Mussolini

Mussolini understood that there was a need for a complete revolution of values to replace those of decadent and bankrupt bourgeois civilization. These values were not socialist, they were not communist and they certainly were not liberal. Mussolini sought to move beyond contemporary political ideologies and his solution was fascism.  Mussolini apposed virtually all previous forms of government and sought to form his own, which gave him complete power.  


Fascism stressed charismatic leadership, a dynamic leadership which would bring Italy away from the humiliation it had suffered since the late 19th century.  Mussolini knew how to communicate with the masses and used popular demands to promote fascism.  He had undeniable charisma, he knew how to simplify things for the citizens, added to his quick and articulate mind he became very popular in Italy.   


 Mussolini's fascism attempted to remove class antagonisms through nationalism and corporatism. The economy was organized and all producers -- from peasants and factory workers to intellectuals and industrialists -- were situated into twenty-two corporations to improve productivity and avoid industrial disputes.  Mussolini sought this approach rather than the Marxist approach of the need for a proletariat uprising.  Mussolini believed that this approach would help him successfully remove the class antagonism.