Communist Italy under Mussolini

Mussolini used to be a popular person in left-wing movements wordwide. He was a socialist, a republican, and a secularist opposed to the Catholic church. He changed his tune during WWI and disappointed socialists (including Lenin) by moving to the right.

What if he never changed his views and was brought into power as OTL as head of the Communist Party?
 
Well, Mussolini not really change his views.

In the late XIX and first half of XX, nationalists are really presents in socialist movment (alleged marxist or not), theyr'nt a united socialist movment about nation.

So, his bellicism was present, and his nationalism too, even during his "socialist" journey. Without a POD making and socialist movment more marxists and engelist, AND making Mussolini left his nationalists views, i think your project would be really improbable, maybe impossible.
 
I could Mussolini creating "Nationalist Socialism" following WWI as a means to recreate a Roman Empire ruled by the people. I've actually pondered this one for some time, and I wouldn't be surprised if this led Germany to never fall to Hitler and WWII being very different.
 
What if he never changed his views and was brought into power as OTL as head of the Communist Party?
As has been mentioned, Mussolini's nationalism was present in his whole career as a socialist, despite some early articles in Avanti! advocating non-support of the war. Musso wasn't trusted by Bordiga, Damen, Gramsci, Serrati, or Togliatti, and would have had to rely on Russian support (if he could get and keep it) to rise to the head of the PCd'I at all.

If you want a communist Italy, you'd have to stop Zinoviev meddling in the Italian leadership. If Bordiga/Damen and Gramsci/Togliatti weren't busy fighting each other, and if the former wasn't busy fighting Zinoviev, they could actually have gotten something done.
 
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