Bailey Sarian (0:00)

How do you feel when you switch to Geico and save on your car insurance? It's like finishing your laundry successfully matching all your daughter's baby socks together on the first try. Let's see. Panda socks, firetruck socks. Socks with those cute little strawberries on them. You matched each and every one of those tiny socks. I mean, has this ever happened in the history of laundry? And a penguin wearing a cowboy hat? Socks. Done. Enjoy the moment, dad. You've earned it. Yep, switching and saving with Geico feels just like that. Get more with Geico. Listen, I am very interested in dictators. I read so much about Stalin last year. I mean, we even did a two parter on him and wow, you know, he killed a lot of people. Today's main character has a lot in common with Stalin. You'll see what I mean. He was besties with Hitler. He survived not one, not two, not three, but four assassination attempts. On top of that, after he survived, he tried to cancel Christmas. Well, and he killed like a lot of people. Kinda should throw that in there. Today we're talking about Benito Mussolini. Mussolini kind of sounds like, I don't know, pasta, doesn't it? No, it doesn't. Okay. But it's actually the name of one of the most horrific mass murders in history. I mean, he's responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. But, you know, I, I've always heard about the guy and I was just like, where did he come from? Like, why? Why was he such a monster? Like, what made him so powerful? And why did so many people support him? Well, those are the questions I wanted to know the answers to. So let's learn about Benito Mussolini in today's episode of Dark History. Hi, friends. I hope you're having a wonderful day today. My name is Bailey Sarian and I'd like to welcome you to to my podcast, Dark History. Here we believe history does not have to be boring. It might be tragic. Sometimes it's happy. Rarely. But either way, it's our dark history. Before we get into it, don't forget to like and subscribe because I'm here for you. Always posting new content and let me know what you think. I love hearing from you in the comment section. But now let's get into it. Benito Emil Kore Andrea Mussolini was born on July 29, 1883. I'm just gonna call him Mussolini because, like, that's how everyone really knows the guy. Really, Right? Yeah. So Mussolini was like the oldest of three children. He grew up in a small village called Dovia where his dad was a blacksmith and his mom was a schoolteacher. So his dad, Alessandro, wasn't like the other people in the religious town. Like he actually really hated the church. Alessandro basically thought the church should stay like out of people's lives and be separate from the government. And he really like passed this hatred down to his son. Alessandro seemed like an intense guy. Like he was angry and it was said that he was physically abusive towards his wife and the kids. And like Mussolini's dad would drill into his head that he needed to be educated. Like it was very, very important to him. Maybe his dad didn't have an education and like he wanted a better a life, a better life for his son than he had. You know, despite this, a lot of people look down on the family, mainly like by other relatives. Mussolini's mom was from like a, I guess a wealthier family. And you know, they thought that she married down when she got with Alessandro, you know, like, he's this uneducated blacksmith. Well, it was said that at a young age, Mussolini, he would start acting out, you know, just misbehaving. And he had a bit of an anger problem himself. Now maybe because of this, he was sent to boarding school when he was 12 years old. And I guess things only got harder for him. So while he was at boarding school, Mussolini was treated differently than a lot of the other kids. Like he was poor and from like this small town. And the other kids just like looked down on him because of this. Now this was very upsetting to young Mussolini. He wasn't gonna take crap from these kids. So he started getting into fights with other classmates. And at one point he pulled a knife out on a kid. Oh yeah. And this ended up getting him expelled. After this, his family had to find another school for him, which was not easy with his track record. Mussolini ended up at a state run school meant to create future teachers. You know, like maybe he would follow in his mother's footsteps. Overall, he does better at this school mainly because there was like a better mixture of middle and lower class families there. He, I guess would still get into fights, but it was fine. Cause in 1901 he would go on to graduate. You know, after this there were like high hopes that young Mussolini would go on to become a great educator, a teacher, like, mommy, I know, and could you imagine if he was a teacher? You'd be like, oh my God, Mussolini was my third grade teacher. That's wild. But this career wouldn't last very long. Sometimes trying to figure out what everyone wants to eat can be challenging. I mean, I look at Joan, I'm like, joan, what do you want to eat? Thai. Of course. You know Thai. It's always Thai. And then I asked Paul. I'm like, paul, what do you wanna eat? He's like, anything but Thai. And I'm like, you know what, you guys? What do we do here? Cause we're in a pickle, huh? I mean, I'm not spending a million bucks in delivery fees just to make you happy for two minutes. Well, you guys, how about I make the decision tonight? Let's do Szechuan pork noodle stir fry. We've had it before, and you guys liked it. Well, we're all in luck, because our hello fresh order came in today. And look, there is always something for in their weekly menu. And that's because there are 50 different recipes to choose from every week. And I can customize it to make sure it's just the way everyone likes it. Plus, I know that no matter what we choose, every hellofresh recipe includes high quality and sustainably sourced ingredients, like their produce, which comes straight from the farm to the table. Plus, my favorite part is I