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The ruins of an Italian city: Asiago

In 1915 Italy signed the secret Treaty of London to obtain Tyrol, Dalmatia and Istria. In 1917 the Italians lost against Austrian Army in Caporetto and in 1918 the Italians defeated them in Vittorio Veneto.

The settlement decided at the Paris Peace Conference disappointed Italy. 600,000 brave men had died and the promised territories had not been given

In 1919 a group of patriots guided by Gabriele D'Annunzio, occupied Fiume on the Dalmatian coast. Yet in 1920 by the treaty of Rapallo, it became a free city under the League of Nations.

Italy was a poor nation. After the war, there was a large-scale unemployment worsened by the return of millions of soldiers.

Many Italians supported the Socialist Party that won the elections in 1919 against the Catholic Popular Party. Socialist agitation reached its climax in September 1920 when workers called a general strike occupying more than six hundred factories and establishing soviets on the Russian model.

Early in 1921 the Socialist threat was over and about one- third of the members joined a Communist Party.

The fear of revolution and the desire for national glory were manipulated to the advantage of a new political group: the Fascists, led by Benito Mussolini.

In 1919 Mussolini created the “Fasci di Combattimento” advocating the universal suffrage, the abolition of the Senate, free land for the peasants, the improvement of the workers' conditions and a stronger foreign policy.

Mussolini’s National Fascist Party in 1921 gained 35 seats out of 355.

In 1921 Mussolini changed his approach in order to seize his political power. He stopped attacking the monarchy, the Catholics and capitalism evoking a strong foreign policy to induce national glorious feelings.

On October 1922 Mussolini promoted a 'March on Rome'. Bands of armed Fascists coming from all the country marched arousing a great alarm. The King asked Mussolini to form a new government which resulted in a coalition of Fascists, Nationalists, Catholics and right-wing Liberals.

From 1922 to 1923 Mussolini built up his own government. He created the Voluntary Fascist Militia for National Security and promoted the Grand Council of Fascism (the highest authority of the Fascist Party) as an organ of state.

In July 1923 Mussolini secured a new electoral law according to which any party, having 25% of the votes would receive two-thirds of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies.

The 'National List' presented by the Fascists obtained 63% of the votes. A Socialist leader, Giacomo Matteotti, denounced the intimidatory methods and was murdered. Giacomo Matteotti

Matteotti's murder led to an outcry against Mussolini. He used force to wipe all his opponents out: anti-fascists were arrested, sentenced to death and exiled, the workers' unions were dissolved, the opposition newspapers were closed, u niversal suffrage was abolished and parliamentary elections were limited to candidates nominated by the Fascist Grand Council.

Mussolini helped the industries with financial subsidies. He improved transport and developed hydro-electricity in the North to favor the industrial progress.

Italians was controlled by the government. The secret police had wide powers. Children were indoctrinated with Fascist ideas. Teachers were forced to swear an oath of loyalty to fascism and to teach according to its principles. The mass media were all strictly censored by the government.

Mussolini wanted to secure the support of the Catholics for his regime. In 1929 by the Lateran Agreements a Treaty made the Vatican City a Papal State with full diplomatic rights. Civil and religious relationships were ruled by a Concordat and the Financial Convention compensated the Pope with 1 billion lire for the lost territories.

Italian foreign policy became aggressive in the 1930's because the rise of Nazi Germany had weakened the strength of the democratic states. Mussolini invaded Abyssinia (Ethiopia) in 1935.

The war was followed by the formation of Rome-Berlin Axis in November During the Spanish Civil War ( ) Mussolini gave almost unlimited support to Franco.

Mussolini assured a long period of stable government but Italians were deprived of any political liberty.

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