Mussolini: The Rise and Fall of Il Duce

I loved this book. When I read Adolph Hitler's definitive biography (by John Tolan - historian), I became interested in Mussolini, whom Hitler said was his ONLY (political) friend. I knew Hitler admired him and appreciated him. Yet, thanks to a historian Hibbert, this book showed me many differences (in Mussolini) from Hitler. Many are based on the author's research and interviews - quoted everywhere. The book brings history ALIVE and visually panoramic. Yes, I really enjoyed. This one along with Tolan's Hitler's book is my FAVORITE!

This is a great book for understanding Mussolini as a person, not just as the leader of Fascist Italy. Though Mussolini could undoubtedly be a bully, Hibbert aptly shows another side to him as well. Rather than a caricature of a buffoonish dictator giving bombastic speeches, we get a more complete picture of who Mussolini was. It is richly detailed and intricate, reading in many places more like a novel than a history book. Despite its age (it was published in 1962), the book still has many insights and really does not appear to be dated at all.The book's focus is primarily on his years in power; his early life and ascent to power get covered in a few dozen pages. What is most notable among the earlier parts of the book is the fact that Mussolini initially began his career not only as a socialist, but a very radical socialist of the militant sort. He rose rapidly in pre-WWI Italy, eventually becoming editor in chief of Avanti!, the foremost socialist newspaper in the country. However, he stunned his fellow comrades when he supported Italy's entry into WWI on the side of the Entente powers; after this, he became ostracized from socialist circles.Yet Hibbert notes that Mussolini, from very early on, saw himself as Italy's man of destiny. Italy could be restored to its former grandeur, but it would need a forceful and dynamic leader in order to bring about this restoration. Naturally, Mussolini thought he was the guy to do it. The book does a great job of portraying Mussolini's massive ego and how that affected his decision-making and governing style.Yet Mussolini's ego would be a decisive factor in the crisis decade of the 1930s, in which fascism's ascendancy in Europe caused worry among the democracies of Great Britain and France. And though Mussolini is intimately associated with his admirer, Adolf Hitler, and their resulting alliance, the path that led to the alliance was more complicated than might be expected. Hibbert does an admirable job of showing the dynamics of the relationship between Mussolini and Hitler. Simply put, for a while Mussolini had a strong distrust of Hitler and initially thought he was insane. Over time, however, we see a relationship develop between the two men where they would come to view each other as indispensable allies.Perhaps one of the most striking things about the book is how the last two years or so of Mussolini's life are covered. In July 1943, the Fascist Grand Council voted to depose Mussolini, and he was promptly arrested by the King of Italy, Victor Emmanuel III. This sent shockwaves throughout the world, and prompted a daring German raid to rescue him from his captors. It also prompted the German occupation of northern Italy, sparking a bitter and violent civil war which would see Fascist loyalists and German troops fight against anti-Fascist partisans.Despite being reinstated as head of the newly created Italian Social Republic based in Salo, Mussolini knew that it was now Hitler who would be calling the shots in Italy. He knew that he was little more than a figurehead serving as a German puppet. As a result, Mussolini became very withdrawn and philosophical, acting as if he was already part of history as opposed to participating in its creation. His ego shrank, and in his bouts of introspection he candidly admitted that he had made many mistakes; contrary to the assertions of the Fascist propaganda, Mussolini was not "always right".Overall, this is a great book for learning more about a man who, for better or for worse, dominated Italian politics for over 20 years and led Italy into the cataclysm of the Second World War. A man who committed himself to the enterprise of empire-building, but then lost the Empire that he so deeply desired.

