00:15:23,066
He takes his message 
to the streets,

278
00:15:23,100 --> 00:15:25,366
holding rallies, 
giving speeches.

279
00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:28,766
(Ruth Ben-Ghiat) 
Mussolini really knew 
how to speak

280
00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:30,900
to the psychological 
worry of communism.

281
00:15:30,933 --> 00:15:33,366
He pathologized communism.

282
00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:36,433
He talked about the rats 
coming from the east

283
00:15:36,466 --> 00:15:40,133
that brought a contagion 
with them.

284
00:15:40,166 --> 00:15:44,800
(narrator) 
Mussolini's warnings attract 
allies to the fascist cause.

285
00:15:44,833 --> 00:15:49,800
Industrialists and landowners 
offer financial support.

286
00:15:49,833 --> 00:15:52,766
(Marla Stone) 
Fascism appealed to them.

287
00:15:52,800 --> 00:15:55,866
Fascism said we're going 
to stand up for you.

288
00:15:55,900 --> 00:15:58,200
This is a revolutionary 
situation, your interests

289
00:15:58,233 --> 00:16:01,233
are threatened, we're going to 
bring law and order.

290
00:16:03,900 --> 00:16:06,366
(narrator) 
The ranks of Blackshirts swell

291
00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:10,733
as more men answer the call 
to stop the Red Wave.

292
00:16:10,766 --> 00:16:15,500
To make good on his promise 
to help end the crisis,

293
00:16:15,533 --> 00:16:18,166
Mussolini turns to another 
tactic of the dictator.

294
00:16:23,533 --> 00:16:26,800
Most dictators use violence 
and force

295
00:16:26,833 --> 00:16:30,233
to eliminate dissent from 
within the regime,

296
00:16:30,266 --> 00:16:34,533
and to threaten the opposition 
from rising up against them.

297
00:16:34,566 --> 00:16:36,966
However, Mussolini 
used force and violence

298
00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:38,800
in a completely different way.

299
00:16:41,233 --> 00:16:44,033
The fascists glorified 
the use of violence,

300
00:16:44,066 --> 00:16:47,500
they were very clear 
they were also

301
00:16:47,533 --> 00:16:51,266
going to use violence to attain 
the goals of the state,

302
00:16:51,300 --> 00:16:55,700
no matter what the cost.

303
00:16:55,733 --> 00:17:00,700
(narrator) 
Soon the fascist mob 
is unleashed on the socialists.

304
00:17:00,733 --> 00:17:03,600
They go into cities and towns

305
00:17:03,633 --> 00:17:06,233
and they physically destroy 
union halls,

306
00:17:06,266 --> 00:17:09,300
they murder, 
and beat up socialist leaders.

307
00:17:11,933 --> 00:17:14,866
(Ruth Ben-Ghiat) 
Of course, this violence was 
very traumatizing

308
00:17:14,900 --> 00:17:17,733
because it was at a local level.

309
00:17:17,766 --> 00:17:19,933
People would have 
their homes burned,

310
00:17:19,966 --> 00:17:23,666
they would be assaulted 
in the street.

311
00:17:23,700 --> 00:17:27,866
(narrator) 
As the strikes come to an end, 
Mussolini claims

312
00:17:27,900 --> 00:17:30,600
that the fascists have 
helped restore order.

313
00:17:30,633 --> 00:17:33,933
His next move marks 
a major shift in strategy.

314
00:17:33,966 --> 00:17:37,766
He helps create a fascist 
political party

315
00:17:37,800 --> 00:17:41,766
and prepares to run 
in the upcoming elections.

316
00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:44,566
(Matthew Feldman) I think one of 
the contradictions we see is

317
00:17:44,600 --> 00:17:46,700
that this is a person of 
revolutionary temperament

318
00:17:46,733 --> 00:17:48,766
from the start, but who's 
willing to compromise

319
00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:51,866
and work within the system 
when he needs to.

320
00:17:51,900 --> 00:17:55,166
(narrator) 
May 15, 1921.

321
00:17:55,200 --> 00:17:58,533
Mussolini and a handful 
of fascists

322
00:17:58,566 --> 00:18:00,833
are elected to Parliament.

323
00:18:00,866 --> 00:18:04,133
Now fascism is more 
than an ideology.

324
00:18:04,166 --> 00:18:06,566
It is a political force.

325
00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:09,133
But it's clear that Mussolini

326
00:18:09,166 --> 00:18:12,266
has no intention of playing 
by democracy's rules.

327
00:18:12,300 --> 00:18:15,400
(Matt Feldman) 
By and large fascists 
hated democracy even if

328
00:18:15,433 --> 00:18:18,500
they accepted they had to work 
within some of its strictures.

329
00:18:18,533 --> 00:18:20,766
They saw liberalism 
as old-fashioned,

330
00:18:20,800 --> 00:18:23,400
and something that really 
belonged to the 19th century.

331
00:18:23,433 --> 00:18:28,266
The 20th century was meant 
for men of action.

332
00:18:28,300 --> 00:18:31,166
(narrator) 
Just 18 months 
after being elected,

333
00:18:31,200 --> 00:18:35,466
Mussolini and a core group 
of fascists hatch a plan

334
00:18:35,500 --> 00:18:38,333
to undermine Italy's democracy 
from within.

335
00:18:38,366 --> 00:18:43,566
Once again they rely 
on the threat of violence.

336
00:18:43,600 --> 00:18:45,933
(Ruth Ben-Ghiat) 
He believed that change

337
00:18:45,966 --> 00:18:48,300
can only come 
through violent struggle,

338
00:18:48,333 --> 00:18:51,700
not through elections, 
not through the pace

339
00:18:51,733 --> 00:18:53,633
of normal societal, 
cultural change.

340
00:18:53,666 --> 00:18:56,766
Change had to come in

341
00:18:56,800 --> 00:18:59,933
a wrenching, violent way, 
through insurrection.

342
00:18:59,966 --> 00:19:02,600
(narrator) 
October, 1922...

343
00:19:05,300 --> 00:19:08,766
30,000 Blackshirts 
march on Rome, seizing

344
00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:12,733
key government offices and 
train stations along the way.

345
00:19:12,766 --> 00:19:17,433
Mussolini demands 
that King Victor Emmanuel

346
00:19:17,466 --> 00:19:21,266
name him Prime Minister, 
the key position in parliament.

347
00:19:21,300 --> 00:19:24,166
While Italy is a democracy,

348
00:19:24,200 --> 00:19:28,700
the king still has the power 
to name the prime minister.

349
00:19:28,733 --> 00:19:33,066
If the king doesn't comply with 
Mussolini's wishes, he's told

350
00:19:33,100 --> 00:19:37,300
the fascist horde will storm 
the capitol and take power.

351
00:19:37,333 --> 00:19:41,800
But Mussolini is playing 
a dangerous game.

352
00:19:41,833 --> 00:19:46,833
The king also commands the army 
and the national police force.

353
00:19:46,866 --> 00:19:50,733
With one order 
he could crush

354
00:19:50,766 --> 00:19:53,200
Mussolini and his movement.

