Benito Mussolini (July 29, 1883 – April 28, 1945) was Fascist Duce and Prime Minister of Italy from 1922 to 1943. Originally a Socialist who had attempted to avoid serving in the Italian Army, he broke with the Italian Socialist Party over Italy's participation in World War I. As his views veered to the far-right, he became one of the originators of the ideology of fascism. He took control of Italy after being appointed Prime Minister by the King of Italy following his Blackshirts' March on Rome. He allied Italy with Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan during World War II. As Italy's dictator, he was responsible for initiating conquests and committing several war crimes in Ethiopia and Yugoslavia. When Italy surrendered and joined the Allies in 1943, Mussolini fled to the North of the country and was made head of an Italian puppet state controlled by Nazi Germany. Near the end of the war, Mussolini was captured by partisans when trying to flee to Germany with his mistress. They were executed, and their corpses were taken to Milan, where they were hung upside down in a public display with other members of his regime.
References
- Mussolini appears seated with Adolf Hitler and German Air Marshal Hermann Goering in a flashback in the episode "Whacking Day".
- In the episode "The Italian Bob", Homer makes gestures reminiscent of Mussolini when presented to an Italian village. When Lisa calls him out on this, he says that he thought he was imitating Donald Trump.
Trivia
- Milhouse's maternal grandmother, Nana Sophie, shares the surname "Mussolini."
Appearances
Episode – "Whacking Day" (Flashback)
Episode – "The Italian Bob" (Mentioned)