Arnaldo Mussolini (Dovia di Predappio 1885 – Milan 1931) was a Fascist politician, newspaper editor and the younger brother of Benito Mussolini, the political leader of Italian Fascism.

Similarly to his older brother, Arnaldo Mussolini initially worked as a teacher and was active in Socialist circles during the 1910s. During the First World War, he worked at Popolo d’Italia, a pro-war newspaper that was to become the main mouthpiece of the Fascist movement. In 1918, he was sent to cadet school, graduating in time to see action at the very end of the war.

A year later, Arnaldo Mussolini moved to Milan to take up the position of managing director of Popolo d’Italia and became one of his brother’s most trusted advisors. The extent of their close relationship is apparent from the fact that he was trusted with handling the delicate affair of the Duce’s estranged son Benito Albino, whose existence was to be kept a secret from the public.

In 1922 Arnaldo Mussolini was appointed chief editor of Popolo d’Italia. In this role, he firmly defended Fascism and his brother’s policies. Alongside his role as chief editor, he was gradually given control over state media organizations, such as the High Commission for the Press (Commissione superiore per la stampa) and the National Institute for the Welfare of Journalists (Istituto Nazionale di Previdenza dei Giornalisti; INPGI). The latter was renamed in his honour after his death.

Arnaldo Mussolini worked to strengthen the relationship between the Fascist movement and the Roman Catholic Church. He stressed the need for ‘spirituality in Fascism’ (Albanese 2012) and emphasized the importance of coexistence and collaboration between regime and church. He also supported the School of Fascist Mysticism, which aimed to educate future generations of Fascist leaders. Established in 1930, it was later that year renamed Scuola di mistica fascista Sandro Italico Mussolini after Arnaldo Mussolini’s first-born son Sandro Italico (Milan 1910 – Cesenatico 1930), who died from a serious illness at the age of 20. At the institute’s inauguration on 29 November 1931, Arnaldo Mussolini delivered a speech entitled Coscienza e dovere (Mussolini 1931). It was considered the ethical-political manifesto of the movement and was published in 1940 along with a translation into Latin by Tommaso Frosini (Mussolini 1940).

Conscienza e dovere was Mussolini’s final public speech. He died from a heart attack just a month later, on 21 December 1931. His passing was a severe blow to his brother. Benito Mussolini published a biography of Arnaldo’s life, Vita di Arnaldo, in the year following the latter’s death (Mussolini 1932).

Bibliography

Albanese, Giulia. 2012. ‘Mussolini, Arnaldo’. In Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani. Vol. 77. Rome: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, 549–554.

Mussolini, Arnaldo. 1931. Coscienza e dovere. Prolusione al nuovo anno di ‘mistica fascista’ inauguratosi a Milano il 30 Novembre X. Rome: Tipografia del Comando Generale M.V.S.N.

———. 1940. Coscienza e dovere: discorso pronunziato in Milano per l’inaugurazione della Scuola di mistica fascista. Translated by Tommaso Frosini. Capodistria: Arti grafiche R. Pecchiari.

Mussolini, Benito. 1932. Vita di Arnaldo. Milan: Popolo d’Italia.

Bil Johan Simon Olsson