1. Unit: Between the Wars Topic: Fascist Italy

2. 1. What is Fascism?

3. A. Fascism is the rule of a people by dictatorial government that is nationalistic and imperialistic, but also anti-Communist.

4. Why is fascism anti-Communist? ► Fascists found allies among business leaders and the wealthy, as well as the lower middle class. ► Communists won support among the urban working class.

5. B. Italy got the raw end of WWI: treaties had given away promised land, war veterans could not find jobs, and taxes were high - workers frequently went on strike.

6. 2. Hello, Benito Mussolini!

7. A.Mussolini took advantage of the unrest, gathering a following of war veterans and unhappy Italians.

8. B.He called his group the Fascist party and pledged to solve the nation’s problems by strengthening Italy!

9. C. He also vowed to end all threats of communism in Italy.

10. 3. The Black Shirts

11. A.Mussolini organized his supporters into black-shirted “combat squads.”

12. B.Black Shirts broke up socialist rallies, smashed presses, and attacked any non- Mussolini Italian.

13. C.Many Italians accepted the Black Shirts and Mussolini because they had lost faith in their government.

14. 4. Mussolini Takes Over!

15. A. In 1922, the Fascists announced a “march on Rome;” tens of thousands of Fascists swarmed the capital.

18. B. Fearing civil war, King Victor Emmanuel II asked Mussolini to become prime minister.

19. C.Mussolini promptly brought the economy under state control, but preserved capitalism - he called this a “corporate state.”