like how much time I save with hellofresh between actually picking a restaurant or even just waiting for for delivery. Ordering food can take forever. I can't waste any more time or effort on soggy French fries and questionable condiments, you know? But luckily, with HelloFresh, America's number one meal kit, those days are over. Get 10 free meals@hellofresh.com FreedomDarkHistory. Applied across seven boxes. New subscribers only. Varies by plan. That's 10 free HelloFresh meals. Just go to hellofresh.com FreedomDarkHistory Mussolini has major issues. Following the rules, he works as a teacher for a bit, but he ends up getting fired from his teaching job for his bad attitude. And this is just one of many jobs he would lose for his terrible behavior. But Mussolini wasn't just, like, a problem in his professional life. Around this time, Mussolini was accused of sexual assault. Not ideal. Great. Between being a sexual predator and, like, not being able to hold down a job, Mussolini, he just, like, decides to move. You know, that'll solve everything. So in 1902, he ends up moving to Switzerland to dodge the Italian draft. While he's there, he finally finds something that he's kind of good at. Public speaking. Oh, no. Oh, yes. Mussolini was considered a revolutionary socialist. And this is different from what socialism is known as today. I mean, everyone has a different version, really. But basically, for him, at this Time he was an extremist who believed in using violence to get what you want. Now, to make this happen, he starts to make a name for himself, speaking out against the church and the Italian government. So he ends up holding, like, rallies and demonstrations where he is essentially telling people to use violence against these establishments. And this type of talk ends up getting him arrested, like, a couple of times. And while, you know, this is not great for his record, it's earning him major street cred. People really start to respect him, all because he is, like, passionate and unafraid to speak his mind. People love that shit, huh? Okay. In fact, his speeches start to get him some attention from other revolutionary socialists. There are, like some other rising stars on the political scene. They start to take notice of this Mussolini guy. And some look at this time as the beginning of his rise to power. By 1909, Mussolini had moved back to Italy to a place called Trent. And here his career really starts to take off. He gets a job as an editor for a newspaper called the Future of the Worker, essentially saying that it isn't strong enough to be of service to the Italian people and that they need new, powerful leadership. After World War I, Italy was in shambles. I mean, there was like no stable political system in place. And people felt like the government wasn't strong enough to solve problems like inflation and unemployment, which were at an all time high after the war. And once he's in this position, Mussolini takes full advantage of it. He starts to, like, churn out articles riling people up against the government. So he's spreading propaganda and getting people to see things from, like, his point of view. And he's advocating for violence in, like, all situations. So he's like, hey, the government passed like some kind of crappy law. Use violence. Someone is looking at you the wrong way. Use violence. And you know, Stalin did almost exactly the same thing. I mean, he even ran the revolutionary newspaper where he rallied people against the king. They're like scissor sisters, you know? But back to Musi, he once said, quote, let us have a dagger between our teeth, a bomb in our hands, and an infinite scorn in our hearts. So he's like, making a lot of people upset, but he's also gaining a following. People are like, oh, I like this guy. And you know what they say? I mean, any press is good press. So around this same time, it's like 1910, Mussolini is like 26 years old, and he actually had a little hobby, a little side hustle. Yeah, I didn't see this one Coming. I was like, what? He was an author? Yeah. And specifically, he was writing a romance novel. Mm. I know. It's kind of like a plot twist. I was like, what romance novel? Huh? But it's called the Cardinal's Mistress, and the story, it takes place in Trent, but, like, 200 years before. And it tells the story of a 17th century cardinal's affair with his mistress, Claudia, and turns out to be very popular with the people in town. I imagine the women in town are like, ugh, he's an amazing political leader. He's super romantic. What can he do? I mean, was it good? How many Goodreads stars does it have? Let me know. Have you read it? So he's doing that. But, you know, Mussolini, like, mainly, you know, politics seems to be his thing. He was back to, like, doing his favorite thing, stirring the pot and convincing people to, like, violently protest against the government. Now, naturally, this is going to attract the attention of the police. So Mussolini would get into altercations with the police, and boom, like, he's right back in prison. And this would happen, like, several different times. And then something kind of unexpected happens. Besides the novel. Mussolini falls in Love in 1910. He meets a woman named Rachelle. And guess how they know each other. Well, Rachel was the daughter of his father's mistress. His father's mistress. So his father's doing his thing with this mistress is her daughter. Okay, got it. Cool. Mussolini and Rachelle, they fall in love. They quickly move in together, and at first he tells her, you know, he's gonna marry her, but he doesn't follow through. Then I guess he essentially, like, ghosts her. So after this, you know, Rochelle's parents don't really like Mussolini. Plus, you know, her mom was sleeping with his dad, so it was complicated and messy. Now, the story is that when Mussolini comes back a year later, he is set on marrying Rochelle. But when he asks her parents for permission, they're like, no, no. But, you know, he won't take no for an answer. He's a dictator in training, so he's like, no means