Throughout the Second World War, one of the most shocking moments that occurred was the
downfall and subsequent execution of Benito Mussolini.
The Fascist Dictator of Italy rose to prominence following his March on Rome and during the
war he was very closely allied with his great friend Adolf Hitler.
But despite this, Hitler could not save Mussolini as he was captured by his Partisan enemies
and he would be at the side of a road near to Lake Como dragged out of a truck with his
mistress shot dead.
Following this, his remains were taken into Milan where they were hung upside down in
public, and huge crowds gathered to throw things and spit at the corpse of Mussolini.
He was a man who had caused a significant amount of damage to the Italian population
and their efforts in the war were rather ineffective, resulting in deaths of Italian men who had
little direction in the war.
But one man who was brought to Milan with Mussolini and was displayed with him was Mussolini’;s
former Propaganda Minister who was comparable to Joseph Goebbels.
But like Goebbels, Alessandro Pavolini would meet his demise in brutal fashion.
Join us today as we look at the execution of Mussolini’s Goebbels, and as always to
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Alessandro Pavolini was born on the 27th September 1903, and his father was a major writer and
scholar, and was a man who was fluent in many different languages.
He came from a rather famous family, and he went to university to study law and he attended
the University of Florence before he obtained a degree also in politics from Rome, but at
the time there was a growing fascist movement in Italy.
Alessandro Pavolini joined Mussolini’s movement in Florence, and he became part of the blackshirts
and he would lead a group of them during the 1922 March on Rome which resulted in Mussolini
seizing power in Italy.
But he was then assigned work as a Fascist official and he would work with youth groups
to enforce Mussolini’s power, and he also began to write for different publications
and Fascist journals.
He was close with the Fascist leader of Florence, Luigi Rudolf, and Pavolini then rose to prominence
and became more involved in politics.
He would succeed Ridolfi after initially becoming his deputy to become the leader of the Fascist
Party in Florence, and he became the editor of a fascist newspaper and he would call on
other writers to get involved.
But following his access to the national PNF, the National Fascist Party he became more
involved in the senior leadership of the group.
He was the President of the Fascist Confederation of Professionals and Artists, and he then
became a leader inside the council of Corporations.
But he was also a military man, and Pavolini was involved in the Second Italo-Abysssinian
War as a leftenant, and he would carry out inspections of groups and he was also a wartime
correspondent.
But then in 1939, he became Mussolini’s Minister of Popular Culture.
What this role was that he was practically in control of the Ministry of Propaganda,
and Pavolini would have control of the press and he could produce anything which he wanted
which would be distributed to the Italian population.
He was in this role comparable with Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda
and also best friend.
Goebbels would during the Second World War and for years before propagate the brutal
anti-semitic legislation and vitriol to the German population that would encourage them
to believe that attacks against jews were permissible.
Propaganda was during times of war incredibly powerful, and many governments also used censorship
to ensure that newspapers and reporters could not publish the true facts following heavy
defeats as the government’s were concerned that this would result in the demoralisation
of the population and that they would not be behind the war effort, and would turn against
the government.
Pavolini’s control over the propaganda and the media was ultimate, and he would in his
role need to make Mussolini almost a god like figure of strength that no one would dare
question.
He would urge the media outlets to push the narrative about Mussolini’s power, and they
would show him often with his shirt off looking intimidating, and he would also be shown alongside
Italian industry.
Pavolini would also he heavily involved in the Italian cinema industry, and he would
tell film companies to challenge whatever Hollywood was putting out, and he wanted the
Italian film industry to he as successful as the American one.
It would be his fascist party who would create the Venice Film Festival, but Pavolini was
a man who was holding significant power now within Italy.
It was his ministry who would control what news people heard, and he would also ban the
publication of photos of an Italian prize boxer being knocked out, to not damage national
morale.
He would not tell the Italians a true picture of the Second World War also, as they were
suffering heavy losses in the battles fought alongside their allies the Germans, the Mussolini
would take them into battle alongside.
Wartime propaganda was of course very important, and it would only for Italy focus on little
successes, and spin this without telling the true reality of the sorry state of their war
effort.
Pavolini was also himself involved in an affair with the Italian Film actress Doris Duranti,
and she would go on to star in some of the biggest Italian films of the time due to her
links to Pavolini who would land her roles in certain films.
This affair was very much publicised in the newspapers, and there’s no real evidence
of Pasolini’s attempts to stop publication around this, which could have been interpreted
as the fact he was proud of his involvement with the actress.
But Pavolini would be the Minister of Popular Culture until January 1943, but inside of
the nation no-one would have predicted Mussolini’s downfall.
The Grand Fascist Council was gathered, and they would withdraw their support for the
former dictator due to the Italian war effort, and they would actually vote to oust Mussolini
from power.
This went through and he was arrested, before being freed by German paratroopers in the
Gran Sasso Raid.
Mussolini then was proclaimed the leader of the new fascist puppet state in the north,
the Italian Social Republic.
But Pavolini was not deemed by Mussolini to have been to much of a dissenter, and he actually
took up a position inside of this new government and administration.
He was promoted to the Head of the Republican Fscist Party, and he would be involved in
many acts of government including drafting the Verona manifesto which resulted in the
executions of many of those who voted against Mussolini.
But as the war was coming to an end, Mussolini would go on the run and would try to enter
Switzerland twice before he was turned back.
He was part of a Fascist convoy, and it is believed that Alessandro Pavolini may have
been involved in this, as he was around the area of Lake Como when he was captured.
When the convoy was raided, Mussolini along with other prominent Partisans were found,
but Pavolini would be captured after he tried to flee and he tried to swim across the huge
Lake Como to escape.
But then he made it to a half submerged rock, and he would then fire at the Partisans, and
he was involved in a standoff before he was finally taken under control by the Partisans.
But they wasted abolsutely no time at all, and after Pavolini would fire his pistol at
the Partisans, they would immediately execute him, and they would litter his body with bullets
killing him.
But this would not be the end of Alessandro Pavolini.
Following the execution of Mussolini which also took place near to the town of Dongo
and Lake Como, the bodies of Pavolini along with Mussolini and his mistress Clara Petacci
would be taken to Milan and they were then taken to a square where they were displayed
in public high above a half build service station.
The Italian public showed the disgust they had towards these, and they would beat, punch,
kick, spit at and throw things at the remains, to the point where they became heavily disfigured
and Pavolini was also subjected to this.
The Americans would later order the remains to be cut down, and Pavolini was hanged upside
down next to Mussolini’s Mistress, but his remains were then buried nearby.
Alessandro Pavolini was an Italian politician who was comparable in his role inside of a
dictator to that of Joseph Goebbels.
He was trusted and was close with Mussolini, and he would act as the minister of propaganda,
but this work would lead to his execution in which he was shot by his enemies and then
his body was strung up as a symbol of the brutality and evil of Mussolini’s government.
Even in death he would remain close to the dictator.
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