Peter Neville taught history at the University of East Anglia and was a research fellow at Kingston University. He is the author of Appeasing Hitler: The Diplomacy of Sir Nevile Henderson 1937-9 (2000) and most recently the Historical Dictionary of British Foreign Policy (2013).

This new edition of Peter Neville's Mussolini traces and analyses the life of one of the most fascinating twentieth century European dictators, Benito Mussolini. This biography gives students a useful analytical introduction to the period and the man and provides an explanation of what fascism was and why it resonated with so many people in Italy. Mussolini will be essential reading for all students of modern Italy and the history of fascism.

Introduction. 1. The shaping of a political leader, 1883-1919 2. The achievement of power, 1919-24 3. Crisis and consolidation, 1924-29 4. The evolution of a fascist foreign policy 5. Italian society under Mussolini, 1931-396. The Ethiopian War, 1935-36. Into the abyss: foreign and defence policy, 1936-40 8. The slide to disaster, 1940-43 9. The last phase, 1943-45 Conclusion.