yes. So I guess at this point, he pulls out a gun, and literally, at gunpoint, he's like, I'm gonna marry your daughter or I'm gonna kill myself and her. Geez. And apparently, like, this worked. And Rochelle and Mussolini, they end up getting married. I know. Imagine the wedding. Rochelle's mom has to pretend to be meeting Mussolini's dad for the first time. You know, like, they're not having an affair. They're like, oh, my God. Hi, it's so nice to meet you. I've never met you before. This is our first time meeting. Right? We just met. Yeah. So he gets married and, you know, it doesn't calm him down or anything because in 1911, he ends up going right back to prison after getting arrested at a protest for clashing with the police. And then World War I breaks out and he, like, barely just gets out of prison. And now his ass was getting drafted. He really has no choice but to go to war. He has to. And while he's fighting, he starts keeping a diary. And at some point he has like this big light bulb moment. Basically, he starts to think war is actually great. It brings people together. He's like, yeah. He believed it gave everyone a common cause to fight about. Now he doesn't end up serving for that long. I guess he ends up getting medically discharged. We don't really know 100% why, but most likely it was either because of, you know, a grenade injury or because he got syphilis. You know, we don't know. So back then, I guess syphilis was pretty common for soldiers to have. Well, they would get it and then get discharged. Now that he's out of the military, Mussolini turns his attention to world domination, as one does in 1919, he forms a vigilante group. Look, I can't say it what it was. This group was called, but it basically means the Italian Fighting League. Anyway, forming this group is seen as the unofficial beginning of the Italian Fascist Party. So the Italian Fascist Party was all about extreme pride and loyalty to their country. They wanted to build a powerful, unified Italy and restore its, quote, ancient glory. Another core belief was authoritarian rule, AKA having one single strong leader with complete control over the government. This is kind of the opposite of a democracy where the people get to have a say in things. They also believe this control should extend into all aspects of life, like even personal beliefs. So zero freedom of speech was like, a big part of this. And of course, they really wanted a strong military because they were obsessed with, like, war and they glorified it and they saw conquering other countries as a way of achieving greatness. And, you know, it was interesting to learn, like, Mussolini is actually the first person to call this type of government fascism. Yeah, he's the one who, like, actually, like, made the word, like. He's not the first dictator or the first person to ever think of these ideas, but he's the one who actually gave it a name. So between 1920 and 1922, Mussolini takes this group of his Closest followers and they go around like terrorizing Italy together. So he calls his crew the Black Shirts. I was looking at pictures, they are kind of stylish. I don't know, they're very stylish people. But Mussolini is like targeting anyone who speaks out against him and anyone who doesn't share his personal views. This group, they're like beating people on the street. They're killing people if they like got in the way. Just like asserting dominance and making a name for themselves. Well, you know, word is getting around and Mussolini's politics had inspired another up and coming extremist group, the Nazis. The holidays aren't even here yet. But I mean, it's close though, huh? And you know, woo, this time, stressed skin. The amount of stress I am putting on my skin, I'm going to need some kind of self care in a very major way in 2025 is what I'm saying. But that's why I'm always excited to partner with Apostrophe, the sponsor of today's episode. Look, they are here to make skincare simple and convenient. That's because their whole goal is to make you feel confident in your own skin. If you don't know Apostrophe is an online platform that connects you with your very own dermatology expert. Then you can get a treatment plan that is customized to your needs. Anything from like breakouts to acne scarring. Apostrophe wants you to love the skin you're in. Now all you have to do is fill out their online consultation. You explain your skin goals and medical history, take a couple of selfies and bada bing, bada boom, you're good to go. You'll have a customized plan before you know it and they can even offer access to prescription treatment. Like a lot of people this time of year my skin goes to garbage and I definitely don't have time to like waste at in person doctor's appointments or anything as dermatology, you know, trip to a pharmacy, like everybody's got weird hours because it's the holidays. So I'm glad that with Apostrophe, my personal treatment plan shows up directly to my door and any updates, anything I just do directly through the website. My skin is taken care of and it's like, oh, just one less stress off my plate. Right now we have a special deal for our audience. You can get your first visit for only $5@apastrophe.com DarkHistory when you use our code dark history, that's a savings of $15. Now this code is only available to our listeners. To get started, you just go to apostrophe.com darkhistory and then click Get Started. Then use our code dark History at signup and you'll get your first Visit for only $5. A big thank you to apostrophe for sponsoring today's episode. Now let's get back to the story. Italy in the 1920s was kind of a hot mess, and Mussolini swooped in at just, like, the right time, really promising to fix everything. So even though it may seem crazy that anyone liked this guy who was running around with, like, a crew beating people up, what they saw was a powerful man who was promising to, like, make their lives and their country better. He was telling everyone that he was gonna bring back law and order in a time when. And Italy