Mussolini

[Gaspare]

some Italians had to say they liked him out of fear. At any time he and his cronies could take away your property and life...

The only good that came from his era was that very early pre war many Italians/Sicilians immigrated to America to get away from him.

Hope whoever got his death uniform washed/drycleaned it good as after the took the body down the crowds took turns defecating on him.....

[Sgt. Steiner]

I know the West Point Museum has one of his fezes.

[TWS]

I have always found it interesting that his granddaughter is a successful politician in Italy. And by successful, I just mean she has managed to get elected a couple times to offices she ran for.

[chrischa]

A very interesting thread.

[tankredi]

...

The only good that came from his era was that very early pre war many Italians/Sicilians immigrated to America to get away from him.

......

As soon as Mussolini came to power emigration from Italy was prohibited.

Those that came to the US from Sicily, that "wanted to get away from him", were Mafiosi that emigrated illegaly

[Ironcrown]

Possibly they escaped rather than emigrated...
There was a very though repression in Sicily during the fascim. Prefect Cesare Mori, the "Iron Prefect" was ordered to clean the island from the mafia, and in few years it was practically wiped out. It came back only in 1943 with the allied landings.
It's historically confirmed that the US government made an agreement with the boss Lucky Luciano to gain support from the mafia gangs either in the homeland (they had the control of the main ports) and during the campaign of Sicily.

[tankredi]

Escaped...well I would prefer to say they ran away since the feared the new government would apply strict laws to fight their crime.

Some prominent "escapees":
Joseph Bonanno
Vincent Mangano
Joseph Profaci

All three of them left Sicily in 1922 for the US.

[Gaspare]

tankredi,,,everyone knows there is no such thing as the mafia....