ITALIAN FASCISM The many problems and failures of Liberal Italy and the establishment of Mussolini’s fascism

Italy and Germany Fast rise to power being a new political ideology Mussolini became Prime Minister in 1922 Situation in Italy did not appear as being favourable for the fascist rise Slower rise to power, being also a new political ideology Hitler became Chancellor in 1933 Situation after Versailles made possible the rise of the Nazis

Comparison with the German Nazis Germany was a defeated nation Territorial and economic losses Traumatic political changes, from autocracy to democratic republic Privations and starvation because of the blockade Fear of Russians and communists Hyperinflation

The Italian situation Victorious after WWI It acquired territory Not dramatic institutional change It remained a constitutional monarchy It suffered the usual economic and social problems after the war, but not too serious

The Italian situation Italians though that they had been cheated by their allies The town of Fiume had been awarded to Yugoslavia The arditi seized Fiume by force Blame on liberal-conservative politicians

The Italian situation Democratic government held by modern, mass political parties The dominant parties were the Socialists and the Catholic People’s party From 1919 to 1922 there were six short-lived coalition governments Mussolini came to power in October 1922

The Italian situation Italy suffered from serious economic problems: High levels of unemployment due to the demobilisation of troops Slowness to return to a peacetime economy and inflation that hit the middle classes The failure to solve these problems undermined the faith in political parties and democracy

The Italian situation The fear of Bolshevism was exploited by fascists to raise to power 1918-20 was a period of upsurge of working class militancy: strikes, bread riots, violence against political opponents Occupation of the land and factories

Agrarian Facism Fascist acted mainly in areas where the battle between large landowners and peasant leagues and agricultural trade union was more acute Fascism became a mass movement and entered the Parliament Between 1920 and 1922 Fascist fighting squads took the sides of the landowners and middle-class elements, defeating peasant leagues and trade unions by burning their offices, assaulting and intimidating their members of even killing their leaders

The March on Rome In 1922 Mussolini warned that if the Fascist were not given the power they would take it by force Other political forces, even the King, seemed unwilling to form a stable government Squadristi marched on Rome and gained power

The consequences of a rapid rise to power They gained power in a legal way but the Fascists were a minor party in the Italian Parliament Their ascent to power depended upon Leading liberal-conservative politicians The monarchy The armed forces The Catholic Church The business and landowning elites

The consequences of a rapid rise to power Mussolini did not have time to bring the provincial leaders or the Fascist movement under his control After October 1922 he spent a long time bringing the institutions of the State under Fascist domination The Fascist party lacked of a strong parliamentary position

The consequences of a rapid rise to power In the long term, Fascist regimen was a compromise between Fascism and the establishment This weakness meant that the survival of element in the block of consensus was essential and they became disillusioned with military defeats

Life in Mussolini’s Italy Dealing with opposition Use of Blackshirts or Fasci di Combattimenti. They killed political enemies, such as the socialist Matteotti They terrified opponents, but they did not use the same techniques used in Germany The OVRA was the secret police of the regime Prisons were set up in remote islands Some political opponents preferred to leave the country for their own safety

Life in Mussolini’s Italy Education Young boys were prepared for fighting while girls were expect to became mothers Boys were given military instruction Their example was the March on Rome and they followed the Duce Organisation Age Group Uniform Sons of the She Wolf 4 to 8 Black Shirt Balilla 8 to 14 Black Shirt and cap, shorts, grey socks Avanguardista 14 to 18 As Balilla but with knickerbockers

Life in Mussolini’s Italy Women Girls were educated to get married and have children Large families got tax benefits Mussolini wanted a population of 60 millions but they only got to 37 millions

The Economy in Fascist Italy Italy was a poor country Mussolini wanted to reach autarchy His plans were based on two points: Attacking the power of trade unions to control workers Setting Italy targets

The Economy in Fascist Italy Mussolini introduced three battles: Battle for land: to clear marshland and built roads, this gave work to people Battle of the Lira: to inflate the value of the lira, leading to unemployment and lack of competence for industries Battle for grain: to try to be self-sufficient

The Economy in Fascist Italy Results: Industry did not expand Economy continued based on agriculture Economic growth was based on a weakness that Mussolini could not overcome

Mussolini and the Roman Catholic Church Thanks to the dictatorship Church was powerful Measures taken: marriages, baptises, girls educated as mothers, wine shops closed… Church controlled education after Lateran Treaties Concordat: Roman Catholic faith of the estate The Pope protested to the Chart of Race (against Jews)

Foreign policy Italy just got Eritrea and Somaliland in the Scramble for Africa Mussolini tried to get new land in Africa, such as Libia and Abyssinia. This created a problem with the League of Nations

Italy and Germany 1936-1940 Italians took part in Spanish Civil War, helping Franco Mussolini visited Germany and allied to Hitler He left the League of Nations Pact of Steel with Germany In 1940 entered WWII attacking British troops in Egypt