Benito Mussolini's Rise to Power

October 30th, 1922, - Black Shirts, violent revolutionaries who reject democracy, march on Rome and put Benito Mussolini into power as Prime Minister. - By 1925 Mussolini became a strict dictator who called himself "Il Duce" (El Doo- chay) which means "The Leader" in Italian. - In 1929 Mussolini pronounced Vatican city an individual Italian state which gained him the Pope's approval.

State Controlled Economy - The economy was controlled by the government but the ideology of capitalism was preserved. - But Mussolini's system still favored the Upper Class like most governments.

Fascism in Italy - Mussolini really pushed loyalty and nationalism. - Loyalty was important because it is a key ingredient in a Fascist society. - Nationalism also held the people together, and prevented revolts. Fascism is a type of society that glorifies the state and the leader over the individual.

Hitler used a few of Mussolini's ideas, including totalitarianism, and just like Mussolini, Hitler ran a fascist country. Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler

- Fascism promised a strong stable government, and an end to political feuding. - Fascism was the exact opposite of Communism and Socialism, Fascism glorified the state, but Communism was supposed to glorify the people. - Fascism found allies with the upper classes, while Communism was appealing to the working class. - Mussolini projected power and confidence as a leader, and Italy became much stronger for a period of time. Fascism's Appeal - Fascism vs. Communism

Totalitarianism - A Totalitarian State is a government in which Mussolini attempted to control every aspect of the lives of the citizens. - Loudspeakers placed around cities would urge citizens to "Believe! Obey! Fight!"

The Individual and the State - One of Mussolini's major goals was to strengthen Italy in every aspect. - To do so, men were urged to be ruthless warriors of Italy - Women were pushed out of paying jobs, and instead were given the job of makin’ babies, Mussolini gave awards to mothers with 14 or more children. - Children joined Fascist youth groups and were taught military discipline and absolute loyalty to Mussolini and Italy. To the all-important state, an individual was useless unless they could aid Italy and Il Duce.

Benito Mussolini was executed on April 25th, 1945