355
00:19:53,233 --> 00:19:57,700
But the king and his 
key ministers hesitate.

356
00:19:57,733 --> 00:20:00,000
They were fearful 
of civil war.

357
00:20:00,033 --> 00:20:02,200
They were fearful of anarchy

358
00:20:02,233 --> 00:20:04,833
and perhaps as socialist 
uprising as well.

359
00:20:04,866 --> 00:20:10,000
(narrator) 
For two days, 
Rome braces for civil war.

360
00:20:10,033 --> 00:20:13,366
Now, the march on Rome 
is very interesting

361
00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:16,166
as an example of the 
psychological warfare.

362
00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:18,266
There were 
only 30,000 Blackshirts

363
00:20:18,300 --> 00:20:21,733
in a nation of over 40 million

364
00:20:21,766 --> 00:20:27,000
with an army and a police 
who were loyal to the king.

365
00:20:27,033 --> 00:20:31,533
Mussolini really posed himself 
as a man of order,

366
00:20:31,566 --> 00:20:36,733
a strong man, who would be able 
to tame this unruly country.

367
00:20:36,766 --> 00:20:41,366
(narrator) 
But in the end, 
the king buckles

368
00:20:41,400 --> 00:20:43,933
and offers Mussolini 
the jackpot--

369
00:20:43,966 --> 00:20:46,833
the office of Prime Minister.

370
00:20:46,866 --> 00:20:50,000
[cheers & applause]

371
00:20:50,033 --> 00:20:51,966
Many people, the king included,

372
00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:54,933
were not only afraid 
of the left,

373
00:20:54,966 --> 00:20:59,000
they were tired of all 
of the upheaval in general.

374
00:20:59,033 --> 00:21:01,533
(Matthew Feldman) 
They thought, well, 
our politics are so broken,

375
00:21:01,566 --> 00:21:04,066
maybe this man can fix it.

376
00:21:04,100 --> 00:21:08,266
So there was a sense of doing 
a deal with the devil, really.

377
00:21:08,300 --> 00:21:13,000
(Ruth Ben-Ghiat) 
The way that Mussolini 
actually got power in 1922 is

378
00:21:13,033 --> 00:21:17,300
a cautionary tale for the rest 
of the 20th century and today.

379
00:21:17,333 --> 00:21:19,566
Many people supported him

380
00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:21,933
because they thought 
they could contain him.

381
00:21:21,966 --> 00:21:24,100
They thought he was a hothead,

382
00:21:24,133 --> 00:21:26,566
and they could invite him 
into government,

383
00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:29,566
even as prime minister, 
and then he would calm down.

384
00:21:29,600 --> 00:21:33,733
And this proved to be 
fatally wrong.

385
00:21:33,766 --> 00:21:36,733
(narrator) 
Just days after taking office

386
00:21:36,766 --> 00:21:39,800
Mussolini addresses 
the government.

387
00:21:39,833 --> 00:21:43,400
He gives one of the most extreme 
speeches in Italy's history

388
00:21:43,433 --> 00:21:46,300
in the first meeting 
of the chamber of deputies,

389
00:21:46,333 --> 00:21:49,300
that's the 16th 
of November, 1922.

390
00:21:49,333 --> 00:21:52,100
(narrator) 
Speaking to the elected 
representatives

391
00:21:52,133 --> 00:21:55,533
for the first time, Mussolini 
makes his objective clear--

392
00:21:55,566 --> 00:21:59,900
obey me or be dissolved.

393
00:21:59,933 --> 00:22:02,966
(Matthew Feldman) 
Some of the other 
fascist deputies

394
00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:05,700
start turning up 
in military regalia,

395
00:22:05,733 --> 00:22:08,500
start bringing revolvers 
into the chamber of deputies.

396
00:22:08,533 --> 00:22:11,433
(narrator) 
Mussolini's got the top job,

397
00:22:11,466 --> 00:22:14,266
but real power in the government

398
00:22:14,300 --> 00:22:17,900
goes to the political party 
with the most seats.

399
00:22:17,933 --> 00:22:21,266
The fascists hold 
just a handful;

400
00:22:21,300 --> 00:22:25,333
Mussolini is determined 
to change that.

401
00:22:25,366 --> 00:22:30,100
April 6, 1924, election day.

402
00:22:30,133 --> 00:22:32,766
Fascist thugs are posted

403
00:22:32,800 --> 00:22:35,800
outside polling stations 
throughout the country.

404
00:22:35,833 --> 00:22:38,433
Their instructions-- 
grab the first man

405
00:22:38,466 --> 00:22:40,800
to exit the polling booth

406
00:22:40,833 --> 00:22:44,300
and beat him for not voting 
for the fascists.

407
00:22:44,333 --> 00:22:48,066
It doesn't matter 
who he did vote for.

408
00:22:48,100 --> 00:22:51,966
The beaten man will be a warning 
for for those waiting to vote.

409
00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:56,733
Through violence, intimidation 
and vote-rigging,

410
00:22:56,766 --> 00:23:01,166
the fascists win 65% 
of the seats in parliament.

411
00:23:01,200 --> 00:23:03,800
The victory gives them 
a clear majority

412
00:23:03,833 --> 00:23:07,066
and seemingly 
overwhelming power.

413
00:23:07,100 --> 00:23:08,866
[cheering & chanting]

414
00:23:11,033 --> 00:23:15,066
But fierce opposition in 
parliament remains.

415
00:23:15,100 --> 00:23:18,800
Giacomo Matteotti, a leading 
left-wing politician,

416
00:23:18,833 --> 00:23:21,866
calls for the election 
to be nullified.

417
00:23:21,900 --> 00:23:25,133
He condemns Mussolini 
and accuses him

418
00:23:25,166 --> 00:23:27,666
of corruption and intimidation.

419
00:23:27,700 --> 00:23:30,566
(Matthew Feldman) 
Matteotti was a brave leader, 
and he was somebody

420
00:23:30,600 --> 00:23:33,966
that had been assaulted a 
number of times by the fascists,

421
00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:38,366
but he refused to give up, and 
he was the person who stood up

422
00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:41,733
and said in 1924 that the 6th 
of April election was invalid

423
00:23:41,766 --> 00:23:44,366
because of fascist fraud 
and violence, and that was

424
00:23:44,400 --> 00:23:46,533
something that Mussolini 
took as a personal slight.

425
00:23:46,566 --> 00:23:49,633
He refused to give in 
or be bought off,

426
00:23:49,666 --> 00:23:52,766
and I think that made him 
a threat to Mussolini.

427
00:23:52,800 --> 00:23:56,633
Matteotti knew that what he was 
doing was very dangerous.

428
00:23:56,666 --> 00:23:59,700
Many anti-fascists had been 
beaten up and killed,

429
00:23:59,733 --> 00:24:04,666
not at the level of Matteotti, 
but Matteotti didn't care.

430
00:24:04,700 --> 00:24:08,533
He was as brave as they come.

431
00:24:12,966 --> 00:24:18,133
(narrator) 
Once again, the problem 
will be solved with violence.

