The common thread of Mussolini’s thought

Abstract

From socialist militancy to fascist dictatorship, the revolutionary from Romagna constantly shifted perspectives, making it difficult to understand his thinking. The founder of fascism profoundly changed his mind depending on the context in which he found himself operating. Was this modus operandi the fruit of «revolutionary pragmatism», as intransigent fascists defined it, or simple opportunism, as his political adversaries believed? The purpose of this essay, therefore, is to attempt to trace a unifying thread within Benito Mussolini's ideas and actions.