1) Benito Mussolini was born in 1883 in Italy and held socialist views as a young man, working as an editor for a socialist newspaper. 2) However, he left the Socialist Party after supporting Italy's involvement in WWI, opposed by socialists. He then formed his own fascist political group and newspaper. 3) In the 1920s, Mussolini became Prime Minister of Italy and established a dictatorship, banning other political parties, censoring media, and expanding his powers until he had full control of the country by 1927.