Benito Mussolini was the Fascist leader of Italy from 1922 to 1943. Much like Hitler, he rose to power when establishment conservatives decided that he could help them inspire voters and unite the country. And as with Hitler, this plan failed—instead of empowering the center-right, it empowered and legitimated Mussolini and his Fascist Party. Mussolini used secret police to dismantle his political opposition, then went on to rule as a dictator for two decades.