Born on July 29, 1883, Benito Mussolini was the first Italian fascist dictator of the 20th century, during World War II (WWII). He rose to power in 1922 and remained there until 1943. Benito Mussolini was the founder of fascism and the leader of Italy from 1922 to 1943. An advocate of socialism in his younger years, Mussolini was inspired by nationalist ideas as World War I raged on. Using his charm and personality, he inspired a violent takeover of the Italian government beginning in 1919 and culminating in the March on Rome in 1922. After the March on Rome, King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy asked Mussolini to form a government. Initially feigning democratic leadership, by 1925, Mussolini declared himself dictator and established the first fascist state. As a member of the Axis powers in WWII, Mussolini sought to control much of Africa and the Mediterranean. By 1943, the allies closed in on Italy, and Mussolini was overthrown and imprisoned by his own party. Later that year, he was rescued by German forces and installed as a governor over German-occupied Northern Italy. In 1945, while fleeing to Switzerland, Mussolini was captured and executed. Mussolini's particularly brutal fascism has inspired strongmen throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, including Adolf Hitler.