432
00:24:18,166 --> 00:24:20,866
Shortly after 
denouncing Mussolini,

433
00:24:20,900 --> 00:24:24,833
Matteotti is kidnapped 
by a group of armed fascists.

434
00:24:27,400 --> 00:24:29,866
He is never seen alive again.

435
00:24:34,100 --> 00:24:37,366
Two months later, 
his body is found

436
00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:39,900
in a culvert outside Rome.

437
00:24:39,933 --> 00:24:42,966
While there's no proof,

438
00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:47,433
many believe that Mussolini is 
behind the murder.

439
00:24:47,466 --> 00:24:52,433
As he's gained more power, 
Mussolini has grown more brazen.

440
00:24:52,466 --> 00:24:56,766
But this time 
he may have gone too far.

441
00:24:56,800 --> 00:25:00,833
January, 1925.

442
00:25:00,866 --> 00:25:05,866
Outrage over the murder of 
Giacomo Matteotti is spreading.

443
00:25:05,900 --> 00:25:08,733
The assassination of Matteotti 
and the public outcry

444
00:25:08,766 --> 00:25:11,833
was the biggest crises he had 
ever faced.

445
00:25:11,866 --> 00:25:15,333
Even veterans who had been 
with him since 1919,

446
00:25:15,366 --> 00:25:17,833
start turning in 
their party cards.

447
00:25:17,866 --> 00:25:21,100
(narrator) 
Mussolini must act quickly.

448
00:25:21,133 --> 00:25:25,666
But instead of denying his 
involvement in the killing,

449
00:25:25,700 --> 00:25:27,633
he does something extraordinary.

450
00:25:27,666 --> 00:25:32,666
Mussolini declares 
I alone assume

451
00:25:32,700 --> 00:25:36,333
political, moral 
and historical responsibility

452
00:25:36,366 --> 00:25:38,800
for all that has happened.

453
00:25:38,833 --> 00:25:42,300
(Ruth Ben-Ghiat) 
Most politicians 
wouldn't want to be

454
00:25:42,333 --> 00:25:45,000
associated so openly with 
a political assassination.

455
00:25:45,033 --> 00:25:47,233
But fascism is 
built on violence,

456
00:25:47,266 --> 00:25:51,266
it had come to power 
on violence, and it was time

457
00:25:51,300 --> 00:25:55,100
for Mussolini to boast that he 
was above the law as well.

458
00:25:55,133 --> 00:25:58,233
(narrator) 
To remove any doubt 
as to who's in charge,

459
00:25:58,266 --> 00:26:01,066
he adopts the name Il Duce,

460
00:26:01,100 --> 00:26:03,800
Latin for leader.

461
00:26:03,833 --> 00:26:08,000
[chanting "Il Duce"]

462
00:26:08,033 --> 00:26:11,333
In parliament, 
Mussolini openly declares

463
00:26:11,366 --> 00:26:14,433
the beginning 
of his dictatorship.

464
00:26:14,466 --> 00:26:17,566
He moves to undermine 
a cornerstone

465
00:26:17,600 --> 00:26:19,533
of any democratic society--

466
00:26:19,566 --> 00:26:22,966
an independent 
judicial system.

467
00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:26,433
He removes the two judges

468
00:26:26,466 --> 00:26:29,266
leading the investigation 
into the murder.

469
00:26:29,300 --> 00:26:33,000
Then, In July of 1925,

470
00:26:33,033 --> 00:26:36,766
he announces an amnesty for 
the men accused of the crime.

471
00:26:36,800 --> 00:26:40,500
Matteotti's killers are 
released.

472
00:26:40,533 --> 00:26:44,400
[crowd chanting "Il Duce"]

473
00:26:44,433 --> 00:26:47,566
(narrator) 
Over the next two years,

474
00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:49,933
Mussolini systematically guts

475
00:26:49,966 --> 00:26:51,400
Italy's remaining 
democratic institutions.

476
00:26:53,766 --> 00:26:56,266
He tightens censorship 
of the press,

477
00:26:56,300 --> 00:26:59,566
banning any negative coverage.

478
00:26:59,600 --> 00:27:04,166
Fascist squads attack stores 
that sell dissenting papers.

479
00:27:04,200 --> 00:27:06,266
(Matthew Feldman) Even though 
some of the mainstream press

480
00:27:06,300 --> 00:27:08,333
like the Corriere della Sera had

481
00:27:08,366 --> 00:27:10,566
hundreds of thousands 
in circulation,

482
00:27:10,600 --> 00:27:13,266
they were no longer really 
allowed to report the news.

483
00:27:13,300 --> 00:27:17,800
They were allowed to report on 
how great Mussolini was.

484
00:27:17,833 --> 00:27:23,300
(narrator) 
To ferret out potential enemies,

485
00:27:23,333 --> 00:27:25,633
Mussolini oversees the creation

486
00:27:25,666 --> 00:27:30,033
of a network 
of secret police.

487
00:27:30,066 --> 00:27:33,466
(Marla Stone) 
Fascist Italy was 
a police state.

488
00:27:33,500 --> 00:27:37,166
The police had incredible power 
to arrest and detain people,

489
00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:39,600
to send them 
into internal exile,

490
00:27:39,633 --> 00:27:42,033
and that included 
all political dissidents

491
00:27:42,066 --> 00:27:46,000
or people who might seem to be 
political dissidents,

492
00:27:46,033 --> 00:27:50,866
people who told the wrong kind 
of joke in the trattoria.

493
00:27:50,900 --> 00:27:55,066
(narrator) 
But Mussolini doesn't rule 
through intimidation alone.

494
00:27:55,100 --> 00:27:59,733
To increase his support, he 
adopts several new polices.

495
00:27:59,766 --> 00:28:04,833
(Marla Stone) 
In the wake of the great 
depression the regime began

496
00:28:04,866 --> 00:28:08,066
a program of massive public 
works-- road building,

497
00:28:08,100 --> 00:28:10,066
town building, 
public education,

498
00:28:10,100 --> 00:28:12,166
they sent nurses 
into the countryside

499
00:28:12,200 --> 00:28:15,200
to teach infant hygiene 
to poor mothers.

500
00:28:15,233 --> 00:28:19,333
(narrator) 
These policies help make him

501
00:28:19,366 --> 00:28:22,900
wildly popular 
with many Italians.

502
00:28:25,066 --> 00:28:27,966
1929...

503
00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:31,400
Just 10 years after the birth 
of his fascist movement,

504
00:28:31,433 --> 00:28:35,566
Mussolini is in almost 
complete control of Italy.

505
00:28:35,600 --> 00:28:37,833
Now, to ensure the devotion

506
00:28:37,866 --> 00:28:40,700
of the next generation 
of Italians,

507
00:28:40,733 --> 00:28:42,500
he uses another tactic

508
00:28:47,966 --> 00:28:51,400
(narrator) 
Dictators often use 
indoctrination

509
00:28:51,433 --> 00:28:54,933
to create unwavering devotion 
to the leader

510
00:28:54,966 --> 00:28:57,966
and justify the harshness 
of the regime.

