For as long as organized civilization has existed, humans have asked the same question of who should lead, and how they should do it. There have been a variety of answers: monarchy, democracy, aristocracy, a republic, or something entirely different. For European nations, the mid-1900s was a time of growth in one specific type of government. Totalitarianism, or dictatorships, became one of the most common types of government after World War I. Although the results of Adolf Hitler’s leadership in Nazi Germany are the most widely known, multiple dictators came to power before him. Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, and Adolf Hitler all shared the same fundamentals when related to leadership. These three dictators were able to gain power in their …show more content…
His ascent to power began with the creation of the Fascist party, or black shirts, which advocated for an authoritarian state (Document 2). Mussolini used his access to the media to attract attention. As editor of the socialist newspaper “Avanti!” Mussolini was given the opportunity to spread his ideas throughout Italy. Mussolini’s goal was to reestablish Italy as a European power, and claimed that “A man who is ruthless and energetic enough to make a clean sweep” (Document 1) would be able to do it. The Fascists took smaller parts of Italy, until eventually they were strong enough to take over Italy in its entirety. With the growing Fascist support, the government began to fall apart. King Victor Emmanuel III gave Mussolini power, and from there, he had the ability to achieve complete control. Part of the reason Mussolini was able to take over so successfully was the antecedent problems in Italy. By promising to fix the economic and political issues that were already present in Italy, Mussolini gained the trust and support of the people. Furthermore, he had strong speaking skills and quickly established a cult of personality, which would strengthen his grip on Italy. Multiple circumstances made it possible for Mussolini to take control of Italy after the end of the