Benito Mussolini becomes Prime Minister of Italy
Fascist leader Benito Mussolini became Prime Minister of Italy on October 31, 1922 after being appointed by King Victor Emmanuel II. Mussolini came to power after his paramilitary "blackshirts" marched on Rome to take control of the country's government. Italy would be under Mussolini's authoritarian rule until 1943, after which he was arrested and subsequently freed by the Nazis. Mussolini would rule a breakaway republic in Italy's north until his execution by anti-fascist partisans in 1945. Learn more about Benito Mussolini.