[DemolitionRed]

Originally Posted by Sir Alfred

Mussolini started fascism, he was a Marxist. Hitler was a socialist. Fascism is of the left.

Your right, Mussolini was a Marxist in his early years. Long before Mussolini became PM in Italy, he was a socialist agitator influenced by Marxist theory. He was editor of a magazine that promoted a peasants revolt but with the outbreak of WW1 Mussolini turned against Communism and formed a party which he named Facisiti (a socialist party that promoted empire building through war, slaughter and pillage). That resulted in him being kicked out of both Avanti magazine and the far left Socialist Party.

Mussolini became so against Marxism, he founded the group, ‘Fasci di Combattimento’, who’s movement reigned terror on pro-communist followers. The word 'facist' means 'anti-Marxist' and so his early adult years as a Marxist follower bare no relation with what Mussolini went on to promote as the leader of Italy.

'Social/ism/ist' is probably one of the most commonly misunderstood words around. Its a very broad term that normally gets used to just represent the Left. You can be far Right and be a socialist thinker. You can be anti-democratic Right and be a socialist. Different styles of socialism have apposing ideologies.

Mussolini started as a far left agitator and became a far right ruler. Far left socialism and far right socialism are so close, they could touch hands.