was just going through political chaos. He vowed to build a strong military and expand Italy's territory. And on top of that, he was kind of charming and, like, knew how to work a crowd. I feel like someone who's a good public speaker is usually good at that. Like, you gotta get people to like you, so he was good at that. Whenever he was speaking, people kind of felt like they were a part of something. Thing bigger. You know, they were inspired. Like, this guy was going to be their answer. And he was, like, one of the first political leaders that so many women were also, like, swooning over. Well, I mean, people were kind of doing that with Stalin, too. No. Well, whatever. He was really playing, like, into his sex appeal. But if you look at pictures of him, I'm like, bitch. Where? I don't know. But okay. People were, like, loving it. Isn't it funny, though? Like, Stalin, Hitler, and Mussolini kind of all have, like, the same weird trifecta story going on. I don't know. Okay, but Mussolini sometimes, like, he was really into being a sex symbol. He loved it. And sometimes when he was being filmed, he would, like, rip his shirt off. Yeah. Like, literally. And, like, people were like, oh, my God. Oh, you know, just like, he's so hairy. It's hot. And around this time, he starts to go by the nickname El Duce, which means the guide or the conductor in Italian. With everything set in place, on November 9, 1921, Mussolini officially transforms his loyal Blackshirts into the National Fascist Party, and he makes himself the leader. And this party, it really blew up overnight. Before the rebrand, there had been around, like, 30,000 members, which is a lot. But now this had grown to about 320,000 members. While everyone's getting all riled up, right? Like, Mussolini is gonna change Italy. On October 22, 1922, Mussolini and 30,000 of his Blackshirts crew members decided to take the government by force. They believe that if they can show how strong they were, they could force the king and the government to give them power. So they decided, you know, to organize, like a big march to the capital city of Rome to demand control. And this became known as the March on Rome. Okay, so they're marching up whatever, right? And along the way, they are causing, you know, a lot of destruction. They like, break into buildings, they destroy public property, they terrorize anyone who's in their way. It kind of is very on brand for him. I mean, he's all about violence. So that's what they're doing. And by the time they reached the Capitol, I guess they had killed around 40 people. I guess. At this point, the Prime Minister tries to impose martial law, which is essentially when the military steps in and invites. Enforces law and order during times of chaos. But the King of Italy, his name was King Victor Emmanuel iii, he tells the Prime Minister not to. He was worried that if, like, they didn't give Mussolini what he wanted, there might be a lot more. A lot more chaos, violence, and like death, you know. So they just like, did nothing at first. So for three more days, Rome was terrorized by Mussolini's crew. Finally, on October 28, the Prime Minister and his cabinet resign. And, like, word gets back to Mussolini. So he ends up going to see the King. So the king, he ends up. It's like a lot more complicated than this. But, like, listen, here's what, like the simplified version. He decides to make Mussolini the Prime Minister of Italy, which meant that Mussolini became the leader of the government after all this. I mean, essentially he's getting. He got what he wanted. And so Mussolini orders the Blackshirts to leave Rome. And eight days later, on October 30, 1922, Mussolini officially gained power over Italy. Mussolini did manage to cut through the chaos and like, make things happen for the people. He launched big infrastructure projects. He built roads, railways, and even a new airport. And you know, people are like, yeah, we love this guy. You know, it's kind of like. It's like a really, really toxic relationship. It's always great in the beginning, right? They give you all of this, railways, airports, roads. And then it goes shit, it goes south. And then it gets bad. So this is what Mussolini is doing. He's like buttering everyone up. Anywho, but because of all this, like, Mussolini was Able to, like, boost the economy and reduce unemployment and, like, things. People were like, this is great. This is great. He was, like, making good on all, like, the promises to the people. But there was a downside, because living under, you know, him as a dictator meant that nothing was as it seemed. Mussolini was also a master of spin. Like spin class, but not. But kind of, because SoulCycle is kind of like culti. Right? Anyways. But he had newspapers and radio stations, like, pumping out propaganda day and night, telling everyone, like, he's amazing. Isn't life amazing under his rule? And he never allowed any negative stories about him to be published. Cause why would he, you know? And while Mussolini is, like, living it up, thinking he's invincible, someone was getting ready to, like, finally overtake him. Oh, yes. A man was rising to power in Germany. I think about this a lot. I think if I could have any superpower in the world, you know, what would it be? Mine would be to speak every language on the planet. That's what I would choose as my superpower. Because communication is everything, right? And I would love to be able to communicate with everyone. I'm waiting to get, like, struck by lightning or something. And like, that superpower happens. So far, the superpower hasn't hit me yet. So for the time being, there's Rosetta Stone. A couple of years ago, I was like, I thought. I thought I would try and learn a new language with Rosetta Stone. So originally when I first signed up, I was using it to learn French. French hard. But I still love learning and I love Rosetta Stone because they have a speech recognition system called Truaxent. And it's like literally having your own personal accent trainer. I mean, come on. I'm Bailey Sarian. I can't pronounce anything. So it's like, it's nice. Cause it'll give you feedback on your pronunciation so you can sound better and better. Rosetta Stone has millions of users and offers 25 different languages. You can choose anything from Dutch to Arabic. And Rosetta Stone will make sure that you are just fully immersed. They don't use English translations, so you have to learn how to speak, listen, and think in whatever language it is that you are trying to learn. And it's all designed to help you learn quickly and actually remember it, which I feel like are the two most important things. Right. It's convenient. You can learn anytime, anywhere. Because they have a mobile app. Of course they do. Do you need a gift idea or maybe even a last minute gift? Well, give your family and friends the gift of language. 