> Who was the Prime Minister of Italy between 1922 and 1943?And the answer: Benito Mussolini.Known in Italy as Il Duce (the Leader), Mussolini became the fascist dictator ofItaly in the early to mid 20th century. Under his leadership, Italy allied withNazi Germany and Japan during World War II.Photo: public domain.Though he later became known as the father of fascism,Mussolini was born in 1883 and named after Italian socialist leaders. YoungMussolini was raised by his Roman Catholic mother and socialist-leaning fatherto put his faith in Karl Marx and the Pope, leading to an interest in socialismand an education in religion. However, Mussolini was an unruly child and, afterhis compulsory 10 years of education, he discovered that his needs were bettermet in Switzerland, where he found his way by charisma alone. Yet Mussolini wasdeported after several years and was soon drafted into the Italian army, wherehe served for 18 months. In Italy, Mussolini worked in a series of temporary teaching positions, but hisunruliness never quite left him. He began to focus more heavily on his interestsby writing for socialist newspapers which critiqued the Italian government,democracy, the middle classes, and even the church. Although his writings earnedhim time behind bars, he also caught the attention of socialist leaders, who sawhim as somewhat of a rising force in socialism. In 1912, shortly after hisrelease from prison, Mussolini was appointed editor of the national socialistnewspaper Avanti. Within 6 months, his journalism had more than quadrupled thepaper's readership. With a national forum to air his views, Mussolini first began to advocateagainst Italian participation in the first World War, as he saw it asanti-socialist to pit one country's working class against another. However, histune soon changed, as he began to see war as a means of revolution. Avanti rejected this line of thinking and removed him from his editorship, as did thesocialist party. In defiance, Mussolini began his own political party: theFascist Party. After the war, Italy entered a period of instability. Four prime ministerscirculated through the government, all unable to enact change. In 1921,elections were held which granted Mussolini and his right-wing associates seatsof power in the Italian government. As his reputation grew, so did theperception of Mussolini as a leader who ruled with a firm hand – something manyItalians felt the country desperately needed. By age 39, Mussolini had becomePrime Minister and Foreign Minister of Italy. As Mussolini's aggressive propaganda infiltrated Italy, he spent the nextseveral years dismantling democracy in Italy and establishing his owntotalitarian regime. In 1939, he partnered with Hitler's Nazi regime to fightthe second World War against the allied powers. Learn more about Mussolini's rise and fall below.