Benito Mussolini Ch 13 sec 3

 Born in 1883 in Italy, he moves to Switzerland in  He was kicked out of the country because he didn’t have a job.  He joined the military back in Italy, and had some trouble with the police, so he moved to Austria and worked at a newspaper. I. Beginning

 Mussolini was kicked out of Austria, moved back to Italy and went to work with a Socialist paper.  He was pushing for a Socialist revolution, very similar to Communist, by having the workers rise up.  He even called himself an “antipatriot”. II. Ideas begin to form

 When WW1 broke out he was against the war, along with his Socialist friends.  He changed his mind a few months later, and they kicked him out of the Socialist party.  He founded a new group, Fasci d'Azione Rivoluzionaria, and a new newspaper. III. The Great War

 Mussolini is called into the army in 1917, but was wounded during grenade practice and was released.  After returning home, Mussolini established another political party, the Fasci de Combattimento, and ran for office.  He lost in 1919, but won in III. The Great War

 When he is elected, Mussolini and his followers began to attack his former buddies the Socialists, and Communists.  He switched from being an antipatriot, to an ultrapatriot.  He gained the support of the middle class and the industrial leaders by cracking down on strikers as well. IV. The politician

 Italy’s government was losing the support of the people.  Anarchy was threatening to destroy the country.  Mussolini decided to take power, and began a march on Rome to demand control.  The king was forced to allow Mussolini to take control. V. Crisis in Italy

 Mussolini has the support of people in government, and begins to turn Italy into a police state.  By 1926, he is dictator of Italy and eliminates all other political parties.  He controls the press and builds up his image of solving every problem Italy faced. VI. Mussolini in charge

 Mussolini brought the economy under government control. Capitalism remained, but the business leaders worked with the government to keep control of workers.  Propaganda preached loyalty to the state rather than fulfilling personal goals. Italy was the most important aspect of your life, and the state wanted your undying loyalty. VI. Mussolini in charge

 Women were removed from jobs and told to take care of the home. If they had more than 14 children they were given a medal by Mussolini himself.  Children were indoctrinated at schools to obey the state and Il Duce, and by the 1930s they were ready to fight for Italy and its leaders. VI. Mussolini in charge

 It was a totalitarian state, with one political party in charge, and usually one person with the power. Stalin and Hitler will copy many aspects of what Mussolini does in Italy.  Fascism is usually rooted in intense nationalism. The country is the number one concern. Violence is the means to achieve the goals of Fascist governments. VII. The Nature of Fascism

 There is no room for democracy in Fascism, it opens up ways for corruption to destroy the state. Everyone was not equal, so just obey the state.  The Italians accepted Mussolini because he did what he promised. He brought order and stability to the government and society. Only after the violence was reported did people begin to reject him. VII. The Nature of Fascism

 Fascists hated communists and socialists. Only fascists had the deep loyalty to the state. Communists wanted to get rid of classes in society and make everyone equal. Fascists wanted classes, and people with wealth.  They both did push loyalty to the state, and had a strong leader who used terror to keep people obedient. VII. The Nature of Fascism

 Half-page summary of the lecture. In your notebooks