Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 1883 – 28 April 1945) was an
Italian politician, journalist, and leader of the
National Fascist Party, ruling the country as
Prime Minister from 1922 until his ousting in 1943. He ruled constitutionally until 1925, when he dropped all pretense of democracy and set up a legal dictatorship. Known as
Il Duce ("the leader"), Mussolini was the founder of
fascism.