My Life and Doctrines

As a child, I grew up in the province of Forli in Emilia-Romagna with my father, Alessandro Mussolini, who was a blacksmith, and my mother, Rosa Mussolini, who was a Catholic school teacher. I was raised in a very impoverished family. As a result, that was the reason for my father to be a follower of revolutionary socialism, in order to improve his family's life. My father's political views influenced me very much. As a child, I never enjoyed going to school. Although I was intelligent, my violent and egotistic demeanor got the best of me. Therefore, I learned very little and often conflicted with the other students.
For a period of time in my early twenties (in 1902), as I was trying to escape the Italian military service, I migrated to Switzerland. During my studies in Switzerland, I was deeply impressed by the philosophies of Friedrich Nietzsche and Georges Sorel. Sorel's teachings of the need to overthrow democracy and capitalism through the means of violence, general strike, and an attitude of duplicity profoundly inspired my own political views. In Switzerland, I was an advocate for the Italian socialist movement, but my support for the violent general strike led to my arrest. After this situation, I decided to return to Italy. By 1908, I was considered one of Italy's most prominent socialists due to the circulations of my radical writings such as Il Trentino veduto da un Socialista, my position as editor of the Avanti, and my participation in riots against the Italian government. However, because of the fact that I became an advocate to the intervention of World War I, I was thus expelled from the Socialist party.
I see the Italian government as incompetent in dealing with the administration of Italy. The Socialists, the Liberals, and the Popolari, or Christian Democrats, are unable to form a cohesive coalition to effectively administrate the country. In 1919, this political chaos in the Italian parliamentary ultimately led me to lay the foundations of my new political movements known as Fascism. I believe the Fascist regime will strengthen the national power of Italy because this totalitarianism government will enable me to control the political, social, cultural, and intellectual aspects of the Italian people. By using the instrument of mass propaganda, I can convince the people of Italy to follow the policies and goals of my regime, in order for Italy to achieve international prestige. Even though the Fascists party had not become a majority in the Italian parliament, I am certain that one day, the people of Italy will unite and realize the potential of my regime. The Fascists ideals of anti-communism, anti-strike activity, and nationalism will allow me to gain the support of the middle and upper-class, who are threatened with the idea of a socialist revolution. I will create an Italy in which its doctrines are based on the concepts of hard-work, discipline, physically fitness, intellectual acuteness, and military might. Thus, Italy will become the strongest and most formidable power on the continent.

My mugshot, when I was arrested at Switzerland.

Sources:
Spielvogel, Jackson J. Western Civilization.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benito_Mussolini
Pictures:
http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lant1kVsuc1qzfmh5o1_500.jpg