Voting Station

Benito Mussolini

Please vote to return to collections.

World Leader

The Resume

    (July 29, 1883-April 28, 1945)
    Founded the Fascist party of Italy (1919)
    Known as Il Duce
    Dictator/Prime Minister of Italy (1922-43)
    Died by public beating, being shot, clubbed, lynched and finally hung upside down (see photo)

Why he might be annoying:

    He was a big fan of brutality, and used illegal poison gas to take Ethiopia (1935).
    He didn't mind the Jews, until Adolf Hitler came along (can somebody say 'peer pressure?').
    He aligned himself with fascist, Francisco Franco, of Spain.
    He had an ulcer and therefore drank a lot of milk.
    However, he would not drink milk in front of Hitler, because he didn't want Hitler to make fun of him.
    He suffered from depression.
    He ruled by force.
    He declared war on France, when it had just about fallen to Germany and thus entered World War II on the side of Nazi Germany (June 10, 1940).
    He over estimated his military, most of his weapons were nearly obsolete and his soldiers were not the best fighters.
    Although he thought he would beat the British, the Americans and the Soviets, he was clearly failing.
    He thought he would invade Greece as an easy target, but his invasion of Greece depleted a portion of his army (1941).
    His military bungling caused Italy to lose all of its colonies in Africa and the Allies to land in Southern Italy (July, 1943).
    King Victor Emmanuel III, who Mussolini reduced to a figurehead, retook the country and appointed Marshal Badoglio as prime minister, who ordered Mussolini's arrest.
    Italy allied with the Allies and turned on the Germans.
    German paratroopers rescued Mussolini and moved him into Northern Italy, which was occupied by the Germans.
    Hitler put Mussolini in charge of German occupied Northern Italy, until they surrendered (April, 1945).
    Mussolini and his mistress Clara Patacci were arrested, but communist partisans broke into the jail that held them.
    They dragged them through the street and publicly lynched them, to the cheers of the populace.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was famed for getting the trains to run on schedule (he threatened to shoot the conductors if they didn't).
    He brought some economic stability to the depression in Italy.
    His last words were 'Shoot me in my chest.'

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 66 Votes: 22.73% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 161 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 153 Votes: 57.52% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 100 Votes: 42.00% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 265 Votes: 55.09% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 73 Votes: 52.05% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 184 Votes: 54.35% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 138 Votes: 60.87% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 49 Votes: 61.22% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 51 Votes: 62.75% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 94 Votes: 51.06% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 107 Votes: 59.81% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 39 Votes: 76.92% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 57 Votes: 78.95% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 186 Votes: 67.74% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 229 Votes: 70.31% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 242 Votes: 77.69% Annoying
    In 2007, Out of 4530 Votes: 77.51% Annoying
    In 2006, Out of 697 Votes: 75.04% Annoying
    In 2005, Out of 739 Votes: 71.85% Annoying
    In 2004, Out of 1232 Votes: 69.64% Annoying
    In 2003, Out of 1643 Votes: 69.99% Annoying
    In 2002, Out of 2795 Votes: 79.28% Annoying
    In 2001, Out of 4489 Votes: 75.85% Annoying