Then a 34-year old journalist, Mussolini was campaigning for Italy to continue fighting alongside the allies in the First World War by publishing propaganda in his paper. It is also regarded by historians that Mussolini, who was a socialist in his youth, ordered army veterans to beat up peace protesters in Milan.
With Russia being embroiled in the Russian Revolution, Italy were now allies with Britain, and MI5 decided to pay 'El Duce' £100 a week from the autumn of 1917 for at least a year to keep up the pro-war campaigning – equivalent to about £6,000 a week today.
In the Soviet war in Afghanistan, western countries were giving weapons to Iraq, which are regrettably being used against our brave and valiant soldiers fighting in countries in the Middle East now. We also had to fight the fascism that Hitler and Mussolini threatened our democracy with in the 30's and 40's, so why were lessons not learned with giving aid and weapons to dangers that would later threaten our society?
Lessons need to be learned in the future, so we don't fuel another extremist attack on our society and democracy.
