Episode 5-Il Duce (The Leader)

[0] Welcome to True Spies, the podcast that takes you deep inside the greatest secret missions of all time.

[1] Suddenly out of the dark, it's a bit in love.

[2] You'll meet the people who live life undercover.

[3] What do they know?

[4] What are their skills?

[5] And what would you do in their position?

[6] Vengeance felt good seeing these.

[7] People paid for what they'd done, felt righteous.

[8] True Spies, from Spyscape Studios, wherever you get your podcasts.

[9] Hello, and thank you for listening to a History of World War II podcast, Episode 5, Il Duce Mussolini.

[10] So, I'm guessing for some of you, This is starting to sound like the Mussolini podcast.

[11] But don't worry, I haven't fallen for the guy.

[12] But I wanted to catch him up to where we left Hitler, and this episode will do that.

[13] I promise.

[14] Then I can backtrack and start on Japan's journey into the abyss.

[15] And if you think I've butchered names and phrases so far...

[16] Anyway, I wanted to give Mussolini some time alone on the stage, because soon, very soon, he will be overshadowed by Hitler, Stalin...

[17] Churchill, Roosevelt, and a whole host of generals.

[18] And Mussolini was a fascinating man. His insecurities drove him to chase his desires like most people could only wish for.

[19] But then he started hanging out with the wrong crowd, and, you know, it all went south.

[20] So here we go.

[21] It is generally believed by biographers in Mussolini that part of his psychological makeup would never allow a victory to be a sweet one.

[22] that he would or could never fully relax at any moment, and a victory was nothing more than denying defeat for one more day.

[23] But that defeat for him was inevitable.

[24] Indeed, it was only a matter of time before fate would catch up to him for all his deeds and exact a price.

[25] And that sense of unease ran through the fascist party, never quite allowing them to think they had total control so they would keep trying.

[26] Mussolini's administrative style was to spend long hours at his desk, starting late in the morning and staying up long into the night.

[27] He had a massive supply of pads at his desk, a black ink pen, and wrote everything out longhand.

[28] He wrote all items to be covered by his deputies in bullet point form.

[29] No wasting time on the frivolous.

[30] As can be imagined, the number of members of the fascist party swelled from 300 ,000 to 780 ,000 at this time, but they weren't running to the program of Mussolini.

[31] Mostly, they wanted jobs, influence, or just to survive the changing political scene.

[32] It's worth noting that in speaking of people looking out for themselves, Mussolini put his brother, Arnaldo, in charge of Il Popolo d 'Italia.

[33] Ever the realist, Mussolini knew that he could get his paper back from his brother, who genuinely loved him, if his new day job as Prime Minister went badly.

[34] He knew that getting his paper back from a fellow fascist, if things went south, would not be easy.

[35] Now that's having a backup plan.

[36] Mussolini's insecurities were still with him behind the Prime Minister's desk, and he made himself Minister of Foreign Affairs as well as Minister of the Interior, which meant he controlled the police, a separate budget, and telephone taps.

[37] Predictably, none of the RAS, or party chiefs, were made undersecretaries.

[38] Mussolini was smart enough to use non -fascist professionals in important jobs like finance and business.

[39] He also wisely treaded lightly with the Vatican and other political parties.

[40] He wanted the country to get used to the idea of the fascists being in charge.

[41] He also urged the people to not rely on government for help, controlled spending, and had a surplus by 1924.

[42] He knew he needed stability throughout the land and told the RAS to control violence in their regions.

[43] But some did not listen or believe the statement was for public consumption and continued fighting non -fascists as well as each other.

[44] Still suspicious that his party would not be accepted by the country at large, Mussolini created the Grand Consiglio, or Grand Council, on December 15, 1922.

[45] It would be the equivalent to the Chamber of Deputies, but Mussolini would explain its position no further.

[46] The Council created the Voluntary Militia for National Security, or MVSN, which organized the numerous military factions into one.

[47] This was done for control, but also in case any anti -fascist opposed the new government.

