Despite his penchant for violence Benito was very bright. He did well in his examinations at the normal school and obtained a teaching certificate. He did not teach for long. He was incapable of controlling a class and was already developing a reputation as a political agitator and for remarkable rhetorical talent. Young Mussolini read widely and was acquiring a peculiar pastiche of conflicting philosophies and political theories that would become his own unique brand of politics.
At the age of 19 Benito Mussolini gave up on a teaching career and went to Switzerland. He remained there for some time, living hand to mouth, working at whatever menial job came his way and acquiring a deep hatred of "the rich". Mussolini was dabbling in political journalism, falling afoul of the police and becoming involved in trade unions and the labor movement. This pattern would follow for the next several years. Over the course of his career as a political journalist and agitator Mussolini was jailed upwards of a dozen times.
In 1910 Mussolini began living common-law with Rachele Guidi. As befitted ardent Socialists there was neither a religious nor civil wedding. Altogether Benito and Rachele had five children, Edda (1910), Vittorio (1916), Bruno (1919), Romano (1927) and Anna Maria (1929). There was a civil wedding in 1915, followed by a religious ceremony and baptism of the children in 1925. This last was probably prompted by Mussolini's diplomatic overtures to the Holy See taking place at that time, it certainly did not arise from a belief in the sanctity of marriage for Mussolini kept mistresses all his life.
After Mussolini returned to Italy he once again took up teaching and, once again, gave it up. He returned to trade union work, journalism and extreme politics. He was very successful at journalism, eventually editing the official Socialist newspaper, Avanti!, in which he was militant against Italian involvement in World War 1. However, his militancy changed its direction, he came to believe the Marxist tenet that social revolution always follows war. He resigned from the newspaper, was expelled from the Party, and joined the army. The birth of Fascism soon followed.
