Real Propaganda Photo of Italian Dictator Mussolini Participating in Wheat Harvest? [Video]

Public Relations

Post author By Curator
Post date October 26, 2024

The Italian dictator launched the “battle for grain” to encourage self-sufficiency in wheat production in 1925.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Claim:

An authentic photograph shows Italian dictator Benito Mussolini participating in a wheat harvest.

Rating:

Context

Although this historical photograph and several others like it are authentic, Mussolini’s participation in the harvest was staged for propaganda purposes.

A viral photograph claims to show the early 20th-century fascist Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini, harvesting wheat in the fields. The photograph, shared on X and Reddit among other social media platforms, shows a shirtless man wearing a cap and goggles while handling stalks of wheat.

(X user @padresj)

The photo went viral in October 2024, ahead of the U.S. presidential elections and after the Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump, staged a photo op serving french fries at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania.

One caption accompanying the photo said, “A staged propaganda photo of facist [sic] leader Benito Mussolini …