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Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini died on April 28, 1945 at 61 years of age, by tyrannicide in front of a firing squad. This Italian politician used to rule Italy as Prime Minister, obeying the constitution until 1925 when he denied democracy and became a dictator. Mussolini is known as one of the creators of fascism.

Escape To Switzerland

Before his death, Mussolini (no longer ruler of Italy) was appointed as the leader of a puppet government by the Germans in the north of Italy that was occupied by Nazi Germany. As the Allies were fighting their way up in Itally, Mussolini knew that defeat was imminent and that, should he fall into the hands of the Allies, he would be tried as a war criminal. He decided to rather try and escape to Switzerland, a neutral country, with his mistress, Clara Petacci.

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Plans Foiled

At the Swiss border, near the village of Dongo, Mussolini tried to disguise himself as a German airforce officer, but him and Petacci were discovered by partisans. They, along with their 15-man train (officials and ministers from the Italian Social Republic) were placed in front of a partisan firing squad in Giulino di Mezzegra and shot.

What Happened to the Bodies

On 29 April their bodies were thrown in a truck and taken to Milan, where they were dumped in the Piazzale Loreto or Piazza Quindici Matiri. One woman shot Mussolini’s body in revenge for the murder of her sons. Others kicked and spat upon the bodies and finally they were hung, upside down, from an Esso gas station’s roof where the civilians stoned them from below. The hanging was done as a warning to other Fascists and in revenge of the hanging of many Italian partisans on the same location.

Cite This Article
"How did Mussolini Die?" History on the Net
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March 28, 2024 <https://www.historyonthenet.com/how-did-mussolini-die>
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