Benito Mussolini's great-grandson is running for office in Italy


Mark Twain once said that "history doesn't repeat itself, but if often rhymes." That apparently holds true in Italy, as the great-grandson of former Prime Minister Benito Mussolini — the founder and leader of Italy's National Fascist Party, which was in power from 1922 and 1943 — will reportedly run in the upcoming European Parliamentary elections in May.
Caio Giulio Cesare Mussolini will run as a representative of the Brothers of Italy, a far-right party. Named after Julius Caesar, the younger Mussolini is a former submariner in the Italian navy and also served as the Middle East representative for Italy's largest defense company. He has no political experience, but reportedly said he has "breathed politics" his entire life. He described himself as a "post-fascist who refers to those values in a non-ideological way."
The decision for the progeny of a dictator like Mussolini — who forged an alliance with Adolf Hitler during World War II and built a police state that oppressed political dissidents — to insert himself in politics, might seem like a bold one, if not outright shocking. But the legacy of Italy's former fascistic leader is not as muted in Italy as, say Hitler's is in Germany. Indeed, the elder Mussolini's granddaughter Alessandra Mussolini is already a sitting Member of European Parliament. Many physical remnants of the fascist dictator also remain standing and people even make pilgrimages to Mussolini's birthplace.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Perhaps this rare, but not invisible nostalgia for Il Duce, as Mussolini was known, was the impetus for his great-grandson to enter the political realm. As Mussolini told Il Messagero, a Rome-based newspaper, "So many people want to put Mussolini on the ballot."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Tuberculosis is seeing a resurgence, and it's only going to get worse
Under the radar The spread of the deadly infection is buoyed by global unrest
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Sudoku hard: April 03, 2025
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Codeword: April 3, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sen. Booker's 25-hour speech beats Thurmond
Speed Read He spoke for the longest time in recorded Senate history, protesting the Trump administration's policies
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bondi seeks death penalty for Luigi Mangione
Speed Read Mangione was charged with fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last year
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Democrats win costly Wisconsin court seat
Speed Read Democrats prevailed in an election for the Wisconsin Supreme Court despite Elon Musk's robust financial support of the Republican candidate
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
WHCA rejects White House press seating grab
Speed Read The White House Correspondents' Association objected to the Trump administration's bid to control where journalists sit during press briefings
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump sends more migrants to El Salvador jail
Speed Read Another 17 Venezuelan alleged gang members have been deported to a notorious prison
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump 'not joking' about unconstitutional 3rd term
Speed Read The president seems to be serious about seeking a third term in 2028
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?
In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
By The Week Staff Published
-
Supreme Court upholds 'ghost gun' restrictions
Speed Read Ghost guns can be regulated like other firearms
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published