In the 20th century, Europe saw the rise of Fascism, a political doctrine fuelled by a totalitarian government. The government commands a total control of the nation, the people, and the economy. Fascism created two social-economic divisions one was the upper class for the ruling class, and the lower class the produced for the ruling class. One of the fascist tactics was the use of extreme nationalism that created a disguised sense of unity. However, Fascism neither believed in the possibility nor the utility of perpetual peace (WW, Vol.2, Chapter 21, “The Political and Social Doctrine of Fascism.”. Born of an economic crisis, Benito Mussolini viciously guarded this doctrine. The narrator of the Dictators playbook presents a historical argument of the systematic rise and downfall of Benito Mussolini.
After World War 1, Mussolini returned begun to assemble a new political front, the Fascist. Mussolini’s first tactic was the creation of an enemy. He used the enemy as a way to galvanize the people behind his rule and to get the elites to support him. He chose Vladimir Lenin as his enemy, and through the time, there was a political earthquake that culminated in the ending of capitalism, private property, and God. What follows was a tremendous economic crisis in Italy with high numbers of unemployment. In the Mideast of these crises, Mussolini assured the public that he was their only savior. He was elected to parliament through his party. Mussolini forms the government as the prime minister, where he began his crash for democracy.
According to the narrator, Mussolini understood the power of the press, which guided him to suppress its freedom. The media was not allowed to report the news but instead was used as a vehicle to propel the fascism propaganda and praise for Mussolini’s leadership. He used the radio as a means of communication to the public. As a former journalist, he had perfected the art of connecting with the people. The one-sided story by the press enabled Mussolini to propel his rule and all his agendas.
Moreover, Mussolini adopted the economic development policy where the building of cities, schools, and health care became popular’ He did this to connect and earn the respect of the public. The public, especially in the rural areas, adored and praised him. Later, he resulted in indoctrination, which became the ultimate game-changer. He was able to capture the mind of the future generation in believing there was no other better rule than the Mussolini rule. All the textbooks in schools taught a single-story, including the ten commandments of Mussolini. One of the commandments was Mussolini is always right. As the narrator explains, a whole generation grew up not aware of another side of governance.
According to the narrator, Mussolini started the war to unite the elite and the public under one course. It also silenced the opposition, which could be seen as disloyal if they failed to support the war. However, it was the beginning of his downfall. Ethiopia was the first target as they vowed to revenge for their earlier defeat in 1896. The army scored a win when they defeated Ethiopia, but over 100,000 soldiers were killed and injured, which weakened the force. Mussolini was obsessed with making Italy great again back to the days of the Roman Empire. However, during the subsequent wars, Italy was defeated, leading to a vote of no confidence in Mussolini. He was arrested and put in a mountain top prison. Mussolini later became a puppet of Adolf Hitler when he rescued him from prison. In May 1945, Mussolini’s Fascism came to a bloody conclusion. He was captured on his way to Austria and charged with treason.
Today, seven decades after the downfall of Fascism, the pilgrims are finding their way back to his Northern village. According to the narrator, it is unfortunate that the people are trying to remember Mussolini’s dreams of making Italy great but forgetting all the destruction and deaths that occurred in Italy.