[48] In the first half of 1923, Mussolini traveled to Switzerland and London to negotiate reparations and other war issues, but besides that, the politics were domestic.

[49] He left foreign relations to the older diplomatic elites.

[50] He started sacking RAS members who would not stop violence, and this helped the other European leaders assume that Mussolini would calm down and take the shape not unlike themselves as a leader.

[51] They projected their views onto Mussolini and believed Italy would once again take its place within European politics.

[52] Mussolini got his first test dealing with an international incident when an Italian officer was killed on one of the Donde Caniz islands while surveying the border between Greece and Albania.

[53] The Greeks claimed it was rebels, but since Italy and Greece had been arguing over the territory since 1912, they were unbelieved.

[54] At the time, Greece was Europe's whipping boy, so Mussolini treated them accordingly.

[55] On August 29th, Mussolini ordered the Italian fleet ready to occupy the island of Corfu unless demands were met.

[56] Of course, the demands were far too extreme to allow Greek honor even to consider them.

[57] In order to save themselves from the Italian reaction, they would have to publicly honor the Italian flag and pay 50 million lira.

[58] The money was negotiable, but the idea of saluting the Italian flag was too much.

[59] So on August 31st, Italian troops landed on Corfu.

[60] This was new to Mussolini and the fascists, so mistakes were made.

[61] First, the fascists failed to warn the Greeks that there would be bombing first, as opposed to just landing troops.

[62] So the Italian move was seen as just raiding.

[63] and not invading.

[64] Sounds rhetorical, I know, but in international politics, certain norms have to be followed.

[65] The second mistake was not having a plan for after the occupation, or considering the international reaction to such a move.

[66] To other nations, this looked like the start of a new war.

[67] How were the foreign nations to know that Italy was just rattling its saber because they thought they could get away with it?

[68] Of course, the League of Nations condemned this action, but did little.

[69] Some speculate that this was the beginning of the end for the League.

[70] The armed response by Mussolini was met with approval by most in the fascist government and even some of the Italian liberal press.

[71] The British reacted with more than just words and moved ships into the area.

[72] The Italian naval chief told Mussolini that if they were engaged by the British ships, they would last about 40 hours.

[73] So the Italian troops were removed and the occupation was over.

[74] It lasted 15 days.

[75] Strangely enough, the Italian people did not see this fiasco as a failure.

[76] They were delighted that their Duce had done something.

[77] They didn't focus on the results.

[78] Stranger still was that Mussolini then started receiving letters from admirers for taking action and protecting Italian pride.

[79] Letters started coming from the British ambassador, Spanish generals, and a certain Adolf Hitler from a group of Bavarian revolutionaries.

[80] Hitler wrote gushingly that he admired Mussolini's determination and requested ties to the fascist party.

[81] But then the Beer Hall Putsch failed, which left Mussolini with the opinion that this group was nothing more than buffoons and denied the request.

[82] The main reason Mussolini's popularity did not suffer, as it could have, was that for now, fascism was all about domestic politics.

[83] Mussolini was working hard on creating jobs, curbing violence, and polishing Italian pride.

[84] That was all that mattered.

[85] By now, most had accepted, if not approved of, the fascists being in charge, but the reality was the fascists still only controlled 35 seats in the chamber.

[86] Mussolini's personality had more to do with the illusion of absolute power than any bureaucratic reality.

[87] The nationalists had a lot in common with Mussolini's party, but they did not trust the new party and watched them, never joining their numbers together.

[88] The fascists wanted and needed absolute control, so they came up with a plan to give them what they desired.

[89] The plan was slowly pushed through the chamber while other events took center stage.

[90] The legislation was approved November of 1923.

[91] It called for the chamber of deputies to be dissolved and for new elections to be held.

[92] Is this starting to sound familiar?

[93] But the kicker was, whatever party got more than 25 % of the vote would receive additional seats in the chamber, thereby giving them a majority.