511
00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:00,533
(Natasha Ezrow) 
You see that dictatorship

512
00:29:00,566 --> 00:29:04,066
very early on would start to 
indoctrinate the public.

513
00:29:04,100 --> 00:29:07,000
It would happen during 
people's impressionable years

514
00:29:07,033 --> 00:29:10,933
when people were most likely to 
absorb this kind of information

515
00:29:10,966 --> 00:29:14,366
and internalize it 
and really believe it.

516
00:29:14,400 --> 00:29:18,800
It was about convincing people 
that there was no other way,

517
00:29:18,833 --> 00:29:22,966
there was no alternative, that 
this was the only type

518
00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:27,466
of rule that could satisfy 
the needs of the nation.

519
00:29:27,500 --> 00:29:30,966
(narrator) 
In the schools, 
old textbooks are replaced

520
00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:33,200
with pro-fascist versions.

521
00:29:38,133 --> 00:29:40,966
Even the cover 
of an exercise book

522
00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:43,233
is an opportunity 
to promote his rule.

523
00:29:46,033 --> 00:29:49,466
Mussolini proclaims: 
"At every hour of every day,

524
00:29:49,500 --> 00:29:52,833
I can tell you on which page

525
00:29:52,866 --> 00:29:56,566
of which book each schoolchild 
in Italy is studying."

526
00:29:56,600 --> 00:29:59,400
(Ruth Ben-Ghiat) 
Mussolini played 
an intimate role

527
00:29:59,433 --> 00:30:01,766
in crafting 
fascism's message.

528
00:30:01,800 --> 00:30:05,100
Not only because he was 
a journalist, but because

529
00:30:05,133 --> 00:30:07,633
he understood the mechanisms 
of mass indoctrination.

530
00:30:07,666 --> 00:30:11,066
His slogans that he came up with 
for every occasion

531
00:30:11,100 --> 00:30:13,166
circulated 
not only in textbooks,

532
00:30:13,200 --> 00:30:15,566
but they were carved 
into buildings,

533
00:30:15,600 --> 00:30:18,766
they were even on shirts, they 
were sometimes on furniture,

534
00:30:18,800 --> 00:30:21,500
they were everywhere 
along with his own image.

535
00:30:21,533 --> 00:30:23,766
(Marla Stone) 
There was actually 
something called

536
00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:26,666
the "Fascist Ten Commandments," 
that by the mid '30s,

537
00:30:26,700 --> 00:30:29,233
school children and even college 
students had to memorize.

538
00:30:29,266 --> 00:30:31,500
And one of the Fascist Ten 
Commandments was,

539
00:30:31,533 --> 00:30:32,966
"Mussolini is always right."

540
00:30:37,566 --> 00:30:41,900
(narrator) 
Piero Signorelli 
was born in 1925.

541
00:30:41,933 --> 00:30:45,733
The only Italy he knew was 
Mussolini's Italy.

542
00:30:45,766 --> 00:30:47,466
[Piero speaks Italian]

543
00:31:15,700 --> 00:31:19,266
[chanting in Italian]

544
00:31:19,300 --> 00:31:21,900
[band plays 
in bright marching rhythm]

545
00:31:26,100 --> 00:31:30,100
Making young people committed, 
even fanatical fascists,

546
00:31:30,133 --> 00:31:34,000
was at the core 
of fascist ideology.

547
00:31:34,033 --> 00:31:36,833
The cult of youth was something 
central to fascism.

548
00:31:36,866 --> 00:31:40,266
[man counts cadence 
for the exercise]

549
00:31:44,966 --> 00:31:50,200
(narrator) 
To further tighten his hold over 
the public, Mussolini will

550
00:31:50,233 --> 00:31:52,800
pioneer another essential tactic 
of dictatorship.

551
00:31:58,700 --> 00:32:01,600
(Natasha Ezrow) 
Dictators like to build 
personality cults

552
00:32:01,633 --> 00:32:04,266
because it enables them to rule

553
00:32:04,300 --> 00:32:07,133
without always having 
to resort to force.

554
00:32:07,166 --> 00:32:09,833
It enables them to mesmerize 
the public,

555
00:32:09,866 --> 00:32:12,533
to ensure that 
the public adores them.

556
00:32:12,566 --> 00:32:15,533
And to prevent threats 
from opponents.

557
00:32:18,700 --> 00:32:22,566
(narrator) 
Mussolini styles himself not 
merely as a man of the people

558
00:32:22,600 --> 00:32:25,800
but as the one and only leader 
of the nation

559
00:32:25,833 --> 00:32:27,533
[Piero speaks Italian]

560
00:32:47,933 --> 00:32:51,000
(Matthew Feldman) 
The way in which Mussolini 
shaped his own image,

561
00:32:51,033 --> 00:32:53,500
cultivated foreigners 
to see him as really,

562
00:32:53,533 --> 00:32:56,400
one of the great Caesars 
in the modern era,

563
00:32:56,433 --> 00:32:59,633
was core to the way that 
Mussolini saw himself,

564
00:32:59,666 --> 00:33:03,000
but also the way in which he 
represented the new Italy.

565
00:33:03,033 --> 00:33:08,133
(narrator) 
To strengthen his bond 
with the nation,

566
00:33:08,166 --> 00:33:11,833
Mussolini perfects the art of 
connecting with the crowd.

567
00:33:11,866 --> 00:33:13,633
[speaking Italian]

568
00:33:22,533 --> 00:33:24,866
[extremely loud cheering]

569
00:33:28,900 --> 00:33:31,766
(Matthew Feldman) 
Mussolini could be 
a very powerful speaker;

570
00:33:31,800 --> 00:33:35,266
bombastic, chest stuck out, 
shouting to crowds.

571
00:33:35,300 --> 00:33:38,033
this idea of speaking to 
thousands upon thousands

572
00:33:38,066 --> 00:33:40,766
of people at these oceanic 
assemblies,

573
00:33:40,800 --> 00:33:43,100
that was something 
that Mussolini had perfected.

574
00:33:43,133 --> 00:33:45,600
[loud cheering]

575
00:33:45,633 --> 00:33:49,266
(narrator) 
Realizing he cannot be in front 
of every Italian visually,

576
00:33:49,300 --> 00:33:53,300
he finds a revolutionary means 
to connect

577
00:33:53,333 --> 00:33:56,633
with the entire 
Italian public-- radio.

578
00:33:56,666 --> 00:34:00,000
[Mussolini speaks in Italian]

579
00:34:02,666 --> 00:34:04,666
(Ruth Ben-Ghiat) 
Under the Mussolini the radio

580
00:34:04,700 --> 00:34:07,666
became one of the primary 
sources of propaganda.

581
00:34:07,700 --> 00:34:11,166
[Mussolini speaks on radio 
in Italian]

582
00:34:11,199 --> 00:34:14,133
(Ruth Ben-Ghiat) 
And so people would gather 
together to listen to the Duce.

583
00:34:14,166 --> 00:34:16,866
[Mussolini speaks 
on the radio in Italian]

584
00:34:16,900 --> 00:34:19,666
Listening to the radio together

585
00:34:19,699 --> 00:34:23,533
becomes a kind of cohesive 
moment of social interaction.

