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25.07.

1943: Italian King Deposes Benito Mussolini

1943: Italian King Deposes Benito Mussolini
Photo Credit To Wikipedia Commons / Bundesarchiv

Story Highlights

  • Historical event:
  • 25 July 1943
  • Mussolini's dismissal was the result of the meeting of the Fascist Grand Council (Italian: Gran Consiglio del Fascismo). At the session of this Council, 19 members voted against Mussolini. Count Galeazzo Ciano, Mussolini's son-in-law, was among them.

This day in 1943 marked one of the most famous events in Italian history.



On this day, the Italian King deposed Benito Mussolini, who had been the fascist Duce and the head of the Italian government at the time. His decision was something akin to an official end of Mussolini’s rule over Italy.

Mussolini’s dismissal was the result of the meeting of the Fascist Grand Council (Italian: Gran Consiglio del Fascismo). Namely, the Council’s session had begun at 17:15 PM on 24 July, but its members voted at 2:30 AM on 25 July).

The Fascist Grand Council was nominally the main chamber of the Italian fascist government, and this session was the first session after the beginning of World War II. It is interesting to note that the famous scientist Guglielmo Marconi, who served as president of the Italian Royal Academy, was also a member of this Council.

At the session of this Council, 19 members voted against Mussolini (Dino Grandi, Giuseppe Bottai, Luigi Federzoni, Galeazzo Ciano, Cesare Maria De Vecchi, Umberto Albini, Alfredo De Marsico, Giacomo Acerbo, Giovanni Marinelli, Carluccio Pareschi, Emilio De Bono, Edmondo Rossoni, Giuseppe Bastianini, Annie Bignardi, Alberto De Stefani Luciano Gottardi, Giovanni Balel and Tullio Cianetti). Count Galeazzo Ciano, Mussolini’s-son-in law, was also among them.




Only eight councilors supported Mussolini (Carlo Scorza, Roberto Farinacci, Guido Buffarini-Guidi, Enzo Galbiati, Carlo Alberto Biggin, Gaetano Polverel, Antonino Tringali Casanova, Ettore Frattari). Therefore, the majority decided against Mussolini.

Despite this, Mussolini came to work on this day, but the Italian king told him that he had been replaced with Marshal Pietro Badoglio. When Mussolini left the king’s palace, he was arrested by the Carabinieri, at the king’s command.

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