[94] Supposedly, this was so they could push legislation through without all the politics as usual and help the country.

[95] The left, of course, was opposed, but the king, the right, former prime ministers, and the Vatican approved of the idea, if only to help and unify the nation.

[96] The chamber was dissolved on January 1924, and new elections would be held on April 16, 1924.

[97] So far, all was legal and above board.

[98] now came part two of the plan that only the fascists knew about.

[99] The RAS still conducted violent acts in their regions.

[100] Whether it was fascist infighting or just not knowing that the revolution was over didn't matter to the locals who were suffering.

[101] Mussolini kept trying to stop them, but then cleverly decided to use it.

[102] For the coming election, he advertised himself as his own man, but one that needed helpers to save the country, using the violence as an example.

[103] So as the ballots were being made, The fascists went to each region or area, found the most important or popular person there, and convinced them to run as a fascist candidate to help Mussolini save the country.

[104] Most agreed, and the results were more than the fascists could have asked for.

[105] In northern Italy, the fascists won more than half the votes.

[106] In central Italy, they received 76 % of the vote.

[107] And in the south, they received 81 .5%, where they had hardly existed before as a party.

[108] It turns out they didn't need the extra seats that the new law gave them, but they took them anyway.

[109] Of course, the left opposed the legislation and called the results fraudulent.

[110] They were led by Giacomo Matteotti, a reformist from a banking family who was listened to.

[111] He spoke in the chamber May 30, 1924, attacking the results, claiming to have proof of bribes that included Mussolini's brother, Arnaldo.

[112] Mussolini was unsure how to respond to Matteotti and wondered at the proof because there had been corruption.

[113] It was built into the plan.

[114] But then on June 10th, news of Matteotti's kidnapping surfaced and Mussolini suddenly had a much bigger problem to deal with.

[115] Even though Mussolini wasn't stupid enough to have an influential member of the chamber with connections kidnapped right off the street doesn't mean that somebody from his party wasn't.

[116] He looked guilty and realized his power, the results of the election, his being seen as a statesman in the making, could all be gone very soon.

[117] He was this close to having everyone accept the notion of his combining the roles of prime minister of a coalition administration with a fascist duche.

[118] On September 12, 1924, several suspects were arrested.

[119] The men were known fascists, and their superiors tried to muddle the investigation, but the evidence was too much.

[120] The license plate number was confirmed by a witness, and later the body was found on August 16th, giving more evidence.

[121] Now cries of anger at the fascists could be heard.

[122] And as if Mussolini's guardian angel appeared, the reaction of those who really mattered shocked Mussolini.

[123] The attitudes of the king, big business, the army, and elites of society could be summed up by an article from the Times of London.

[124] Its tone was, Homicide is more common in Italy than in other countries.

[125] It's to be expected.

[126] The Vatican had a cardinal give a speech that started with, Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

[127] The king said he could do nothing until there was no majority in the chamber.

[128] The army gave fascists 100 ,000 rifles in show of support.

[129] Big business watched the stock market shake and then settle down.

[130] They were content.

[131] On June 13th, the Democrats and Socialists left the chamber, saying the government was unconstitutional.

[132] They called themselves the Aventine Secession.

[133] But Mussolini took the wind out of their sails by removing himself from the position of Minister of Interior and appointed a very respectable Luigi Ferrazoni to the post.

[134] His respectability calmed doubts about the fascists controlling the police in the future.

[135] It was a brilliant move that made the Avertine group look paranoid.

[136] And it wasn't long before they started arguing amongst themselves, further losing respectability.

[137] But the tide turned again against Mussolini, and there was another murder on September 12th.

[138] This time, a fascist deputy was shot and left on the streets of Rome.

[139] It looked as if Italy was heading for a time of blood for blood.

[140] Of course, the fascists were ready for an all -out war, but Mussolini held back and went on a speaking tour to calm the populace.

[141] When back in Rome, Mussolini gave a speech in the chamber that fascist illegality would be severely punished.

[142] Reaction from his own party was predictable.

