At the age of nine, Mussolini was sent to school in Faenza. His parents hoped the monk-run school would set their son straight. He was miserable at the school; he abhorred the restrictions of school life and discovered that the scent of incense sickened him. He hated that the quality of life at the school depended ultimately on how much the parents paid the school. Young Benito got into many fights at the school. He once lobbed an inkwell at a monk; later he fought an older boy and stabbed him with a pen knife.
The next year, he was sent to a school in town created especially for children of school teachers which he found immeasurably more appealing. He would finish his educational career at this school. He worked hard and became well known for his powerful speeches, most of which had socialist leanings. Although he was known to be a radical, by the end of his school days Mussolini managed to suppress his most rebellious. In July, 1901, Mussolini received an elementary teacher's diploma.
After a year spent a teacher, Mussolini left for Switzerland. He wanted to avoid the required military service and he'd also recently quarreled with the mayor. Besides a brief stint carrying bricks, Mussolini's life in Switzerland was one of vagrancy. He begged for change and lived on the streets. During this period, their were a number of influences on Mussolini's thinking. Angelica Balabanoff, a Ukrainian Communist, took Mussolini under her wing. She introduced him to the works of Nietzsche, Hegel and Karl Marx. For a while he was even intrigued by Buddhism.
Mussolini was kicked out of Switzerland for his violent political leanings. He went to France, and taught briefly, but soon returned to Switzerland. At this time, he was well established as a Socialist not afraid to act on is ideas and willing to die for his views. In 1904, the Italian King declared a pardon for all deserters. Mussolini decided to return to Italy and do his military duty. The only thing of importance that happened during his two years in the service is the death of his mother. This deeply saddened Mussolini and marked the end of any family ties.
