[TopQuark]

Yes, I was surprised. Having read quite a bit of Lenin, I could not recall any references to Mussolini (or Gramsci).

[Yardstick]

Well, I keep finding references to Lenin praising Mussolini but I can’t find the actual quote:

http://nrd.nationalreview.com/article/?q=ZTdlOGVkY2EyNDRjMTUzMThkMDBlOWY3Mjk3NzUwMDc=

“The party was founded by Mussolini, a former socialist singled out by Lenin for praise...”

http://www.friesian.com/marx.htm

“...and Lenin himself had praised Mussolini as the great champion of the Italian socialist party in the days before World War I.”