[143] By December, articles by other fascists were coming out saying that Mussolini should step aside, let the fighting commence, and when done, step back into the leadership.

[144] But Mussolini saw through this obvious ploy and didn't offer his resignation.

[145] Tension was mounting, and Mussolini knew he had to do something.

[146] because his followers were of the proactive sort.

[147] So on December 30, 1924, he told the prefects to tell the deputies to attend a meeting of the Chamber of Deputies on January 3 of the new year.

[148] Mussolini was nervous about the reaction of the king and the Raz, but something had to be done.

[149] In preparing for his speech, Mussolini asked himself what did each party want to hear.

[150] He found the answers, and his speech was brilliant.

[151] In summation, He said the Abatine group was anti -constitutional.

[152] He reminded them that he was intelligent and had courage.

[153] If he had wanted to carry out an act against someone, it would have been done correctly.

[154] But regardless of the events of last June, whoever had ordered it, he would take all responsibility for everything, because he was in charge.

[155] He and he alone.

[156] Then, as if to students, he explained that when two irreconcilable forces met, force is the only solution.

[157] At the end of the speech, the troublemaking too independent Farinacci walked over to Il Duce and shook his hand.

[158] He was satisfied.

[159] The Matteotti affair was over, and Mussolini announced to the world that he was the fascist dictator of Italy.

[160] On January 12, 1925, the king approved the new cabinet that saw fewer liberals.

[161] By August, Mussolini was Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of War, Minister of Navy, and due to his enthusiasm for flight, Minister of Aviation.

[162] In a few years, he would hold three more ministries, and his trusted advisors would become his undersecretaries.

[163] Mussolini promoted Farnacci, who would now rid the party of corruption, the lukewarm fascists, and cynics.

[164] In reality, his job was to keep fascist disputes away from Rome and Mussolini.

[165] The promotion of Ferenacci was a trend Mussolini would use again and again, namely, he was using a thief to catch a thief.

[166] But they both shared an ideological emptiness.

[167] Now that Italy was living in an open dictatorship, Mussolini felt safe enough to make desired changes without fear of reprisal.

[168] He increased pay for the military and created the rank of marshal so his officers would not be outranked by foreigners.

[169] He wisely kept...

[170] Pietro Begdolio as chief of general staff, even though he was not a fascist or radical, but respected by the army.

[171] After these changes, the army would be top -heavy and loyal, which was the desired result, but it was not built to conquer a new Roman empire.

[172] That would have to change.

[173] Welcome to True Spies.

[174] The podcast that takes you deep inside the greatest secret missions of all time.

[175] Suddenly out of the dark it's a bit in love.

[176] You'll meet the people who live life undercover.

[177] What do they know?

[178] What are their skills?

[179] And what would you do in their position?

[180] Vengeance felt good.

[181] Seeing these people pay for what they'd done felt righteous.

[182] True Spies from Spyscape Studios.

[183] Wherever you get your podcasts.

[184] For Mussolini.

[185] who lived his whole adult life as if his desire for something and his action were one and the same, discovered he was mortal after all.

[186] At 4 a .m. on February 15, 1925, he took ill and began to vomit blood.

[187] The doctors, after examining him, said it was an ulcer and that he needed quiet and a change of diet.

[188] The latter suggestion would not be much of a problem, but the first one would mean Mussolini would have to be someone else.

[189] The only quiet Mussolini wanted, was concerning his medical condition, but it was not to be.

[190] Soon Ra's members were planning against their supposed beloved Duce, and Mussolini summed it up all by saying, you pay for everything in life.

[191] So Mussolini laid low as much as possible, putting in public appearances only as needed.

[192] To replace his physical presence, his image in the press was stepped up and worked over by others, who gave him qualities of a saint or god.

[193] Mussolini didn't mind.

[194] Ministers and others tried to outdo each other in their praise of him.

[195] The winner should be the article that claimed he was all things to all people.

