Fascism in Italy - World History EncyclopediaFascism originated in Italy out of the political party activity of Benito Mussolini in the years immediately following World War I. Mussolini ruled Italy from 1922 until he was deposed in 1943 during World War II. During Mussolini’s reign an Italian fascist philosophy took shape, and he was able to consolidate his power into a dictatorship. He produced the perception of an economically sound society with strict order, efficiency, and modernization. Fascist Italy invaded Abyssinia in 1935, alienating other democratic powers, and eventually formed an alliance with Nazi Germany.