Mussolini removed from power

Dictator ousted and placed under arrest

Mussolini, whose regime ruled Italy
from 1922 until his arrest in 1943

The Fascist regime that had ruled Italy for 21 years was ousted on this day in 1943 when Benito Mussolini was arrested by King Victor Emmanuel III, hours after a meeting of the Grand Council of Fascism at the Palazzo Venezia in Rome had passed a vote of no confidence in their leader.

With most Italians desperate to see an end to their country’s participation in a world war in which defeat now looked certain, the Grand Council had been asked to vote on a motion proposed by Count Dino Grandi, a former Blackshirt who had become increasingly disillusioned with the self-styled Duce’s decision-making.

The motion, which Grandi prefaced by launching a scathing attack on his former ally’s leadership and the disastrous path along which Italy had been taken by forming an axis with Nazi Germany, was that the king would be asked to resume his full constitutional authority, effectively removing Mussolini from office.

Grandi, former President of the Chamber of Deputies, was unsure how many Grand Council members would vote in favour of his motion, having received reliable assurances of support from only four of the 27 members, most of whom were undecided. In fact, fearful that he might not leave the palace alive if things went very badly, he had revised his will and attended confession before the meeting, at which he arrived with two hand grenades concealed under his clothing.

Such was Mussolini’s power that the Grand Council, that had been set up originally to advise him, by then existed largely to rubber-stamp his decisions, with votes on any matter almost never taking place.

Yet, with the Allied invasion force already in charge of Sicily and the Germans considering whether to withdraw from the Italian peninsula and leave Italian forces to their fate, the atmosphere at the meeting was fevered and Mussolini ultimately agreed, if reluctantly, that a vote should take place on Grandi’s motion.

Dino Grandi, whose motion to oust
Mussolini carried by 19 votes to eight

After two hours of debate, votes were submitted and counted. Mussolini himself had spelled out that members were voting for the end of Fascism, warning that the Allies were intent on destroying Italy, not just his regime. Yet at 2 am, it was announced that the motion had carried, with 19 votes in favour, eight against. Among those who supported the motion was Galeazzo Ciano, Mussolini's son-in-law.

Nonetheless, Mussolini left the meeting convinced that nothing would change. The vote had no legal status and, having enjoyed the support of Victor Emmanuel III to that point, he went to his daily audience with the monarch the following day expecting to be given reassurances that he could carry on with business as usual.

Instead, the king informed him that he had been dismissed and that General Pietro Badoglio would take over as prime minister. Soon after leaving the audience, Mussolini was arrested on Victor Emmanuel’s orders and taken to a remote location for detention.

Unbeknown to Mussolini, the king himself had also lost faith in the regime.  After disastrous military campaigns in North Africa, Greece, and the Soviet Union, he was aware that public disillusionment was widespread. 

He feared that if he didn’t act, Italy could face civil unrest or fall to the communists, especially if the Allies advanced further. By removing Mussolini, he hoped to negotiate peace and reassert the monarchy’s relevance.

Ordinary Italians, worn down by economic hardship and the relentless bombing of their towns and cities, largely welcomed the news and cheering crowds filled the streets. To placate the Nazis, Badoglio announced that the war would continue alongside Germany, yet at the same time secretly negotiating an armistice with the Allies.

When Italy’s surrender was announced on September 8, German forces swiftly occupied northern and central Italy, freeing Mussolini from captivity in a daring raid on the mountain resort where he had been held and installing him as head of a puppet state - the Italian Social Republic - based in Salò, on the shore of Lake Garda. 

The country descended into a brutal civil war between Fascists and Partisans, lasting until 1945. Fascist rule, though, was over.

The Grand Fascist Council met inside the Palazzo
Venezia, which looks out over the Piazza Venezia

Travel tip:

The Palazzo Venezia, which housed Mussolini's offices during Fascist rule of Italy, is a palace in central Rome, just north of the Capitoline Hill. Originally a modest medieval house intended as the residence of the cardinals appointed to the church of San Marco, it became a residential papal palace. The palazzo, which faces Piazza Venezia and Via del Plebiscito, was built between 1455 and 1467 by Cardinal Pietro Barbo - later Pope Paul II - as a papal residence and later served as the Venetian embassy, giving it its name.  Its exterior resembles a fortress, with battlements and a commanding tower, while the interior reveals elegant cloisters, grand halls, and tranquil gardens. The Sala del Mappamondo was chosen by Benito Mussolini as his headquarters during the Fascist era. From its balcony, Mussolini delivered many of his infamous speeches to crowds in Piazza Venezia.  The palace now houses the Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Venezia and contains a rich collection of Byzantine, Medieval, and Renaissance art.

The Due Torri, built as a gate into the former fortified
centre of Mordano, have become a symbol of the town

Travel tip:

Mordano, where Count Dino Grandi was born, is located in Emilia-Romagna, about 50km (31 miles) southeast of Bologna, some 13km (8 miles) from Imola. With a population of around 4,500, it is an historic town known for its rural architecture, vineyards, and peach orchards. The town’s Roman past is still visible in the grid-like layout of farmland in the surrounding countryside, while the  imposing Due Torri, built in the 19th century in a medieval style inspired by the design of the Arsenale in Venice, marks the entrance to the old fortified centre and has become symbolic of the town. In the nearby Bubano district, the 15th-century Sforza Tower, built by the Sforza family, now houses a museum dedicated to the town's history and culture. 

Also on this day:

1467: The Battle of Molinella

1654: The birth of Baroque composer Agostino Steffani

1883: The birth of musician Alfredo Casella

2014: The death of tenor Carlo Bergonzi

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