[196] His schedule, according to an eyewitness, claimed that he got up at seven, drank a glass of milk, rode his horse for an hour, then fenced for a while, and spent the rest of the day, late until the night, taking care of the Italian people in Italy's place in the world.

[197] He was also seen as a sex symbol, as much as that was possible for a politician.

[198] Even Winston Churchill's wife, Clementine, wrote about falling in love with his eyes.

[199] RAS members had complimentary things wrote about them as well, but if their star began to shine as brightly as Mussolini's, they normally ended up in jail on some trumped -up charge.

[200] In reality, Mussolini spent his curtailed working time crushing the anti -fascists.

[201] There was more killing, but Mussolini would have been happy if they would have just shut up or gone abroad.

[202] To secure his position further, though weakened by his health, he had the fascist party come to an agreement with big business.

[203] Basically, the fascists would always take the owner's side over the workers, and the corporations would never use their resources against the state.

[204] Dealing with the press was just as easy.

[205] The major papers, under pressure, got rid of their more liberal editors, so Mussolini would not have to fear reading different papers at random.

[206] He claimed to have read three dozen a day.

[207] By the end of the year, Mussolini was recovering, but ended the year in a strange way for a fascist dictator.

[208] On December 28, 1925, he married Raquel in a church.

[209] Of course, this caused all sorts of rumors to fly regarding the relationship between church and state.

[210] But in actuality, it was more likely that Mussolini was beginning to compare the man in the mirror with the image of a Superman created for public consumption.

[211] He was experiencing the fragility of life.

[212] namely his life.

[213] He and Raquel had more children, but he was never close to them or tender.

[214] Right before his wedding, he participated in and signed the document that allowed Germany to be restored to the community of nations.

[215] The only part Mussolini was interested in, but that did not get clearly defined, was Germany's southern border.

[216] This undecided issue would give Mussolini and the new German leader a point of tension when Hitler came to power.

[217] The other pre -wedding event by Mussolini was a speech on December 11th that made it clear that the year 1925 had been all about the state and nothing else.

[218] This, of course, meant repression for the Italian people.

[219] The other European chancelleries were not too upset by this as it only affected the Italians.

[220] They all assumed that Mussolini was being the typical, emotionally proud Italian.

[221] But the Italian people noticed the change in 1925.

[222] They did not know of his failing health and that the policies were in part a reaction to it.

[223] All they knew was that things were changing for the worse for them, no matter what the newspaper said.

[224] But even before the year was out, people and groups of people were now tired of chafing under increasingly oppressive fascist rule.

[225] In November 1925, a retired general and socialist deputy planned to assassinate Mussolini, but the police were on to it almost from the start.

[226] However, no one could have predicted the next attempt on his life.

[227] At 11 a .m. on April 7, 1926, as Mussolini emerged from a hall after giving a speech to a group of international surgeons, an upper -class Irish woman named Violet Gibson shot at Mussolini.

[228] She only nicked the bridge of his nose and was taken down before another shot could be fired.

[229] But of the many sides of Mussolini, The devil may care Mussolini rose to the surface, and he had a bandage put on his nose and carried on with the remaining events scheduled for that day, which included having his picture taken and more speeches.

[230] His attempted murderess, Gibson, was diagnosed as mentally imbalanced and expelled back to Britain.

[231] But the devil may care had more tests coming his way.

[232] On September 11, 1926, a Gino Lucetti threw a bomb at Mussolini as he drove up to his office.

[233] Mussolini was unhurt, but eight bystanders suffered injuries.

[234] And on October 31st of the same year, a teenage boy, Anteo Zamboni, tried to shoot Mussolini while driving through Bologna.

[235] The shot missed, but the boy was lynched on the spot by outraged fascists.

[236] The accumulative effect of these attempts on Mussolini was telling.

[237] He no longer tried to control or hold back state repression.

[238] The moderate Minister of Interior Federzoni was sacked and Mussolini took back the position he held years ago.

