Also called "L'uomo che voleva diventare Cesare" A masterful orator, Benito Mussolini seized power in Italy in October 1922, four years after the end of the First World War. Using the threat of chaos, he seized power in a legal coup that would inspire many dictators. The son of a far-left activist, Mussolini enjoyed the support of employers and many veterans. By promising the Italian people a return to greatness, repressing communists and suppressing civil liberties, he won the admiration of many in the 1920s, and reached the height of his popularity during the Ethiopian War in 1935.