Mussolini ideology and Nature of state Dennis Liao and Kyohimeko Ka

What is fascism? Fascism is difficult to define, as it does not have clear ideological roots like other ideologies such as Marxism Historians tend to agree that the 4 key elements of fascism are Ultra-nationalism, an absolute belief in the strength of the state and the people, often supporting aggressive expansion A desire to destroy the existing political system A belief in the necessity of a strong leader A belief in the power of action and violence

Fascism to Mussolini Although he proclaimed himself a fascist, Mussolini made no concentrated efforts to define the nature of his beliefs until 1925 A key person in this process of attempting to define fascism was Giovanni Gentile, a philosopher and important member of Mussolini’s fascist party He helped put together the Manifesto of Fascist Intellectuals and The Doctrine of Fascism, both to try to define fascism

“Blood alone moves the wheels of history” Fascism was defined by Mussolini more by what it was opposed to rather then what it stood for Fascism was opposed to liberalism, socialism, democracy, and pacifism Fascism places great emphasis in action and violence Mussolini held much more radical views at the early stages of his political career but later increasingly moderated his views From 1918 to 1924, “cults of violence” known as squadrismo were used to combat the perceived threat from the socialist movement

Mussolini’s Political Views Throughout his life, Mussolini’s political views have covered the entire range of the political spectrum Early in his life and until 1914 Mussolini was a socialist, and was a member of the Socialist Party in Italy After WWI, he formally renounced socialism in 1918 and his political ideology shifts from socialism to nationalism to eventually fascism The only beliefs that he would later stress is a commitment to a strong government, nationalism, and action His party, the Fascio di Combattimento in Milan was founded in 1919, and its members would become known as The Fascists of the First Hour Their Fascist Programme was a confusing mix of both left and right wing policies

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The nature of Fascist Italy Mussolini’s political party later became the National Fascist Party (PNF) This party was established in the October of 1921, and had clearer right wing policy Fascism emphasized extreme nationalism, with the state being absolute and all encompassing Mussolini declared himself a dictator, and his rule over Italy between 1925-1945 was a personal rather then party dictatorship Despite what outward appearances suggested, and what he wanted everyone to believe, Mussolini was not an all- powerful dictator; he still had to share power with more traditional groups

Organization of the state Only small numbers of the key positions in the government of Fascist Italy was occupied by true fascists Often times career politicians swore loyalty to the fascist party only to keep their jobs and/or advance their careers Much of the power in the government was shared with non-fascists including the catholic church and traditional elites In 1926, Mussolini organized the economy with the ministry of corporations Corporations were made up of representatives of employers and workers from the same economic sector The system was supposed to give the people working similar jobs a voice in the government, but in practice Mussolini himself made the important decisions

Conclusion The ideology of fascism is difficult to define, and it is often easier to characterize it by what it stands against rather then for However, certain ideals remain consistent, namely fascism’s belief in the state, the leader, action, and violence Mussolini himself held contradictory views throughout his life He would often proclaim to stand for what the people wanted, changing his views as it suited him Mussolini held a lot of power, but he wasn’t in complete control over Italy, he still had to share power with other factions