[239] The Avetain secessionists, who had been left alone since January of 1925, were back on Mussolini's radar and had their parliamentary seats taken away.

[240] But that was only the beginning.

[241] All opposition parties, unions, and associations were banned.

[242] Italy was now a one -party state.

[243] In addition, the death penalty for political crimes was reinstated.

[244] and the secret police, the OVRA, was created.

[245] There were new business policies as well.

[246] Employees were no longer allowed to strike, but owners were no longer allowed to use lockouts on the workers.

[247] This was considered fair dealing by the fascists.

[248] Italy had borrowed heavily from the U .S., second only to Germany, to keep the lira strong.

[249] Mussolini knew enough to tie the currency to his dictatorship.

[250] But big business was now getting nervous by the latest fascist moves and managed to get the government to lower wages.

[251] But this was not enough, and unemployment started to increase, as the owners had no law to enforce them to show compassion to their workers.

[252] Fortunately for the people, most of Italy was rural, especially in the south, and their lives remained untouched by the king, the pope, or Mussolini.

[253] Mussolini stressed to women's groups that their right to vote was important to the fascists, but then banned elections and the positions needed were filled by appointees.

[254] But welfare programs were expended by Mussolini.

[255] This was not compassion on his part, but politics.

[256] Italy's population was about 40 million compared to Germany's 80 million.

[257] It was hard to be a great nation when you were dwarfed by your neighbors.

[258] Mussolini finally worked up the courage.

[259] or just didn't care anymore, and fired Farinacci, who was always pulling Mussolini to the right and finding reasons to arrest people or take away more freedoms.

[260] He was replaced by Augusto Turanti, who knew why he was promoted.

[261] His job was to make sure the Ra's, politicians, and bureaucrats knew that Mussolini was not the dictator of the party, but dictator over the party.

[262] However, Farinacci would not go peacefully away.

[263] He continued writing Mussolini, asking for his job or for another chance to prove himself.

[264] But his letters were always a mix of compliments, sarcasm, and veiled threats.

[265] But Mussolini never broke completely away from Farinacci.

[266] They were too much alike.

[267] One result of Mussolini trying to nationalize the masses was dealing with the power and influence of the church.

[268] The church had always appreciated the fascists humbling the atheistic socialists and Freemasons.

[269] Some agreement was needed for two great forces in such proximity, and talks between the two got serious by May of 1926.

[270] By November of that year, a treaty was drafted, but political chess matches would cause delay after delay, and it was 1928 before talks resumed.

[271] During all this, everything had been kept secret from the people, but on February 11, 1929, the Lateran Pacts were signed.

[272] In its provisions, the Church was finally compensated for lands taken from them in the past, before the fascists came to power.

[273] The Vatican was finally an independent enclave within the city of Rome, with its citizens exempt from fascist law.

[274] Also, marriage was returned to the Catholic authority, and compulsory religious education was mandatory once again.

[275] Finally, the Vatican was allowed to discipline wayward priests.

[276] In the short term, the benefits for Mussolini were huge.

[277] He was praised by the Church and the faithful worldwide.

[278] On a personal note, his paper, Il Popolo d 'Italia, which had been floating in debt, was rescued by an appreciative Catholic, but then the paper was guaranteed success by being made an instrument of the state.

[279] When the Great Depression came, Italy's loans from America, like Germany's, dried up and the Italian economy suffered.

[280] But because of the Lateran Treaty, Mussolini still enjoyed being seen as an awesome figure in the original sense of the word.

[281] Foreign leaders assumed that Italy was immune to the economic downturn due to Mussolini.

[282] Fortunately for Mussolini, a referendum had been held on March 24th of 1929, and the people voted overwhelmingly in support of him.

[283] Mussolini received 8 .5 million votes for himself and 135 ,000 against.

[284] Mussolini's speeches after the referendum were full of bluff and bluster, but his acts as a leader were mostly realistic.

[285] Italy signed the Kellogg -Brien Peace Pact of 1928 that basically outlawed war, but made less sense the more one thought about it.

