'A Bold and Dangerous Family' ably chronicles one Italian family's battle against Mussolini

Fascism was not inevitable in Italy, perhaps not even likely. The fascists were shut out in the parliamentary election of 1919. In 1921, however, they captured 35 seats, including one for Benito Mussolini; still, they remained a decidedly minority party. 

But the following year, the fascists were voting with their feet, marching on Rome, perpetrating violence elsewhere in Italy, and threatening the democratically elected government. Rather than ordering the army to put down the fledgling revolt, King Victor Emmanuel III invited Mussolini, 39, to form a new