Mussolini's contested dictatorship

Mussolini's designation as a fascist dictator did not mean that every institution obeyed him without opposition. Italian senators could denounce him in parliament and place their attacks on the record. They could then go home and return to repeat the criticism. In this comparison of the Axis leaders, that continuing public dissent is evidence of limits to Mussolini's control. The distinction concerns his ability to suppress opposition within the regime, rather than the title he held.