50% off all 25 languages for a lifetime and no shipping fees. Give the gift that keeps on giving knowledge. Don't put off learning that language. There's no better time than right now to get started. Today. Dark history and listeners can get Rosetta Stone's lifetime membership for 50% off, visit rosettastone.com darkhistory that's 50% off. Unlimited access to 25 language courses for the rest of your Life. Redeem your 50% off at rosettastone.com DarkHistory today for yourself or as a gift that keeps giving. So Mussolini has achieved his ultimate fantasy and gained control of the country. And he had a lot of people who liked him a lot. One of his biggest fans was Adolf Hitler. Yeah, Hitler was a big fan girl when it came to Mussolini, he found his rise to power inspirational. He's like, wow, that guy really did it. And in 1923, just about a year after Mussolini ordered the march on Rome, Hitler decides imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. So he gets his Nazis to organize a march on Berlin. But Hitler's version of this march on the capital was, like, it wasn't as successful. People died. And ultimately, like, Hitler was arrested for treason. So while Hitler's in jail, he actually writes his autobiography called Mein Kampf, AKA My Struggle. But in this autobiography, he actually name checks Mussolini, calling him, like, one of the greatest men ever. Really? This comes across Mussolini's desk and he's like, mm, okay. Like, it's. I don't know, Like, I guess he just doesn't really care for it. I mean, this was like Mussolini's, you know, 15 minutes of fame. And, like, now someone was trying to, like, come in and, like, steal his thunder, you know? So he wasn't really flattered. He was kind of annoyed. But pretty much Mussolini, like, ignores it. He's like, okay, thanks for the shout out. I guess, like, doesn't say anything, moves on. Mussolini was, like, absolutely obsessed with holding onto his position of power. And while he was in charge, there was no freedom. So when he was in charge, you know, he banned political parties. He controlled the media and used secret police to, like, silence anyone who disagreed with him. There were also no elections. So a lot of people were feeling, like, powerless and oppressed. He used violence and intimidation to keep control. And if you did speak out against him, you were arrested, imprisoned, and sometimes killed. To fund his projects. He raised taxes and forced people to work under, like, really tough conditions. And there were many broken promises and a loss of trust happening within the people. So, you know, over time, this is like when people were, like, really liking Mussolini. Like, people are starting to see him differently. To add some fun into the mix. Mussolini was, like, fighting. I don't know if it's a private war or like a personal war against Christmas. I don't know. I don't think he got any gifts. And he just, like. He hated Christmas. He really hated it. Christmas was a huge deal in Italy. That's because the whole country was Catholic. And if you remember, Mussolini, like, hates religion. But all this Christmas stuff seemed to really, like, get under his skin. Now, he didn't ban Christmas, but he did strictly, like, prohibit newspapers from mentioning it. He once said, Christmas is nothing more than the 25th of December. Okay, all right. I mean, he's not wrong. It is the 25th of December. He saw Christmas as a distraction and just like a total waste of time. So he decided he was going to replace traditional holidays with new ones that lined up more with his fascist agenda. He wanted something less Christmas and more folksy, but, you know, it had to be something very Italian. So he finds, like, the perfect person to replace Santa or like a perfect mascot, something known in Italy as La Befana. According to Italian folklore, La Befana was a witch who brought gifts to good children and lumps of coal to naughty children on January 6th. Which is kind of weird because it's like, still kind of like Christmas. Right? But okay, it was like a non religious Christmas. Okay. Because, you know, he hates. He hates all that. He hates everything, really. Anyways, life under Mussolini was becoming no fun. It wasn't fun. People were not liking it. And this is when the reality of life under a dictatorship starts to set in for a lot of people. There were more of his spies than ever, and violence was everywhere. He once said, we do not argue with those who disagree with us. We destroy them. Oh, yeah, I think I've seen bumper stickers like that before. Oh, God. Yeah. So things are just not great. And when he originally was, like, gone to the office or whatever, you know, the government, he told the Italian people that he would expand the country. And so he decided to invade Ethiopia. Yeah, I know. I was like, what? What? What? Well, listen, again, it's complicated, but I'll simplify it for you. I mean, technically, he wanted to do it because the government tried to get Ethiopia once before and failed. And it was considered like an employee embarrassment to the country. So he wanted to get Ethiopia to kind of prove to everyone that he could do it. And then also, like, I Think they wanted the land and stuff because it was going to make