Great history book with just a bit of british humour in background. My son reads it because of all the details they will nevber tell him in school. From the same author you get other great books. One of my favourites is the one about the Medici family

Il Duce is often ignored in World War II history when compared to Hitler, Stalin, Churchill, etc. and Hibbert has given us a well-written, gripping (and well-cited) account of Italy's dictator and founder of Fascism. Hibbert brings us a full, but not too long, account of Mussolini's life, from his days as a temperamental youth to a fervent Socialist to a strong dictator. The author is astoundingly impartial. Nowadays, this impartiality is hard to find. Hibbert gives us the good and bad about Il Duce. One surprising thing was that the man would not even execute his would-be-assassin! His fall from power and his doomed decision to enter the war leave the reader feeling almost sad for him. Italy was on good terms with the French and British, but their embargoes of Italy after the invasion of Abyssinia pushed Italy into Germany's arms was one interesting thing I learned from this book. Hibbert has written both an excellent historical account and a mesmerizing narrative as well.

This book appears to be a balanced biography. I had a cartoon-ish knowledge of Mussolini's life until reading this book. After reading it, it would have been interesting that instead of the socialist partisans murdering him at the end of the WW-2, he had been captured by the Allies and received a war crimes trial. While the death penalty would be the odds on favorite outcome, to my surprise after reading this book, I think there is an argument for a life sentence. Would make a good what-if story - "The Trial of Mussolini."

The book flowed easily and was so informative, was hard to put down. A thorough look at Mussolini and insight into the largely overlooked involvement of Italy in WW2

This is a really interesting account of the rose and ultimate fall of Il Duce. I was surprised to read how many times the myopic foolishness of the British literally pushed him into Hitler’s orbit, whom he initially despised, but became envious of the far superior military might that his nation possessed. A fascinating look at the man.

This is not the most scholarly book available about Mussolini but it is highly readable and the history is sound, insofar as I can judge. The writer was a popularizer who was good at narration and respectful of facts as they were generally known.

Christopher Hibbert has got to be one of the best biographers of historical figures. As always with his books, this biography is informative, well written and extremely readable. Despite all the damage which Mussolini did to his country, the book still manages to evoke pity for a man who fell from ultimate power to ignominious death, from dynamic dictator to a helpless puppet of Hitler. Narrative history at its very best.

Such a gripping biography. I learnt so much about this man. Recommended for those interested in history.

It's important to know that this man hoped his country could have become a great nation to be proud of.

A fair shout on the Duce’s life,Most of the time discredited from the history wrote by the winners

...... einer Biografie ist wie ein Drama geschrieben. Kindheit, Jugend und manch andere Abschnitte in Mussolinis Leben und Karriere sind mit dicken Pinselstrichen geschildert, um den roten Faden und den Kontext seiner Zeit nicht aus den Augen zu verlieren. Wobei Hibbert hier aber nicht die Geschichte des Faschismus erzählt, und das ist gut so.Er konzentriert sich auf die Person Mussolinis, gibt wieder was andere über seinen Charakter, seine Ideen, seine Leidenschaften, seine Reden, seine Ungeduld usw. gesagt haben (die Bibliografie von Büchern, Tagebüchern, Berichten von Zeitzeugen am Ende des Buchs ist über 9 Seiten lang).Ausführlicher werden Szenen in diesem Drama behandelt, wenn es um Entscheidungen oder Konflikte geht, die starke Veränderungen nach sich ziehen, hier gibt Hibbert oft wörtliche Dialoge an. Gelegentlich zitiert er seine Quellen, wenn es in der Primärliteratur verschiedene Darstellungen eines Ereignisses gibt.Hibberts Stil ist anschaulich, sachlich, elegant, manchmal mit einem Hauch von Poesie.Von Anfang an ist dieses Buch spannend, schnell fortschreitend, jeder Abschnitt enthält interessante Informationen, die vorwärts drängen. Hibbert analysiert nicht, er erzählt. Auf den letzten 100 Seiten oder so steigert sich die Spannung bis zum Ende, das wie das Ende einer großen Tragödie wirkt.(Etwas über die Hälfte dieses Buchs spielen in den letzten zweieinhalb Lebensjahren Mussolinis.