Mussolini’s downfall came towards the end of World War II when Italy was facing defeat. He attempted to escape to Switzerland but was captured by Italian partisans on April 27, 1945. The next day, April 28, he was executed along with his mistress, Clara Petacci, by firing squad. Their bodies were then taken to Milan, where they were hung upside down at a petrol station for public display. This event marked the end of Mussolini’s regime and the Fascist era in Italy.