good crops and whatnot. But really, I think he just wanted to do it because, you know, he wanted to expand, obviously, Italy's power, and they continued to, like, build an empire. So he ends up doing it. And the invasion of Ethiopia was absolutely brilliant, brutal. There were, like, countless deaths. According to the Ethiopian government, almost 400,000 civilians were killed. Mussolini had his people bomb villages and used mustard gas attacks. He destroyed entire villages and farms. And the Italians even set up concentration camps in Ethiopia. I mean, it was awful. It was brutal. And a lot of people died. I mean, even the animals, they weren't safe. It was like 2 million horses, a shit ton of cows. I think like 6 million cows, 7 million sheep and goats. And it wasn't because he hated animals. It was because he wanted the Ethiopians to starve. So this invasion led to major loss of life and had a lot of people realizing that maybe life under El Duce wasn't what he promised. Between 1925 and 1926, there were four assassination attempts on Mussolini's life. And, you know, there are people. I mean, yeah, the anger towards Mussolini was definitely growing. People definitely wanted to see him killed, meaning he was responsible for a lot of lives lost. And even though there were people who were trying to kill him, there were still others who were absolutely obsessed with him. One of Mussolini's biggest fans was a girl named Clara Petachi, and she would write him fan letters all the time. So Claire is writing him for a few years, and she's not getting any response. And then there was this one day where she's driving down some road and she realizes that Mussolini had just, like, passed her car. So she gets her driver to turn around and follow him. So eventually, the cars both stop, and Clara, she yells out to Moosi, who's in the other car. She's like, yeah, hi, yo. I've been writing to you since I was a teenager. I'm imagining that's how she's. Hey, Moosie, eat my pussy. She's like, I'm your biggest fan. And you know Mussolini, he likes to have his ego stroked. He likes the attention, he likes a pretty lady. And before you know it, the two of them are having a sexual love affair. At the time, Clara is only like, 20, and Moussi is, like, 49, so could be her dad. The affair is, like, pretty hot and heavy, you know, she's, like, having sex with him almost daily at his office in Rome. I don't know where his actual Wife was, but he was banging anyways. So over in Germany, Hitler was about to make Mussolini regret ignoring his fan mail. By 1933, Hitler was the Chancellor of Germany, so he was in full control of the country. And on the day that he was sworn into office, Hitler writes a note to Mussolini. He basically says, like, thank you for the inspo. Couldn't have done it without you, Bibi. We have to get together soon. Lol. Yeah. So he's trying to get Mussolini's attention, and Mussolini is just not into it. He's not into it. He's like, this dude's weird. He's like, obsessed with me, you know, Maybe he felt threatened. Maybe he was jealous because Hitler was now getting a lot of attention. Because at this point, people were not liking Mussolini like they used to. They were. I mean, people were kind of. Hitler was like, taking the limelight. Now at the end the day, Hitler and Mussolini basically had the same political beliefs. They both loved violence and death. They both were ugly, they both were dictators. They both, like, killed a lot. They just had a lot in common. So, you know, it's just kind of weird. You think they'd be best friends. You really think they'd be like, yeah, I thought they would be. So a few months later, Mussolini gives a speech saying that Italy and Germany have the same goals. So he decides, like, hey, if I can't beat him, I might as well join him, you know? So in September 1937, Mussolini goes to Germany to meet Hitler. And it's like a really big deal. Like hundreds of thousands of people are there to greet him and just like, I don't know, they're just, like, stoked. So by 1939, there's an official agreement between the two countries to, like, have each other's back. But it wouldn't take long for Hitler to break his promise. Okay, Paul, don't get me wrong. I love what you're wearing. You look amazing. But maybe, you know, we go shopping or something. I know, Paul, shopping can be a little challenging. I understand. I'm right there with you. But I think we can do better, right? We can use stitch fix. Eh? They've helped us in the past. Paul, come on. Look, with stitch fix, I mean, that way you'll have your very own stylist who totally understands what you need. Your stitch fix stylist will get you stuff that really works for you and gives you, like, a huge confidence boost, you know, It'll be great. All you have to do is give your stitch fix stylist your size. Style and budget. Then you order the boxes you like. No subscription required. When you receive your Stitch Fix box. Paul, listen. You keep what you love, and then you can send the rest. You don't have to keep it all, you know, Just keep what you like. The clothes arrive with outfit recommendations and tips for styling, which is super helpful if you just kind of struggle with putting stuff together. I know I do. Then you just send back whatever doesn't work for you, no questions asked. It's the end of the year, and maybe you want to go into 2025 feeling just a little refreshed. A new you, maybe some new pieces or something, huh? That's why you should check out Stitch Fix. Personal styling for everyone. Get started today@stitchfix.com darkhistory that's stitchfix.com darkhistory so Hitler had promised Mussi that he wouldn't invade Czechoslovak. You know, I can't pronounce words. Anyways, he told him he wasn't gonna invade Czechoslovakia. Thank you so much. And he ended up doing it a month later, so. Oh, but you know, Hitler, he decides to invade it anyways. And, you know, he didn't give Mussolini a heads up. So Mussolini is pretty pissed off because, you know, they made a pact and, like, what? Like, he went behind his back and