586
00:34:23,566 --> 00:34:25,533
Just like going to the movies.

587
00:34:28,266 --> 00:34:30,433
(narrator) 
Mussolini's actions quickly find

588
00:34:30,466 --> 00:34:33,400
admirers outside Italy as well.

589
00:34:33,433 --> 00:34:36,766
One in particular has 
taken keen notice

590
00:34:36,800 --> 00:34:38,933
of his meteoric rise to power.

591
00:34:41,500 --> 00:34:44,766
January 30th, 1933.

592
00:34:44,800 --> 00:34:47,400
Adolf Hitler takes control

593
00:34:47,433 --> 00:34:49,766
of Germany's democratically 
elected government.

594
00:34:49,800 --> 00:34:52,699
He does it by using

595
00:34:52,733 --> 00:34:56,166
many of the same tactics 
pioneered by Mussolini.

596
00:34:56,199 --> 00:35:00,166
Hitler's private army of "Brown 
shirts," the mass rallies,

597
00:35:00,200 --> 00:35:05,433
even the Nazi salute-- all can 
be traced back to Mussolini.

598
00:35:05,466 --> 00:35:08,400
(Ruth Ben-Ghiat) 
We heard for years

599
00:35:08,433 --> 00:35:10,800
that Hitler taught Mussolini 
everything he knew.

600
00:35:10,833 --> 00:35:12,733
In fact, it's the opposite.

601
00:35:12,766 --> 00:35:15,233
Hitler came to power 
after Mussolini

602
00:35:15,266 --> 00:35:17,366
had already been there 
for 11 years.

603
00:35:17,400 --> 00:35:20,000
[loud cheering]

604
00:35:20,033 --> 00:35:23,033
People like Hitler 
were hugely influenced by him,

605
00:35:23,066 --> 00:35:26,333
so the March on Rome is 
something that Hitler sees

606
00:35:26,366 --> 00:35:28,233
as a gesture to copy 
from Mussolini's playbook.

607
00:35:30,900 --> 00:35:33,333
(narrator) 
But despite his best efforts,

608
00:35:33,366 --> 00:35:37,400
by the mid-1930s 
Mussolini is facing problems

609
00:35:37,433 --> 00:35:40,066
that propaganda and 
indoctrination can't solve.

610
00:35:40,100 --> 00:35:42,300
The economy is struggling,

611
00:35:42,333 --> 00:35:44,633
unemployment is growing,

612
00:35:44,666 --> 00:35:47,600
and discontent is 
starting to spread.

613
00:35:47,633 --> 00:35:50,466
To help regain control,

614
00:35:50,500 --> 00:35:53,466
Mussolini turns to another 
key tactic.

615
00:36:00,866 --> 00:36:04,333
(Natasha Ezrow) 
Dictators often want to go to 
war because it's a distraction.

616
00:36:04,366 --> 00:36:06,966
It's a way of uniting everybody

617
00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:09,733
under some sort of 
nationalist banner.

618
00:36:09,766 --> 00:36:11,666
It's a way of distracting 
from just terrible policies,

619
00:36:11,700 --> 00:36:13,833
or from poor performance.

620
00:36:13,866 --> 00:36:16,633
It's a way of preventing 
the opposition

621
00:36:16,666 --> 00:36:18,800
from ever challenging 
the dictatorship,

622
00:36:18,833 --> 00:36:22,033
because to do so they'd be 
viewed as being disloyal.

623
00:36:22,066 --> 00:36:25,366
Mussolini was so keen 
to go to war,

624
00:36:25,400 --> 00:36:29,133
because he wanted to unite 
the public under one banner,

625
00:36:29,166 --> 00:36:32,700
under one nationalist agenda.

626
00:36:32,733 --> 00:36:36,000
(narrator) 
He tells his people 
that the time to fulfill

627
00:36:36,033 --> 00:36:38,666
the central promise of fascism 
has come.

628
00:36:38,700 --> 00:36:42,066
It is time to build an empire.

629
00:36:42,100 --> 00:36:44,300
[cheering]

630
00:36:44,333 --> 00:36:48,633
But in 1935, that isn't easy.

631
00:36:48,666 --> 00:36:52,600
Over the last 100 years, 
western powers

632
00:36:52,633 --> 00:36:56,100
have colonized most 
of the developing world.

633
00:36:56,133 --> 00:36:59,433
Now, only a handful of 
independent nations are left;

634
00:36:59,466 --> 00:37:02,700
one is Ethiopia,

635
00:37:02,733 --> 00:37:05,200
A nation Italy 
had tried to conquer

636
00:37:05,233 --> 00:37:07,566
at the turn of the last century.

637
00:37:07,600 --> 00:37:09,966
The Ethiopia question is 
a difficult one.

638
00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:12,433
He's certainly trying 
to create an empire,

639
00:37:12,466 --> 00:37:15,166
but remember that Ethiopia 
only 40 years before

640
00:37:15,200 --> 00:37:18,033
had defeated the Italian Army 
in Adwa, in 1896.

641
00:37:18,066 --> 00:37:20,900
So some of this was 
about reclaiming

642
00:37:20,933 --> 00:37:24,100
what he perceived to be lost 
honor in Italy in 1935.

643
00:37:24,133 --> 00:37:25,866
[Mussolini speaks in Italian]

644
00:38:00,400 --> 00:38:06,666
[extremely loud cheering]

645
00:38:06,700 --> 00:38:10,266
(narrator) 
Nearly half a million 
Italian soldiers

646
00:38:10,300 --> 00:38:12,433
are dispatched to Africa.

647
00:38:16,233 --> 00:38:18,800
On October 3, 1935,

648
00:38:18,833 --> 00:38:22,233
Italian forces invade Ethiopia.

649
00:38:22,266 --> 00:38:24,033
[loud explosions]

650
00:38:27,733 --> 00:38:30,533
Although hopelessly outgunned,

651
00:38:30,566 --> 00:38:37,166
the Ethiopians put up 
a fierce resistance.

652
00:38:37,200 --> 00:38:40,366
Anticipating 
a quick military victory,

653
00:38:40,400 --> 00:38:44,233
Mussolini instead 
has his nose bloodied.

654
00:38:44,266 --> 00:38:46,500
(Marla Stone) I think there was 
a fantasy

655
00:38:46,533 --> 00:38:48,866
when Mussolini began the war

656
00:38:48,900 --> 00:38:51,933
that it would be a quick, 
short war, and it wasn't.

657
00:38:51,966 --> 00:38:54,966
So they turn to a tactic

658
00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:57,600
of total war 
once they met resistance.

659
00:38:57,633 --> 00:38:59,866
They turn to chemical weapons,

660
00:38:59,900 --> 00:39:02,333
which had been banned 
after the First World War.

661
00:39:04,533 --> 00:39:06,000
[loud whistling & explosion]

662
00:39:11,066 --> 00:39:14,466
(narrator) 
Mussolini orders his generals 
to burn Ethiopian villages

663
00:39:14,500 --> 00:39:17,600
and to use poison gas 
on civilians.

