Post-War Italy and the Rise of Mussolini

The Italian Claim to Fiume At the end of World War I, there were three pivotal factors that developed in Italy. They were: The Italian people felt cheated by Woodrow Wilson because they did not get Fiume. Gabriel D’Annunzio hired a private army and led it into Fiume and took the port. He then proceeded to give it to his county, Italy, as a gift. This event indicated to the rest of Europe that nationalism was not dead. If a country pushes nationalistic feelings forward, the people will support country.

Mass Unemployment As soon as the war ended, the Italian government demobilized the army. The cities became inundated with a large unemployed population, in particular in the north.

Redistribution of Land During the war, the Italian government promised the peasants that when the war was over, the government would buy land from the upper class and give it to the peasants. The government decided to back down on this promise. In response, the peasants decided to take the land themselves. Hence, Italy was experiencing the beginning of a revolution.

Looking to Mussolini for Help Benito Mussolini was brought up in a socialist family. During World War I, Mussolini was a front-line soldier. It was this experience that provided him with proper training for political combat on the national stage. Another key development for Mussolini at this time is that he became a nationalist. In 1919, he went to Milan and bought a newspaper to push the idea of nationalism. The ex-soldiers began to read his paper and asked him to become their leader (duce). Mussolini agreed and formed the young men into sqaudristi. They are better known by the color of their shirts (black). He sent the “Black Shirts” out on punitive (disciplinary) expeditions. They would harass and attack factory workers and peasants believed to have been Bolsheviks. It appeared that Mussolini was the sole obstacle between Italy and the nation falling to communism.

The Formation of Combat Groups Both the church and the middle class loved Mussolini. To achieve his goal of overthrowing the existing parliamentary government, Mussolini organized a new type of combat party, the “Fasci di combattimento” (Groups of Combat). From this phrase comes the word “fascism.” The party glorified war and combat as the true test of man and of a nation. Mussolini’s key supporters were…

Mussolini Supporters Veterans of World War I who were seeking revenge from the war and attempting to bring back Italian honor and glory. Large donations from the nationalists who became captivated by Mussolini’s imagination of creating a greater Italy. Italian businessmen frightened by the rise of revolutionary social protests and worker insurrection.

Still Needing More Support Even with support coming from different groups, Mussolini’s Fascists never won over 15 percent of the vote in free elections.

Mussolini’s Ideology There are three basic ideologies behind Mussolini’s fascism: Mussolini promised an aggressive form of nationalism. He wanted to expand Italy’s boundaries. The Fascists (and Italians) are on a crusade to save the world from communism. Because of his, Mussolini frowned upon liberty and promoted “discipline” for the Italian state. Mussolini vowed to get rid of the existing political elites. He would replace them with a sense of unity within the government. He is not promising to make everyone equal but rather that the government will all work together.

Not So…Good to be King In 1922, Mussolini made a series of deals with various political and social groups in Italy. However, out of all of this networking, the most important agreement Mussolini made was with King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy. The two men agreed to the following: If the king supported Mussolini, Mussolini would agree to let the king stay on as a monarch. If the king did not support Mussolini, he ran the risks of being overthrown in a coup d’etat.

The March on Rome To bring forth a change within the government, Mussolini organized the “March on Rome.” During this demonstration, the Black Shirts marched down from the north and forced the king to “agree” to appoint Mussolini as the Italian Prime Minister.

A Corrupt Election For nearly two years, Mussolini remained politically idle. His party’s main concern was to rid the nation of any potential political threats. Elections were held for the last time in 1924, but this election was so manipulated that Mussolini was guaranteed to remain in office.

The Revolution Begins However, by 1924, Mussolini began to feel tensions increasing within his party. His own men said that they would remove him from office if he did not begin to bring forth his revolution. A year later (1925), the Mussolini’s revolution began. First, labor unions were placed under the direct control of the state and strikes were outlawed. Political parties were banned and the concept of free press ended.

Mussolini’s Policies Mussolini became a totalitarian leader by: Creating a single party system. Establishing a secret police force. Banishing his political enemies into concentration camps. Spreading propaganda and censoring the media. Establishing youth groups. Creates organizations which control leisure time. They are called “After Work” organizations. It was provided by the party. The organization created gyms, pools, movies, and vacation resorts. People became very grateful for the work of this organization.

Reforming the Italian System While leading Italy through the post-World War I years, he creates three policies. They were: Foreign Policy Handling of the Church Economic Policy

The Foreign Policy Foreign Policy: Mussolini wanted to “create the second Roman Empire.” The first empire was around the Mediterranean Sea. “We will take the Mediterranean Sea and convert it into an Italian lake.” Because of this glorious idea, Mussolini was referred to as the “divine Caesar” by his loyal followers and was seen as the “sublime [inspiring] redeemer in the Roman heavens.”

Foreign Policy (continued) By saying this, he is threatening England because they owned and controlled the Suez Canal and the Strait of Gibraltar. In 1923, Mussolini invaded the island of Corfu. The Greeks easily defeated the Italians. From this point forward, Mussolini talked about military involvement in different regions, but took no actions.

The Power of the Church in Italy In 1929, Mussolini signed the Latin Accords with the Vatican. The Accords agreed to: Give sovereignty to the Vatican and Vatican City. Mussolini gave the Church a large sum of money. Mussolini adopted the Church’s policy on marriage and divorce. Students had to attend religious instruction in school. Catholic Action was established. It was a group of men who had newspapers promoting the Church’s activities. Mussolini agreed not to ban this paper.

Mussolini’s Economic Policy Mussolini established an economic policy called Corporative State. He divided Italy’s economy into sections. Each corporation would make their own decisions. Each corporation was comprised of three groups: The government. The owners. The unions. Each of the groups had a 1/3 vote. It was an attempt by Mussolini to trick the unions. The unions did not know that the government would routinely side with the owners.