did that, and it was confusing. So it's like, does this guy like me? Does he hate me? I'm confused. But Mussolini pretends like, no big deal. I'm not bothered. Everything's fine. And then Hitler decides to invade Poland. Now, again, he had promised Mussi that he was not going to do that. So Mussolini is like, what the fuck? What is this guy doing? Like, I am so confused. Hitler's doing this, and it's not making him look weak. His own government starts to think that he's, like, Hitler's kind of like, little bitch. Well, Hitler's doing this. And around the same time, Italy loses control of North Africa. So now, to a lot of people, all of that death and destruction happened for no fricking reason. So after this, I mean, Mussolini was more unpopular than ever. I mean, this was like his worst nightmare. His own people started to blame him for, like, the weak turn the country was taking. By 1943, it's becoming more and more clear which way World War II was going to end. And Italy here, they had a sense that they were gonna be on the losing side. So around midnight on July 25, the fascist grand Council voted Mussolini out of office. Yes. One of the big reasons was because it was clear that Mussolini's alliance with Nazi Germany was not a great move. There were major economic problems happening in Italy, like food shortages. There were bombings and widespread suffering. Many saw Mussolini as a liability rather than an asset. And they believed if he stayed in charge, it would lead Italy to more destruction. But as the council voted, I guess Mussolini just like, sat there and, like, didn't say anything. I mean, honestly, he's kind of defeated at this point. Everything, it had gone to shit. Now, after this meeting, Mussolini was sent to see the king. This time, the king stands up for himself and dismissed Mussolini as prime minister. And then to top it all off, Mussolini was arrested, finally ending his 21 year rule. Now you think it ends there, but it doesn't. Because going to prison was bad news for Mussolini because this is the prison. Like all the prisons are filled with people who hated him. Because anytime anyone, like, spoke up badly about Mussolini, they'd be like, arrested, thrown in jail, whatever. So he was going to prison with all those people. Uh oh. But then, because the story never ends, out of nowhere, Hitler comes to his rescue. Hitler uses multiple planes to send in dozens of soldiers to break Mussolini out of prison. Now Hitler, he had like, some kind of, like, bigger plans. He wants to set Mussolini up as, like, his puppet controlling the northern part of Italy. So he does just that. He puts Mussolini in charge of northern Italy to keep it simple. And it really looks like he's in charge again. But really Hitler was the one pulling the strings and, like, telling him what to do. And Mussolini kind of like had to because this guy just like, bailed him out of prison. So I was like, oh, fuck. You know, Mussolini gave speeches and tried to play the part, but if he didn't do a convincing job, then Hitler would evade the rest of Italy. So it's a lot of pressure for Mussolini here. He. He would be the one, like, responsible for everything, you know? Eventually, Mussolini realizes that this whole arrangement is not going to work. It's not gonna work out for him. So he decides the only thing he can do is, like, get out of Italy. So he decides he's gonna freaking make a run for it. Leave the country, get the fuck out of there. So he and his mistress, Clara. The fangirl, yeah, they're so fucking, they decide to run away together and leave everything behind. So the way that they're gonna do it is they were gonna dress up as German officers, okay, Blend in a little bit, and then get the fuck out, like in the middle of the night. And no one would know because they look like German officers. So their goal was to get to the Swiss border. And to them it was like the perfect plan. The only thing they had to do was, like, not get caught. I wonder how they got the outfits. I don't know, but they did. So on April 27, 1945, Mussolini and Clara reached Lake Como when suddenly they were recognized. Oh, yes, it's over, baby. They get caught, they're in trouble. The people who caught them sentenced them all to death. So the following afternoon, on April 28th, Mussolini and Clara were executed. He was 61 years old, pretty crazy. Like, they, you know, they just, like, executed them. And it was like, the end. No last words. No. So now the wild part. The wild part is that their bodies were taken to Milan and left in the town square, where, you know, the town square is where, like, everyone goes, right? So the people or whoever, the officers, the executors, the people in charge, they hang Mussolini and Clara's bodies, their dead bodies upside down in the town square. And there's, like, some other people with them as well, because they were also caught with the group, these two. So they're all hanging upside down. Now, the Italian citizens use this moment to, like, take out their anger. They treated their bodies like a pinata. Oh, yes. They spit on Mussolini's lifeless body. They threw things at him. They tried to get the candy out of him. You know, saying just beating the crap out of his body is. It was nuts. It was nuts. Then his body was, like, taken down from this situation. They built to hang him. And then people, like, stomped on him, stomped on his face. His face was completely caved in. They beat him with the ends of their guns. Oh, the people were pissed, and they did not hold back. Everyone got a turn. I mean, by this point, over 1 million people had died because of Mussolini. His policies, his pointless wars. And the violence he stirred up caused all this death. So people were mad, and they let him know or let his body know. Mussolini's body was mutilated so badly that it became almost unrecognizable. Finally, American troops stepped in and ordered the bodies to be sent to the morgue. And then whatever was left of the dictator was buried in an unmarked grave. Now, Rachelle, Mussolini's wife, she survived