- Mussolini's fascist regime in Italy in the 1920s inspired Hitler and helped pave the way for Nazism in Germany. However, Hitler took the extreme nationalist and racist elements of fascism much further than Mussolini. - While Mussolini's fascism was the predecessor to Nazism, Hitler transformed it into a uniquely German phenomenon focused on Aryan racial supremacy. Over time, Hitler surpassed Mussolini as the more dominant leader. - Despite some ideological similarities, Hitler and Mussolini had a complex relationship, as Hitler grew frustrated with Mussolini's incompetence during World War 2 when Germany had to frequently rescue Italian forces.

1. In your opinion was Mussolini the inspiration for Adolf Hitler and Nazi
movement in Germany?
The word "Nazi" is derived from the word the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche
Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP), rightly referred in English as the German National
Socialist Workers Party, as it supervised by Adolf Hitler from 1920 to the end of
WWII. The party was held together mainly by populism, authoritarianism,
militarism, and belief in German racial and civilizing supremacy. Nazism is the
principles or methods of the Nazis. Nazism is generally classified as a right-wing
movement because of its emphasis on nationalism and martial potency, but it
does not fall anywhere within the left-right spectrum of today’s phenomenon. It
can best be understood as an acute political reaction to the economic hardships
and death toll generated by WWI and its aftermath.
It shared many elements with Mussolini’s fascism. However, Nazism was far more
extreme both in its theory and practice. In almost every respect it underline the
spirit of the magnetic despot as the only source of inspiration of a people and a
nation, as well as a vision of eradication of all opponents of the Aryan Volk as the
one and only target of Nazi document.
In fact it was Hitler who injected the spirit of extremism in the German nation and
tired to build up his racial philosophy of Nazism on the lines of Mussolini’s
Fascism. The socialist ideas was not new for German as it had been embarked
upon them by Frederick William I (1688–1740), Frederick the Great (1712–68),
and Otto von Bismarck (1815–98), which regarded the militant spirit and the
discipline of the Prussian army as the model for all individual and civic life.
Moreover 19th century intellectuals as the comte de Gobineau (1816–82), Richard
Wagner (1813–83), and Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927) had their
share in injecting the ideas of German cultural and racial superiority in the
masses.
Hitler was too impressed by pseudo the superiority complex, yet he was being an
opportunist trying to find a proper time or more rightly proper episode. The
defeat in WWI and the resulting disillusionment and frustration in Treaty of
Versailles paved the way for the success of the propaganda of Hitler and the

2. Nazis. He successive made propaganda but defeated and imprisoned. He
highlighted the fact that all manifestation must hold its logical level at the
aptitude of the least intelligent of those at whom it is directed. According to
Hitler:
“Most of the people have little intelligence, so propaganda must consist of a few
points in a few simple words, repeated again and again until even the most stupid
know them. In the big lies there is always a certain force of credibility…the huge
lies always traces behind even after it has been shown to be a lie”
The Nazi party's rise to power was rapid. In the 1932 elections, the Nazis won 33%
votes, more than any other party. In January 1933 Hitler was chosen chancellor,
and many Germans assumed that they had found a liberator for their nation.
In the beginning of the NSDAP, Hitler was a great devotee of Mussolini. The Nazi
leader was predominantly captivated with Mussolini’s ‘march on Rome’ – a 1922
protest, which led to Mussolini’s to achieve the status of premier. In 1923 Hitler
wrote to his Italian counterpart about the ‘march on Rome’; the Munich putsch
was Hitler’s effort at revising it. From the late 1920s Mussolini provided some
financial assistance to the rising Nazi Party; he also permitted SA and SS men to
train with his own paramilitary group, the Blackshirts. Hitler’s rise to power in
1933 was overtly acknowledged by Mussolini, who welcomed it as a victory for his
own fascist ideology. In personal, conversely, Mussolini was anti-Hitler and his
party. Mussolini complimented Mein Kampf, Hitler’s autobiography as “boring”.
Nazi Germany’s noticeable political and military partner in Europe was Italy. The
Italians had been governing by a fascist regime under Benito Mussolini since
1925. Mussolini, an ex-socialist, founded the Fascist Party in1919. He was
supported by industrialists, the unemployed and ex-soldiers. He was appointed as
prime minister after his ‘march on Rome’ in 1922 and he used his new power to
get himself made dictator. Italian fascism was very much the senior of Nazism, a
fact Hitler himself accredited. Yet for all their ideological resemblance, the
connection between Hitler and Mussolini was rough and multipart.

3. Mussolini was Hitler’s example for fascist dictatorship. As Mussolini rose to power
before Hitler so Hitler saw that it was obvious for someone with ideas parallel to
his own to rise to power in a potent nation. Maybe Hitler inspired from Mussolini,
but as the war haul on, Hitler got dejected with the arrogant, incompetent
Mussolini. On several events Germany had to send their assistance to rescue the
Italian army or finish the job they initiated. To Hitler, Mussolini wasn't something
more than a sheltered southern border and warm water seaports. But once in
power Hitler hurriedly became more commanding than Mussolini so the roles
upturned and Hitler later saved Mussolini’s skin.
Hitler despite of his inspiration he differed him in certain points. Mussolini’s chief
concern was Italian state whereas Hitler only regarded his self-interest as a prime
motive. That’s why at the end of WWII Hitler was more peculiar to safeguard
himself than the German state. Further both leaders had differed in their
respective racial views. Mussolini, unlike Hitler, did not make him extremist. He
was therefore scornful of Hitler’s rants about Aryan supremacy. Mussolini was
even faced expulsion from his party; on the contrary no one dares to expel Hitler.
Mussolini paved the guideline for Hitler’s growing ambition, and at times Hitler
tries to follow suits the doing of Mussolini. Hitler was successful in maintaining his
own Nazis identity, parallel to fascism but more dictatorial, suppressive and
authoritative in nature. He molded the fascism with his own ideas and presented
the old German idea of racial superiority in more tyrant way, might be to spell the
Europe with his harsh polices. We might felt from Hitler’s Nazism as a ventilation
of his suppressed anti-Jews sentiments. Yet both, Mussolini and Hitler, wanted to
rule their region and succeeded in their aims, their means of force can be differ
their motive was same and they strangely enough met with the chaotic end.