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Description

Edda Mussolini was the oldest and favourite daughter of Benito Mussolini, the Italian Fascist Dictator. She lived through her father’s rise to power and his eventual downfall, and she was instrumental in the decision to support Nazi Germany during WW2. Edda represented the new generation of Italian Fascism - sophisticated, worldly and educated. She was a key supporter of her father and his regime - until they had a massive falling out. Although she encouraged Mussolini to send Italy to war, she ended up suffering enormous personal loss as a result of this decision. She tried to blackmail two of the 20th centuries most notorious dictators and lived to tell the tale.

Sources/Further Reading

Mazzeo, Tilar J: Sisters in Resistance - how a German Spy, a bankers wife and Mussolini’s daughter outwitted the Nazis.

Moorhead, Caroline: Edda Mussolini, the most dangerous woman in Europe

The Ciano Diaries:   https://archive.org/details/GibsonHughTheCianoDiaries19391943TheCompleteUnabridgedDiariesOfCountGaleazzoCian/page/n365/mode/2up

Mussolini, Edda: My Truth https://archive.org/details/mytruth0000cian/page/213/mode/1up

Achtner, Wolfgang: Obituary - Edda Ciano https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-edda-ciano-1616029.html

Wikipedia: Edda Mussolini https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edda_Mussolini

Wikipedia: Galeazzo Ciano https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galeazzo_Ciano

Wikipedia: Benito Mussolini https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benito_Mussolini

Mazzeo, Tilar J: Edda Ciano and Hilde Beetz- how the women stood up to Hitler https://www.historyextra.com/period/second-world-war/edda-mussolini-hilde-beetz-rescue-mission-ciano-resistance/


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