the war on her own just fine. And years and years go by, and then one day in, like, 1966. I know I would love to get a word from her. Like, girl, what was up with your man? And why did you support all that anyways? But one day in 1966, she's minding her own business when an envelope is delivered to her home or whatever. And she's like, oh, my God, what is this? It's not my birthday. She opens it up, and inside was a piece of human brain. And it was like, what? And she finds out that it was actually a piece of Mussolini's brain. So she finds out that apparently, like, American soldiers, they had taken part of his brain to be studied. Scientists want to know what the brain of a vicious dictator looked like and, like, if there was anything different with it really. Right. Like, does a dictator have a different kind of brain? Let's study it. Yeah. So they did, and then they sent it back to her. But they were also curious to see whether he had syphilis. You know, I don't know. Maybe that caused him to go crazy, I guess. Like, syphilis can, like, impact your decision making. So maybe him, Stalin, Hitler, maybe they all had syphilis. At the end of the day, the syphilis results were inconclusive. But the Washington Post said in an article that the brain. His brain was, quote, average. So I don't know if that's good or bad. I kind of want there to be something fucked up with his brain because then we could all point to something and be like, see? Yeah, makes sense, but average. Thank you for tuning in to today's episode on Benito Mussolini. His rise to power, reign and downfall offer us a valuable lesson about the dangers of unchecked authority and the consequences of fascism. You know, as we look back on history, it's crucial to remember its impact on the present. Now it feels like Mussolini isn't a dictator we know that much about compared to Hitler were Stalin, especially when the guy in charge isn't. I mean, they're always egomaniacs, you know, they're always. You have to be an egomaniac to be a dictator. My God. The insane oppression Mussolini forced on the Italian people created generations of trauma that people are still feeling today. So even though he gets swept under the rug and he's considered like, Only the number 13 on the list of deadliest mass murder murderers, Mussolini is still, like, a super important cautionary tale. Well, friends, that is the TLDR of Mussolini. What does TLDR always stand for? I never, like, knew, but I know, isn't it, like a summary or something? Does that fit? Did that work? Did that line work? Let me know. So now I transition to our next episode. For centuries, thousands and thousands of people lived in fear of a mysterious disease. And for a long time, it was considered a Death sentence. It turned out these people were suffering from diabetes. So join me next week when we are going to talk about the dark history of diabetes. By the way, just letting you know, Dark History will be back in the new year on January 8th, so come back, because that will be the dark history of diabetes. Thanks for hanging out with me today. You can join me over on my YouTube where you can watch these episodes on Thursday after the podcast airs. Hi. And while you're there, you can also catch my murder mystery and makeup. Now, before we leave, let's read a couple of comments. You guys Left Me star groomer88. That's a questionable name. What does that mean? Sorry, let me get over your username. I'm sure you're great. So I just jumped on the Bailey bandwagon and I've never. Girl, I've been here since 20. Since 2013. Where you been? Okay, but. Sorry, I'm jumping. Sorry, sorry. I've never been so late to a party. Okay. Yeah, yeah. But I'm finally here. I'm responding to your comment in real time. And I love being able to binge all your videos now. Okay, Star Groomer. That's actually a great point. Welcome to the party. You're a little late. That's okay. I forgive. But now that I do have so many episodes out. Yeah, I mean, you can definitely binge me for sure. So I. That's the bright side. I appreciate you for being here. What does your username mean? Is it like dog groom? Dog grooming? Is it dog grooming? I hope it's dog grooming. What kind of groomer? Hair. Let me know. All right, thanks for being here. Tati001 left me a comment saying I'm laying in bed watching you, and then you had an ad break. You mentioned Pickles. That's my cat's name. And she got excited. Pickles went up to the tv. She thought you had something for her. My furry little hippo thought you had treats. Pickles. That is the cutest name ever. Okay, if you're watching Pickles, come here. Pickles. Pickles. Sorry, I feel like an idiot right now. Pickles. That's so cute. I love that. Hi, Pickles. Okay, thanks for sharing. I appreciate that. Sorry, I don't have treats, though. So sorry about that. Pickles. Millie, Sid left us an episode suggestion. Hey, Bailey, thanks for all you do. Have you ever considered an episode about the Vietnam War? Ooh, that's a topic I feel like I need to know more about. Honestly, though, if you want to sit and read the dictionary, I would still tune in. Millie. You know, we've had a lot of requests to cover the Vietnam War and we've talked about it a ton on the show and I don't know why we've never done it, but we should. I think this is my sign and thank you for the suggestion. A couple people have told me to just sit and like read the dictionary, but I can't pronounce words. So that would be really, that would be a strange struggle for me. But I'll do it. Maybe just one 8 hour long video of me going through A's. Wouldn't that be kind of fun? I like that actually. It's a good idea. Okay, well, thank you so much. Appreciate you and stay tuned. Maybe we'll do an episode on the Vietnam War. I think that's a great idea. Well, thank you guys so much for watching and engaging. I appreciate you so much. And hey, if you don't know, Dark History is an Audioboom original and I'm your host, Bailey Sarian. I hope you have a good day, you make good choices and I'll be seeing you in the new year. Goodbye.