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Birth
Benito Mussolini was born on July 29, 1883. He goes on to become influential in World War II and Italy's history. As a fascist, he would later be dictator of Italy (Foot 1). -
Became editor of "Avanti!"
In 1912, Mussolini became the editor of the official socialist paper, "Avanti!"(forward). This gave him a platform to spread his ideas. He could control the newspaper and spread fascist propaganda throughout the country (Foot 2). -
Panama Canal Opens
In 1914 the Panama Canal opened in Central America. This was important because it created much easier trade routes. Instead of having to go around the southern tip of South America, you could go through the Panama Canal and save a lot of time. (www.infoplease.com) -
World War I Begins
World War I began on August 3rd 1914 and lasted 4 years. Millions of people died and it resulted in many governments being changed drastically. The problems that came from it eventually led to the start of World War II (www.historyonthenet.com). -
Italy Joins World War I
On May 23rd, 1915 Italy joined World War I. They were on the side of the allies which included Britain, France, Russia, the U.S. and Italy. This was important because Italy played a very big role in the allied victory (www.historyonthenet.com). -
U.S Declares War on Germany in World War I
The United States declared war on Germany during World War I on April 6, 1917. This changed the war greatly. The United States was a powerful nation and played an influential role in Germany and Austria being defeated (www.historyonthenet.com). -
World War I Ends
On November 11, 1918, World War I ended after 4 years of fighting. This was very important because it brought an end to a lot of fighting and turmoil. The allied forces defeated the Central Powers. Terms were then set to prevent Germany from becoming too powerful again. This failed and led to World War II (www.historyonthenet.com). -
Mussolini Creates "Fasci Italiani di Combattimento"
In 1919 the Treaty of Versailles was signed. Mussolini was outraged by the outcome of this and created a national organization called "Fasci Italiani di Combattimento." This was a fascist group. They encouraged violence against socialists. This was important in Mussolini becoming leader of Italy because it gave him a fascist group that supported him strongly (Adams 11). -
Prime Minister of Italy
On October 28, 1922, Benito Mussolini took office as Prime Minister of Italy. This gave him the ability to take full power over the government and become the dictator of Italy. Later, he does this and only appoints fascists to high ranking political positions (Adams 11). -
Signs the Lateran Accords
The Lateran Accords was a treaty between the Roman Catholic Church and the Kingdom of Italy. Mussolini signed this on February 2, 1929. The document gave the church the right to teach religion in public schools and to implement laws governing marriage. This ended 60 years of hostility between Italy and the church. -
Herbert Hoover Becomes President
On March 3, 1929, Herbert Hoover became president of the United States. He was the 31st president and was president for 4 years. He was important because during his presidency, the stock market crashed and the Great Depression began (infoplease.com). -
Mussolini Wants a New Roman Empire
In 1934, Mussolini revealed that he wanted to turn Italy into a modern Roman Empire. He wanted to conquer nations and rule over them, in a very large empire. This was important because he used this as his reason to conquer countries (Adams 18). -
Italy Invades Ethiopia
In 1935, Mussolini's Italian army conquered Ethiopia. This got Hitler's attention. Since, Mussolini conquered Ethiopia, Hitler began to recognize Mussolini and Italy as a legitimate power. It made him want to create an axis with them (Adams 16). -
Rome-Berlin Axis is Created
The Rome-Berlin Axis was created in 1938. This was an axis between Mussolini's Italy and Hitler's Germany for the duration of World War II. This was very influential in World War II because Italy became Hitler's strongest ally. If Italy and Germany hadn't allied themselves, Germany wouldn't have been nearly as strong and would have been defeated by the Allied forces much more quickly and easily (Adams 17). -
Italy Invades Albania
In April, 1939, Mussolini had his army invade Albania. This continued his desire for Italy to become a modern Roman Empire. It was important because it strengthened Italy's expansion and made the Axis forces even more powerful (Salisbury 35). -
Death
Mussolini died April 28, 1945. He was killed of execution by firing squad. He received this punishment due to his war crimes and murders.