[286] In all honesty, Mussolini did not think twice before signing it, even though Italy had interest in foreign territory.

[287] Ethiopia was within the sphere of Italy's influence, and Mussolini approved of Ras Tafari becoming Emperor Hali Selassie I. He signed a friendship treaty with Mussolini, but El Duce would change his mind in a few years and attack Ethiopia with modern weapons and 400 ,000 troops.

[288] Mussolini was more concerned with events in Yugoslavia, their northern neighbor.

[289] Their internal turmoil constantly brought his eyes their way.

[290] In October of 1926, Mussolini wanted an invasion plan ready for Yugoslavia.

[291] The Italians were helping the Croat separatists and expected reprisal.

[292] But instead, the Serbs in 1929 changed the Yugoslavian constitution to their favor.

[293] Italy stepped up its support for the Croats with asylum and military training.

[294] Tension was rising, but seemed to be remaining on the other side of the Italian border.

[295] Events in other areas should have taken up Mussolini's time.

[296] but he found himself stretched too thin and approved actions after the fact in modern -day Libya.

[297] Between 1928 and 1933, Italian troops struggled mightily and often cruelly to pacify the area known then as Tripolantia and Cyrenaica.

[298] By the end of the conflict, fascist misrule allowed 90 % of the livestock to die.

[299] along with half of the local population.

[300] Again, the fascist rulers on the ground made policy that included the use of poisonous gas or mass murder, all of which was approved belatedly by Mussolini.

[301] The 10th anniversary of the March on Rome was coming up, and numerous celebrations were prepared.

[302] Europe was fascinated and watched as much as fascist control would allow them.

[303] There was a short diplomatic struggle with the Vatican, but they quickly made up as the pact between them was just too good for business.

[304] By February 1932, months before the anniversary celebrations, Mussolini visited the Vatican, and they flung compliments at each other.

[305] A part of why Mussolini made the spiritual journey was a fresh reminder of only being human.

[306] Arnaldo, Mussolini's brother, died December 21, 1931, of a stroke.

[307] Mussolini had just ended a meeting with Mahatma Gandhi and rushed to his brother's side.

[308] Mussolini kept a vigil with the body that night and cried for his brother and probably a few tears for himself.

[309] Through all this, time continued apace and the decennial was drawing closer.

[310] Unemployment was rising, real wages were down, and Mussolini was seriously considering tinkering with the economy, although he had no idea what to do.

[311] But the celebrations would be about him.

[312] not the party or its achievements, but about the self -made Superman of the new Roman Empire.

[313] But happiness or satisfaction still eluded Mussolini.

[314] His greatness was a lie printed on a piece of newspaper.

[315] His age was not allowed to be discussed in the press, but anyone who looked could see that what hair Mussolini had left was completely white.

[316] He was only 49 years old.

[317] Recently, his daughter, Ada, had married and made him a grandfather on October 1, 1931, another slap to his once youthful, taunt face.

[318] Through all the proclamations, slogans, parties, and self -congratulating toasts, Il Duce was alone, depressed, and securely submerged in a midlife crisis.

[319] But he would soon meet two people who would change this.

[320] One was a young woman named Coretta Patachi, and the other was the new leader of Germany, Adolf Hitler.

[321] Next time, we'll back up again and bring Japan and Asia in general up to date.

[322] Japan was roughly the size of California, but had almost as many people as Germany, the most populous European nation.

[323] These two facts would steer Japan's gaze towards an area close by that had the much -needed raw materials for their survival, China.

[324] Welcome to True Spies, the podcast that takes you deep inside the greatest secret missions of all time.

[325] Suddenly out of the dark, it's appeared in love.

[326] You'll meet the people who live life undercover.

[327] What do they know?

[328] What are their skills?

[329] And what would you do in their position?

[330] Vengeance felt good.

[331] Seeing these people pay for what they'd done felt righteous.

[332] True Spies, from Spyscape Studios, wherever you get your podcasts.