Coined the term

Mussolini did not invent fascism. It has existed for thousands of years.

Mussolini

Fascism reappeared in Europe after The Great War when many people yearned for national unity and strong leadership.

In Italy, Benito Mussolini used his great charisma to establish a powerful fascist state. Benito Mussolini coined the term "fascism" in 1919 to describe his political movement. Fascism had already existed for several thousand years, but a fascist state was usually called a republic, and not every type of republic could be called fascism.

Coining

So Mussolini invented the term. He coined it. He adopted the ancient Roman fasces as its symbol, because ancient Rome was the best example of fascism in history. The fasces, throught history, even before the Roman Empire, was always a symbol of how powerful a society can be when its people work together toward a single purpose. Rome was great, and Mussolini hoped to return Italy to that greatness.