Did Mussolini make the trains run on time?
Were reports of punctual trains in Mussoliniβs Italy, the truth, lies, or something else?
βSay what you like about Mussolini but he did make the trains run on time.β This phrase is the political equivalent of βevery cloud has a silver liningβ β but does it have any factual basis?
Mussoliniβs dictatorship in Italy was full of atrocities, brutal suppression and propaganda. Did it also create a more efficient railway network?
We speak to Professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat about the truth of the claim and why the Mussolini regime wanted us to believe it.
Presenter: Lizzy McNeill
Producer: Lizzy McNeill
Researcher: Esme Winterbotham
Series Producer: Tom Colls
Editor: Richard Vadon
Sound Master: James Beard
Production Co-ordinator: Katie Morrison.
Image: Benito Mussolini in his train studying maps. (Photo by ullstein picture/ullstein picture via Getty Images)
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