Duce

Head of Government, Leader of Fascism and Founder of the Empire
Head of Government, Leader of Fascism and Founder of the Empire
Capo del Governo, Duce del Fascismo e Fondatore dell'Impero ( Palazzo Chigi; (1925–1929); Palazzo Venezia; (1929–1943); Villa Torlonia; (1925–1943)
Appointer	Grand Council of Fascism
Precursor	Prime Minister
Formation	23 March 1919
First holder	Benito Mussolini
Final holder	Benito Mussolini
Abolished	28 April 1945

Duce (

President of the Council of Ministers: this was the constitutional position which entitled him to rule Italy on behalf of the King of Italy. Founder of the Empire was added for the exclusive use by Mussolini in recognition of his founding of an official legal entity of the Italian Empire on behalf of the King in 1936 following Italy's victory in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. The position was held by Mussolini until 1943, when he was removed from office by the King and the position of "Duce" was dismantled, while Marshal Pietro Badoglio, 1st Duke of Addis Abeba

was appointed Presidente del Consiglio.

This position was the model which other fascist leaders adopted, such as the position of Führer by Adolf Hitler and Caudillo by Francisco Franco. In September 1943, Mussolini styled himself as the "Duce of the Italian Social Republic" (Italian: Duce della Repubblica Sociale Italiana), and held the position until the collapse of the Italian Social Republic and his execution in April 1945.^[2]

History of the term

The title was used outside its traditional noble sense in some of the publications praising

Italian unification in 1860, though not taken up officially by Garibaldi himself.^[3]

Duce Supremo (transl. Supreme Leader) was more formally used by

Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. The first record of the term being used in reference to Mussolini dates to a banquet held in his honor in Forlì in 1912, celebrating his new position as editor-in-chief of Avanti!^[4]

Because the title Il Duce has become associated with

anti-fascist sentiment, Italian speakers in general now use other words for leader, mainly including the English loanword. Duce survives as an antonomasia

for Mussolini.

Succession

Mussolini intended that the Grand Council of Fascism would choose a successor from a list of three men chosen by him, and submit the name for approval by the king. As of 1940 he may have been preparing his son-in-law Galeazzo Ciano for the role.^[5]

Title holder

Duce (Born–Died)	Took office	Left office	Tenure
Benito Mussolini (1883–1945)	23 March 1919	9 November 1921	26 years, 33 days	Italian Fasces of Combat
	9 November 1921	25 July 1943		National Fascist Party
	23 September 1943	28 April 1945 †		Republican Fascist Party

References

^ Image Description: Propaganda poster of Benito Mussolini, with caption "His Excellency Benito Mussolini, Head of Government, Leader of Fascism, and Founder of the Empire ...".
^ Quartermaine, L. (2000). Mussolini's Last Republic: Propaganda and Politics in the Italian Social Republic. p. 21
^ Lucy Riall, "Garibaldi, Invention of a Hero", London, 2007, Ch. 9
ISBN 978-0-429-65543-2
.

^ Gunther, John (1940). Inside Europe. New York: Harper & Brothers. pp. 255, 257–258.

External links

The dictionary definition of duce at Wiktionary

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Duce&oldid=1214068662"

[1] Image Description: Propaganda poster of Benito Mussolini, with caption "His Excellency Benito Mussolini, Head of Government, Leader of Fascism, and Founder of the Empire ...".

[2] Quartermaine, L. (2000). Mussolini's Last Republic: Propaganda and Politics in the Italian Social Republic. p. 21

[3] Lucy Riall, "Garibaldi, Invention of a Hero", London, 2007, Ch. 9

[4] ISBN 978-0-429-65543-2
.

[gunther1940-5] Gunther, John (1940). Inside Europe. New York: Harper & Brothers. pp. 255, 257–258.

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

History of the term

Succession

Title holder

See also

References

External links