Young Benito Mussolini mugshot from when he was arrested by Swiss police for supporting a violent general strike in 1903. He spent two weeks in jail, was deported to Italy, was set free there, and returned to Switzerland.
In June 1902, in an attempt to avoid conscription, Mussolini moved to Switzerland and became attached to a group of Italian socialists. He worked as a bricklayer, dabbled in journalism and joined a trade union. His agitation and calls for civil unrest got him arrested and deported back to Italy, officially he was arrested for lack of identification papers.
In 1905, he returned to Italy for good and despite having previously avoided conscription, now voluntarily joined the Italian army, serving for two years.
Brash, arrogant and vain in the extreme, Benito Mussolini dreamt of making Italy a superpower, akin to the great Roman Empire of old with him at its helm. Il Duce, ‘the Leader’, as he liked to be known, ruled Italy from October 1922 to his downfall in 1943, increasing his power from that of prime minister to fascist dictator. But as a boy, Mussolini was brought up with firm socialist ideals and, as a young man, became a leading figure in Italian socialist circles.
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| Benito Mussolini's mugshot taken on 20 June 1903 in Bern, Switzerland. |
In June 1902, in an attempt to avoid conscription, Mussolini moved to Switzerland and became attached to a group of Italian socialists. He worked as a bricklayer, dabbled in journalism and joined a trade union. His agitation and calls for civil unrest got him arrested and deported back to Italy, officially he was arrested for lack of identification papers.
In 1905, he returned to Italy for good and despite having previously avoided conscription, now voluntarily joined the Italian army, serving for two years.
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| Mugshot and fingerprints of a young Marxist named 'Benedetto' Mussolini. Bern, Switzerland, 1903. |
Brash, arrogant and vain in the extreme, Benito Mussolini dreamt of making Italy a superpower, akin to the great Roman Empire of old with him at its helm. Il Duce, ‘the Leader’, as he liked to be known, ruled Italy from October 1922 to his downfall in 1943, increasing his power from that of prime minister to fascist dictator. But as a boy, Mussolini was brought up with firm socialist ideals and, as a young man, became a leading figure in Italian socialist circles.
