In 1922, Mussolini became Prime Minister of Italy, after which fascist despotism was established in Italy. Italy was also the first country to establish a fascist dictatorship. Then a young man in Germany, Hitler, began to imitate Mussolini, and eventually established fascist rule in Germany. In addition to Italy and Germany, Japan also established a fascist regime. These three countries were the most important members of fascism, and together they launched the Second World War, which brought great disasters to mankind. For fascist countries, the most important characteristic is internal despotism and external aggression. Mussolini, Hitler, and the Emperor of Japan all wielded great power. However, it is also a dictatorship, and the dictatorship established by Mussolini can be said to be the most failed and the least dictatorial.
Let's look first at the state of the three main autocrats in the Axis powers. The dictator of Germany was Hitler, and after Hitler took control of Germany, no one could confront Hitler, and he himself held all the power. Even by the end of World War II, no one in Germany could oppose him; look at Emperor Hirohito of Japan. Not to mention, the emperor is the supreme presence of the Japanese people. He was not only the supreme leader of the world, but also the spiritual leader of the Japanese people. Although the Emperor does not make decisions easily in ordinary times, no one can oppose what he says. He could get all the Japanese to surrender with a single word; finally look at Mussolini in Italy. There is only one thing to say: Mussolini was deposed by the King of Italy in 1943 and imprisoned. If Hitler hadn't rescued him, Mussolini would have been executed long ago.
Looking at the situation of the three dictators in the Axis powers, do you find that Mussolini's dictatorship can be said to be the most defeated? Let's first look at the same dictators, all fascist regimes, why is Mussolini different from others?
Fascism meant the scepter in the hands of high-ranking Roman officials, consisting of a bundle of sticks tied together with an axe in the middle. Look at these two things and you know that it is violent rule. Looking at the source of this political system, we know that Mussolini still admires ancient Rome, and his heart has always been more yearning for ancient Rome. Hence the name. Mussolini's ability to create a fascist party had a lot to do with the circumstances at the time.
After the end of World War I, Italy did not gain much from the Paris Peace Conference, so it caused dissatisfaction among the people, and Mussolini was one of them. In 1921, Mussolini founded the Italian National Fascist Party and became its own leader. But Mussolini's fascist party won only 105 seats in the Parliament at the time, less than a third. Mussolini was very dissatisfied with this result, and he called on his supporters to go to Rome, which is known as the "march into Rome". Due to the large number of supporters who entered Rome to protest, the Italian king had to appoint Mussolini as prime minister of the cabinet and began to form a cabinet. Mussolini then began to establish fascist rule in Italy. But Mussolini's fascist dictatorship was markedly different from other countries.
First of all, Mussolini was not the supreme leader in Italy, at least nominally there was a king in Italy, and it was very important that the king held all the power. As long as there are people in Italy who have a higher status than Mussolini, Mussolini cannot be completely dictatorial. In 1861, Italy was unified under the leadership of the Kingdom of Sardinia. Unified Italy also established a constitutional monarchy. Many people think of constitutional monarchy as a symbol and without any real power. In fact, at the beginning of the constitutional monarchy of any country, the king was not a figment, but held great power. With the discovery of society, the king's power became less and less, and finally it became symbolic.
After the end of World War I, the King of Italy still held great power. We can see the role of the king by marching into Rome. The reason why Mussolini was able to enter Rome successfully had a lot to do with the Italian government. The Italian prime minister at the time believed that as long as the king said a word, Mussolini would inevitably fail, and as a result, the king and the government did nothing, so Mussolini succeeded. And after Mussolini succeeded, he also needed the appointment of the king, without which he would never have become the prime minister of Italy. And after Mussolini became prime minister, he always said on many occasions that he was loyal to the king, and the king asked him to do anything, and he would not hesitate. All this shows that the King of Italy still wields a lot of power.
Not only that, but the reason why Mussolini's rule was later overthrown was also related to the king. The king summoned Mussolini in 1943 and ordered him to resign, and Mussolini had to resign.
Through these things we can see that the influence of the king in Italy was very great. Although the king could not decide the affairs of all the people in Italy, his symbolism was important. Without the support of the king, Mussolini, no matter how strong, could not have dictated in Italy. And throughout, the Italian royal family has always been above Mussolini's government. On many important occasions, the nobility sat in important places. This shows that Mussolini's dictatorship was not complete.
Secondly, catholicism has a very large influence in Italy, and Mussolini has always needed the support of the Catholic Church. The Vatican in Rome is the center of the world's Catholic Church, where the Pope, the leader of the Catholic Church, has lived. Before World War II, the pope had a very big global impact. At that time, many countries and regions paid tithes to the pope, and there were many devout believers everywhere. Although after the unification of Italy, the direct rule of the pope became smaller and smaller, but both economically and influentially, Catholicism was a very important force in Italy. Although religious power could not prevail over secular power at this time, the influence of the Catholic Church in Italy was still there.
Mussolini has actively wooed the Pope before he became The Prime Minister of Italy, and it can be said that the reason why he can become the Prime Minister of Italy is also supported by the Pope. In 1929, the Pope also signed the Treaty of Atlanti with Mussolini. The general content of this treaty was Mussolini's recognition of the existence of the Papal States, of course, on the condition that the Pope support Mussolini. This situation does not exist in Germany or Japan. Hitler did not need Catholic support at all, and the Japanese Emperor himself was the religious leader.
After Mussolini was forced to resign, the government of the Republic of Salou, which he established in northern Italy, also had the support of the Pope. Before the fall of the government of the Republic of Salou, Mussolini also contacted the Pope several times, hoping that the Pope would support him.
In these respects, even under fascist regimes, the pope still has great appeal in Italy. Mussolini can never change this.
Eventually, within the fascist parties, Mussolini could not be autocratic. After Mussolini established the Fascist Party, it was reasonable to say that he would have absolute authority within the Party, so that the Fascist Party could rule the country. But in fact, Mussolini had no absolute authority in the party at all. There were also many elders within the Italian Fascist Party, who also held great power. Although these elders unconditionally supported Mussolini, it is undeniable that they also posed a certain threat to Mussolini.
In 1943, the Italian king was able to force Mussolini to resign mainly because many people within the fascist party did not agree with Mussolini. In response to Mussolini's resignation, 7 members of the ten-member committee within the Fascist Party approved, 1 opposed, 1 abstained, and 1 refused to vote. These votes alone show that Mussolini does not have absolute authority in the party. It is important to know that this kind of thing is impossible in Germany. Even at the end of World War II, those who opposed Hitler in Germany could only oppose Hitler through the extreme method of assassination, and could not get Hitler to step down through an intra-party vote. Because Hitler's authority within the Nazi Party was too high, the party vote could not have been successful.
Through these three aspects, we can find that Mussolini's despotism is very limited. Not only in Italy there were many people who opposed him, but also within the Fascist Party who could threaten his position. This was one of the reasons why Hitler looked down on Mussolini. Hitler had long regarded Mussolini as his mentor, but later found that Mussolini did not mix well in Italy, so he was very disappointed in this mentor.
Of course, Mussolini's despotism not only failed, but his own fate was also very tragic. Emperor Hirohito of Japan continued to be emperor after the war, just like no one else. Hitler in Germany committed suicide. Mussolini was executed by the guerrillas, and after his death, the body was pulled out and paraded in the streets. This was not over, and then the body was stolen again. It can be said that his fate is the most tragic.
Resources:
Mussolini, The Three Elements of World War II, Country Profile of Italy