664
00:39:21,633 --> 00:39:25,733
More than 300 tons 
of deadly mustard gas

665
00:39:25,766 --> 00:39:29,033
is deployed 
against civilian targets.

666
00:39:29,066 --> 00:39:32,733
We're talking about air attacks 
against Red Cross trucks,

667
00:39:32,766 --> 00:39:35,466
poison gas.

668
00:39:35,500 --> 00:39:38,833
Really breaking all manner 
of Geneva conventions.

669
00:39:38,866 --> 00:39:42,100
(narrator) 
While the international 
community condemns his methods,

670
00:39:42,133 --> 00:39:44,766
it does nothing 
to stop the carnage.

671
00:39:46,466 --> 00:39:49,800
May 5, 1936...

672
00:39:49,833 --> 00:39:52,900
after 7 months 
of bitter fighting,

673
00:39:52,933 --> 00:39:55,633
Mussolini declares victory 
in the name of fascism.

674
00:39:58,100 --> 00:40:02,800
He proudly announces the birth 
of a new Roman Empire.

675
00:40:02,833 --> 00:40:04,933
[Mussolini speaks in Italian]

676
00:40:04,966 --> 00:40:06,566
[extremely loud cheering]

677
00:40:14,866 --> 00:40:20,400
(narrator) 
The dictator gets his empire, 
but the cost is high.

678
00:40:20,433 --> 00:40:24,333
More than 1,000 Italian soldiers 
are killed or wounded,

679
00:40:24,366 --> 00:40:27,600
and the fighting claims 
the lives

680
00:40:27,633 --> 00:40:30,233
of more than 400,000 Ethiopians.

681
00:40:33,666 --> 00:40:36,466
While Mussolini's invasion 
is denounced by the world,

682
00:40:36,500 --> 00:40:40,466
it is applauded 
by Adolf Hitler.

683
00:40:40,500 --> 00:40:43,800
Emboldened by Mussolini's 
brazen act, and the fact

684
00:40:43,833 --> 00:40:47,433
that the western democracies 
did nothing to stop it,

685
00:40:47,466 --> 00:40:51,733
Hitler launches his own bid 
to forge an empire.

686
00:40:51,766 --> 00:40:54,100
March 13th, 1938,

687
00:40:54,133 --> 00:40:57,300
Hitler's forces annex 
nearby Austria,

688
00:40:57,333 --> 00:41:01,300
followed by Czechoslovakia 
just 12 months later.

689
00:41:01,333 --> 00:41:05,066
Then on September 1, 1939,

690
00:41:05,100 --> 00:41:09,000
Adolf Hitler invades Poland, 
triggering World War II.

691
00:41:11,366 --> 00:41:15,766
It is a move that will have 
titanic consequences

692
00:41:15,800 --> 00:41:19,133
for Mussolini... 
and the entire world.

693
00:41:19,166 --> 00:41:22,033
Mussolini really believes that 
the Nazi's are going to be

694
00:41:22,066 --> 00:41:24,666
on the winning side 
and there's going to be

695
00:41:24,700 --> 00:41:27,000
a Nazi-fascist new order 
in Europe.

696
00:41:27,033 --> 00:41:30,833
And he sees how quickly the 
German blitzkrieg is working.

697
00:41:30,866 --> 00:41:35,333
(narrator) 
Mussolini sees opportunity.

698
00:41:35,366 --> 00:41:37,566
He's long dreamed 
of making Italy

699
00:41:37,600 --> 00:41:39,966
the supreme power 
in the Mediterranean,

700
00:41:40,000 --> 00:41:43,333
and the war gives him the chance 
to make it a reality.

701
00:41:45,700 --> 00:41:47,900
But his generals warn Mussolini

702
00:41:47,933 --> 00:41:51,233
that his army is 
in no shape for war.

703
00:41:51,266 --> 00:41:54,033
The Ethiopian campaign gutted 
the treasury

704
00:41:54,066 --> 00:41:57,066
and many soldiers now lack 
proper uniforms,

705
00:41:57,100 --> 00:42:00,200
let alone modern weapons.

706
00:42:00,233 --> 00:42:02,733
So there are concerns 
in the fascist hierarchy

707
00:42:02,766 --> 00:42:04,600
about the preparation 
of the Italian military.

708
00:42:04,633 --> 00:42:07,166
There are people 
in the fascist hierarchy

709
00:42:07,200 --> 00:42:10,233
who don't want to fight the war 
on the side of the Nazis.

710
00:42:10,266 --> 00:42:12,500
There's a real split.

711
00:42:12,533 --> 00:42:13,733
[Mussolini speaks in Italian]

712
00:42:27,433 --> 00:42:29,233
[loud cheering]

713
00:42:33,700 --> 00:42:35,766
[extremely loud cheering]

714
00:42:38,900 --> 00:42:45,133
(narrator) 
June, 1940, Mussolini declares 
war on Britain and France.

715
00:42:45,166 --> 00:42:49,566
Intent on controlling 
the Mediterranean,

716
00:42:49,600 --> 00:42:52,033
he launches 
a 2-front war--

717
00:42:55,033 --> 00:42:59,366
His troops swarm into Egypt 
to seize the Suez canal.

718
00:43:05,033 --> 00:43:07,533
Then they strike at Greece.

719
00:43:10,766 --> 00:43:13,900
But the Greek Army pushes back,

720
00:43:13,933 --> 00:43:17,966
and soon has the Italians 
on the defensive.

721
00:43:18,000 --> 00:43:22,333
As his generals predicted,

722
00:43:22,366 --> 00:43:25,366
Italy is woefully unprepared

723
00:43:25,400 --> 00:43:27,966
for battle against 
fully-equipped adversaries.

724
00:43:30,033 --> 00:43:32,166
More than 150,000 Italians

725
00:43:32,200 --> 00:43:34,566
are killed or wounded 
in the fighting.

726
00:43:40,100 --> 00:43:44,066
And it's even worse 
in North Africa.

727
00:43:44,100 --> 00:43:49,133
In October 1942, the Italian 
forces are all but wiped out.

728
00:43:49,166 --> 00:43:51,733
(Matthew Feldman) 
They keep getting 
defeated in the war, they're

729
00:43:51,766 --> 00:43:53,600
defeated in Greece, they're 
defeated in North Africa,

730
00:43:53,633 --> 00:43:55,633
and so the military might 
of Italy

731
00:43:55,666 --> 00:43:57,500
is seen very quickly 
to be a straw man,

732
00:44:02,266 --> 00:44:04,933
(narrator) 
But the worst is 
still to come...

733
00:44:05,866 --> 00:44:09,233
July 10, 1943...

734
00:44:09,266 --> 00:44:12,600
After pushing Hitler 
and Mussolini's forces

735
00:44:12,633 --> 00:44:16,733
out of north Africa, the Allies 
launch an invasion of Italy.

736
00:44:16,766 --> 00:44:21,566
150,000 Allied troops storm 
the island of Sicily.

