Who is "The Duce" Mussolini from History: A Novel and what is their importance?

Benito Mussolini, the Fascist dictator in Italy until 1943, named himself the "Duce". He sided with the Axis powers during World War II, and was later killed by Italian Partisan forces in 1945. Nino Mancuso believed that in siding with Hitler against the Allied forces caused Mussolini's downfall.