Benito Mussolini's autobiography opens as both a self-portrait and a political declaration, presenting him as the force that has remade modern Italy through will, action, and discipline. In Richard Washburn Child's admiring foreword, Mussolini appears as a restless, pragmatic leader who values results over doctrine and has turned Fascism into a working creed of order, loyalty, and national renewal. The book then shifts into Mussolini's own account, beginning with his birth in the rugged hills of Predappio, where he roots his identity in land, ancestry, and inherited strength. He traces a family history shaped by labor, political struggle, and public-minded ambition, while recalling a childhood of nature, conflict, and a deep bond with his mother. As he grows, Mussolini describes schooling, early teaching, exile in Switzerland, and a political awakening sharpened by poverty, unrest, and the psychology of crowds. His narrative becomes increasingly militant, contrasting a noble, war-hardened Italy with a weak and servile one, and celebrating Fascist martyrdom as the source of collective faith. He closes by linking Fascism to religious renewal, defending the movement against anti-clericalism and Masonry, and placing it at the center of Italy's moral and political future. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.