737
00:44:30,466 --> 00:44:34,533
Tired of Mussolini and his wars,

738
00:44:34,566 --> 00:44:39,200
many of his own people welcome 
the invaders as liberators.

739
00:44:39,233 --> 00:44:43,133
Il Duce all but vanishes 
from the public eye.

740
00:44:46,733 --> 00:44:52,033
(Ruth Ben-Ghiat) 
Mussolini, who was omnipresent 
for all these decades,

741
00:44:52,066 --> 00:44:55,100
he disappears from public life.

742
00:44:55,133 --> 00:44:58,033
He doesn't make as many radio 
addresses,

743
00:44:58,066 --> 00:45:00,633
he's not seen in public,

744
00:45:00,666 --> 00:45:04,166
perhaps it's not safe for him 
to come out anymore.

745
00:45:04,200 --> 00:45:07,500
(narrator) 
Furious with his bungling 
of the war,

746
00:45:07,533 --> 00:45:11,266
top ranking military officials 
and fascists

747
00:45:11,300 --> 00:45:14,900
meet with the King 
to plan Il Duce's downfall.

748
00:45:17,100 --> 00:45:19,766
There was a realization that 
Italy was lost.

749
00:45:19,800 --> 00:45:21,733
That Italy's power wasn't 
anywhere near

750
00:45:21,766 --> 00:45:24,533
what the propaganda said it was,

751
00:45:24,566 --> 00:45:27,700
and I think that once the 
Fascist Council of Deputies

752
00:45:27,733 --> 00:45:30,200
realized that the war was 
imminently

753
00:45:30,233 --> 00:45:35,200
reaching Italian shores, that it 
was all over for Mussolini.

754
00:45:35,233 --> 00:45:38,566
(narrator) 
Unaware of the planned coup, 
Mussolini is invited

755
00:45:38,600 --> 00:45:41,266
to meet with 
the Fascist Grand Council,

756
00:45:41,300 --> 00:45:45,233
his top ranking advisors.

757
00:45:45,266 --> 00:45:48,766
They take a vote on whether 
Mussolini should

758
00:45:48,800 --> 00:45:52,700
continue to rule, 
Mussolini loses the vote,

759
00:45:52,733 --> 00:45:55,800
I think he was absolutely 
shocked.

760
00:45:55,833 --> 00:45:57,833
I think he couldn't have 
imagined that.

761
00:46:00,666 --> 00:46:03,400
(narrator) 
Without the support 
of the military,

762
00:46:03,433 --> 00:46:05,766
he is powerless 
to stop the plot.

763
00:46:08,066 --> 00:46:10,333
The elites turned on Mussolini

764
00:46:10,366 --> 00:46:13,166
because he was running 
the country into the ground.

765
00:46:13,200 --> 00:46:17,066
The war effort was going really 
really poorly, and he was

766
00:46:17,100 --> 00:46:19,766
making mistake after mistake 
after mistake.

767
00:46:19,800 --> 00:46:23,600
(Marla Stone) 
The king has him 
put under house arrest,

768
00:46:23,633 --> 00:46:29,600
and then sent to a military 
hospital in Gran Sasso.

769
00:46:29,633 --> 00:46:33,400
(narrator) 
Mussolini is kept under guard 
high atop a mountain,

770
00:46:33,433 --> 00:46:37,166
but he is not utterly abandoned.

771
00:46:37,200 --> 00:46:41,700
He has one ally left, 
and he's a big one.

772
00:46:41,733 --> 00:46:45,700
On Sept 9, Hitler learns 
that the Allies

773
00:46:45,733 --> 00:46:50,333
have launched an invasion 
of the Italian mainland.

774
00:46:50,366 --> 00:46:53,800
He sends several divisions of 
soldiers into Italy

775
00:46:53,833 --> 00:46:55,900
to guard the southern approaches 
to Germany.

776
00:46:58,700 --> 00:47:04,600
Then Hitler launches one of the 
most daring rescues of the war.

777
00:47:04,633 --> 00:47:08,166
He sends an elite squad 
of commandos

778
00:47:08,200 --> 00:47:11,666
to free Mussolini from 
a mountaintop prison.

779
00:47:11,700 --> 00:47:15,100
After landing their gliders,

780
00:47:15,133 --> 00:47:17,333
they surprise 
Mussolini's captors

781
00:47:17,366 --> 00:47:20,233
and rescue him 
without firing a shot.

782
00:47:28,666 --> 00:47:30,566
After Mussolini's rescued 
by these SS Troops,

783
00:47:30,600 --> 00:47:32,666
he arrives at Hitler's 
headquarters

784
00:47:32,700 --> 00:47:35,266
and the first thing he says 
allegedly is,

785
00:47:35,300 --> 00:47:37,733
I'm here to receive my orders,

786
00:47:37,766 --> 00:47:40,400
and I think that that very 
clearly

787
00:47:40,433 --> 00:47:42,000
delineates the relationship, 
the changed relationship,

788
00:47:42,033 --> 00:47:44,166
between Hitler and Mussolini.

789
00:47:44,200 --> 00:47:46,500
The pupil was 
no longer the tutor,

790
00:47:46,533 --> 00:47:48,900
and Mussolini had 
no cards to play

791
00:47:48,933 --> 00:47:52,100
Hitler installs Mussolini 
as the leader

792
00:47:52,133 --> 00:47:56,766
of the large swath of territory 
now under German control.

793
00:47:56,800 --> 00:48:00,566
The once-great dictator 
is now Hitler's puppet.

794
00:48:00,600 --> 00:48:04,166
And as the Allies 
continue to push north,

795
00:48:04,200 --> 00:48:07,600
Mussolini can only make 
a pretense of authority.

796
00:48:10,100 --> 00:48:14,833
But Mussolini's time as Hitler's 
pawn is short-lived.

797
00:48:14,866 --> 00:48:18,200
As the Allies advance 
from the south,

798
00:48:18,233 --> 00:48:20,933
and anti-fascist partisans 
take control

799
00:48:20,966 --> 00:48:24,233
of villages to the north, 
his puppet state collapses.

800
00:48:27,200 --> 00:48:31,166
Mussolini and Clara Petacci,

801
00:48:31,200 --> 00:48:33,600
his mistress 
for the last 10 years,

802
00:48:33,633 --> 00:48:36,866
must flee or be captured.

803
00:48:36,900 --> 00:48:39,166
(Matthew Feldman) 
This was a broken man.

804
00:48:39,200 --> 00:48:41,066
He thinks about going 
to Switzerland.

805
00:48:41,100 --> 00:48:43,300
He thinks about 
giving himself up,

806
00:48:43,333 --> 00:48:46,033
either to the allies 
or the partisans, ultimately

807
00:48:46,066 --> 00:48:49,266
they decide on trying 
to kind of sneak into Austria.

808
00:48:49,300 --> 00:48:52,966
(narrator) 
April 28th, 1945.

809
00:48:53,000 --> 00:48:56,766
With the German army now in 
retreat, Mussolini and Petacci

810
00:48:56,800 --> 00:48:59,500
make a desperate run 
for the Austrian border.

811
00:49:03,933 --> 00:49:07,233
Their truck is stopped 
near Lake Como.

