Editing Duce (section)

{{Short description|Italian title}}
{{About|Italian title|the Canadian television series|Il Duce Canadese{{!}}''Il Duce Canadese''}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Italics title}}
{{Infobox official post
| post                    = Head
| body                    = Government, Leader of Fascism and Founder of the Empire
| native_name             = {{native name|it|Capo del Governo, Duce del Fascismo e Fondatore dell'Impero}}
| insignia                = 
| insigniasize            = 
| insigniacaption         = 
| insigniaalt             = 
| flag                    = Flag of Mussolini as Capo del governo of Fascist Italy.svg
| flagsize                = 
| flagalt                 = 
| flagborder              = 
| flagcaption             = [[List of Italian flags|Standard of the Duce]]
| image                   = Mussolini mezzobusto.jpg
| imagesize               = 
| imagecaption            = '''[[Benito Mussolini]]'''<br />23 March 1919 – 28 April 1945
| department              = 
| style                   = 
| type                    = 
| status                  = 
| abbreviation            = 
| member_of               = 
| reports_to              = 
| residence               = [[Palazzo Chigi]]<br/>{{small|(1925–1929)}}<br/>[[Palazzo Venezia]]<br/>{{small|(1929–1943)}}<br/>[[Villa Torlonia (Rome)|Villa Torlonia]]<br/>{{small|(1925–1943)}}
| seat                    = 
| nominator               = 
| appointer               = [[Grand Council of Fascism]]
| appointer_qualified     = 
| termlength              = 
| termlength_qualified    = 
| constituting_instrument = 
| precursor               = [[Prime Minister of Italy|Prime Minister]]
| formation               = 23 March 1919
| first                   = Benito Mussolini
| last                    = Benito Mussolini
| abolished               = 28 April 1945
| superseded_by           = 
| succession              = 
| unofficial_names        = 
| deputy                  = 
| salary                  = 
| website                 = <!-- {{url|example.com}}-->
| footnotes               = 
}}

'''{{lang|it|Duce}}''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|uː|tʃ|eɪ}} {{respell|DOO|chay}}, {{IPAc-it|lang|ˈ|d|u|ː|c|e}}) is an [[Italian language|Italian]] title, derived from the [[Latin language|Latin]] word {{lang|la|[[dux]]}}, 'leader', and a [[cognate]] of ''[[duke]]''. [[National Fascist Party]] leader [[Benito Mussolini]] was identified by Fascists as {{lang|it|Il Duce}} ('The Leader') of the movement since the birth of the {{lang|it|[[Fasci Italiani di Combattimento]]}} in 1919. In 1925 it became a reference to the [[dictator]]ial position of {{lang|it|Sua Eccellenza Benito Mussolini, Capo del Governo, Duce del Fascismo e Fondatore dell'Impero}} ('His Excellency Benito Mussolini, Head of Government, Leader of Fascism and Founder of the Empire').<ref>[[commons:Image:Mussoliniposter.jpg|Image Description: Propaganda poster of Benito Mussolini, with caption "His Excellency Benito Mussolini, Head of Government, Leader of Fascism, and Founder of the Empire&nbsp;...".]]</ref> Mussolini held this title together with that of [[President of the Council of Ministers (Italy)|President of the Council of Ministers]]: this was the constitutional position which entitled him to rule Italy on behalf of the [[king of Italy]]. ''Founder of the Empire'' was added for the exclusive use by Mussolini in recognition of his founding of an official legal entity of the [[Italian Empire]] on behalf of the king in 1936 following Italy's victory in the [[Second Italo-Ethiopian War]]. The position was held by Mussolini until 1943, when he was [[Fall of the Fascist regime in Italy|removed from office by the king]] and the position of {{lang|it|Duce}} was discontinued, while [[Marshal of Italy|Marshal]] [[Pietro Badoglio]] was appointed {{lang|it|Presidente del Consiglio}}.

This position was the model which other [[Fascism|fascist]] leaders adopted, such as the position of {{lang|de|[[Führer]]}} by [[Adolf Hitler]] and {{lang|es|[[Caudillo]]}} by [[Francisco Franco]]. In September 1943, Mussolini styled himself as the "Duce of the [[Italian Social Republic]]" ({{langx|it|Duce della Repubblica Sociale Italiana}}), and held the position until the [[Spring 1945 offensive in Italy|collapse]] of the Italian Social Republic and [[Death of Benito Mussolini|his execution]] in April 1945.<ref>Quartermaine, L. (2000). [https://books.google.com/books?id=Vwx6hN8zyIsC&q=%22italian+social+republic%22 Mussolini's Last Republic: Propaganda and Politics in the Italian Social Republic]. p. 21.</ref>