812
00:49:07,266 --> 00:49:10,300
Although he is disguised 
as a soldier,

813
00:49:10,333 --> 00:49:14,866
the most familiar face in Italy 
does not go unnoticed.

814
00:49:14,900 --> 00:49:17,566
Ultimately caught 
by a group of partisans

815
00:49:17,600 --> 00:49:19,833
who recognizes Mussolini 
in an overcoat

816
00:49:19,866 --> 00:49:22,166
and Austrian military uniform,

817
00:49:22,200 --> 00:49:26,333
(narrator) 
The partisans set up 
an impromptu court.

818
00:49:26,366 --> 00:49:29,400
And after finding Mussolini 
guilty of treason,

819
00:49:29,433 --> 00:49:32,900
they condemn him to death 
by firing squad.

820
00:49:52,300 --> 00:49:55,700
Mussolini's corpse is then 
brought to Milan,

821
00:49:55,733 --> 00:49:58,933
and placed in front 
of a jeering mob.

822
00:50:02,900 --> 00:50:06,033
(Matthew Feldman) 
The body of Mussolini,

823
00:50:06,066 --> 00:50:08,600
Clara Petacci, and a number 
of the other leaders,

824
00:50:08,633 --> 00:50:11,366
the real extremists, 
the real hard core,

825
00:50:11,400 --> 00:50:14,033
are hung up 
in a Milanese petrol station

826
00:50:14,066 --> 00:50:16,566
for the mob to laugh at.

827
00:50:30,366 --> 00:50:33,833
(Marla Stone) 
And they hung him upside down 
because in Ancient Rome,

828
00:50:33,866 --> 00:50:36,666
traitors were hung upside down.

829
00:50:36,700 --> 00:50:41,133
His body was left there 
for a number of days

830
00:50:41,166 --> 00:50:44,833
until some American GI's 
showed up in a jeep

831
00:50:44,866 --> 00:50:46,666
and cut the bodies down.

832
00:50:49,200 --> 00:50:51,800
(narrator) 
Almost 25 years after it began,

833
00:50:51,833 --> 00:50:54,066
Mussolini's fascist revolution

834
00:50:54,100 --> 00:50:56,833
has reached its bloody 
conclusion.

835
00:51:00,166 --> 00:51:03,233
In the aftermath of the war, 
the Italian people

836
00:51:03,266 --> 00:51:05,866
turn their back on 
his ideology of violence

837
00:51:05,900 --> 00:51:11,000
and create a democratic republic 
that is now its 7th decade.

838
00:51:11,033 --> 00:51:14,533
But Mussolini 
has not been forgotten.

839
00:51:14,566 --> 00:51:19,400
Almost 70 years 
after his downfall,

840
00:51:19,433 --> 00:51:21,700
his home village of Predappio

841
00:51:21,733 --> 00:51:25,233
is a destination 
for neo-fascist pilgrims.

842
00:51:25,266 --> 00:51:27,866
(Marla Stone) 
There are people in Italy

843
00:51:27,900 --> 00:51:31,200
who really look back on 
the fascist period fondly

844
00:51:31,233 --> 00:51:35,266
as a time of law and order, 
as a time of national grandeur,

845
00:51:35,300 --> 00:51:37,066
as a time when things worked.

846
00:51:39,600 --> 00:51:43,800
For many Italians it was a 
period of of Italian greatness

847
00:51:43,833 --> 00:51:46,366
in which Italy had 
respect in the world.

848
00:51:46,400 --> 00:51:49,466
[men chanting]

849
00:51:58,466 --> 00:52:02,166
(Ruth Ben-Ghiat) Fascism 
has come back

850
00:52:02,200 --> 00:52:05,866
into having an attraction for 
people because in some ways

851
00:52:05,900 --> 00:52:08,066
we're going through a moment

852
00:52:08,100 --> 00:52:11,800
that is not dissimilar 
to post-World War I.

853
00:52:11,833 --> 00:52:14,600
There's a lot of 
economic anxiety.

854
00:52:14,633 --> 00:52:17,833
There's worries above all 
about demographic shifts,

855
00:52:17,866 --> 00:52:20,300
there are worries 
about mobile populations.

856
00:52:20,333 --> 00:52:23,000
In this case, immigrants 
are the new enemy.

857
00:52:25,400 --> 00:52:27,333
(Matthew Feldman) 
People are starting to remember

858
00:52:27,366 --> 00:52:29,633
the way Mussolini tried to make 
Italy great again.

859
00:52:29,666 --> 00:52:32,566
Forgetting all the horrors that 
had befallen Italy,

860
00:52:32,600 --> 00:52:35,166
both as a result of his rule, 
and immediately thereafter.

861
00:52:39,066 --> 00:52:43,066
(Ruth Ben-Ghiat) 
We forget Mussolini 
at our peril today

862
00:52:43,100 --> 00:52:46,800
because many of the signs and 
symptoms of fascism are back.

863
00:52:46,833 --> 00:52:51,266
The desire for a strongman, 
the rising racism,

864
00:52:51,300 --> 00:52:54,333
the need for scapegoats, the

865
00:52:54,366 --> 00:52:58,433
disaffection with traditional 
forms of government--

866
00:52:58,466 --> 00:53:02,066
all of this is coming back,

867
00:53:02,100 --> 00:53:05,500
and we need to remember 
the lesson of the strongman

868
00:53:05,533 --> 00:53:08,366
which is tyranny and hatred.

869
00:53:12,066 --> 00:53:13,066
Next time on 
"The Dictator's Playbook."

870
00:53:14,633 --> 00:53:17,100
Noriega's a dictator, 
Noriega's a drug trafficker,

871
00:53:17,133 --> 00:53:18,900
Noriega is repressing freedoms.

872
00:53:18,933 --> 00:53:21,900
A gangster in a military 
uniform.

873
00:53:21,933 --> 00:53:25,166
(Mariam Mufti) 
Noriega was a double agent, 
he was exchanging information

874
00:53:25,200 --> 00:53:27,100
between the U.S. intelligence, 
the Cuban intelligence.

875
00:53:27,133 --> 00:53:29,900
He played 
a very high-stakes game

876
00:53:29,933 --> 00:53:32,800
He defied the U.S. government.

877
00:53:32,833 --> 00:53:36,133
(Pres. George H.W. Bush) 
In Panama, we will not let 
American's lives

878
00:53:36,166 --> 00:53:38,700
be put at risk 
by a dictator down there.

879
00:53:41,766 --> 00:53:43,566
[orchestra plays in minor tones]

880
00:53:50,500 --> 00:53:53,100
(man) To order "The Dictator's 
Playbook" on DVD,

881
00:53:53,133 --> 00:53:55,566
visit shopPBS.org

882
00:53:55,600 --> 00:53:58,466
or call 1-800-PLAY-PBS.

883
00:53:58,500 --> 00:54:00,766
This program is also available

884
00:54:00,800 --> 00:54:02,833
on Amazon Prime Video.

885
00:54:05,600 --> 00:54:07,533
[synthesizer fanfare]
