 Fascism is an ideology of the extreme right wing  It is a radically nationalist and militarist ideology that opposes communism, liberalism, democracy, individualism, capitalism and organized religion  Fascism demands the subordination of the individual to the collective interests of the nation, for national glory is the goal of fascism  It is an ideology centered around a totalitarian dictator: “the leader” – this man knows what is best for the country… › unlike communism, they admit outright to being undemocratic and anti-liberal › It seeks to reestablish past glory  State censorship is normal, criticism of the state, the party or the leader is unacceptable and will result in severe punishment

 Fascism seeks to strengthen the state through any means possible, especially through the use of military force  Violence is an acceptable means to an end  The goal of fascism was class harmony, rather than class struggle  Fascism’s economic model is called Corporatism – in this model, both the workers and the owners would manage the factories, make decisions and receive profits  Fascism originally did not support the interests of the rich landowners and factory owners  Fascism originally planned to nationalize property  This also includes a vast social system to redistribute some wealth to the masses and to provide them with work

 The main example is Fascist Italy ( )  Some other states are considered Fascist, although each varied from the Italian fascism quite substantially › Nationalist Spain ( ) is considered fascist › Nazi Germany is considered fascist, although there are some major differences between Nazism and Fascism because Fascism is not inherently racist › Hungary from is sometimes considered fascist › Austria between WW1 and 1938 is often considered fascist

 Like all other countries that participated in WW1, Italy was a mess when the war was finished › Italy had not been given all the land Britain and France promised it when it entered the war in 1915 › There was social turmoil as socialists, communists and anarchists participated in massive strikes › Peasants were revolting against their landlords

 Mussolini was a former School Teacher and life-long socialist  He published the socialist paper Avanti  He left the Socialist party because they would not support Italy’s entry into WW1  He joined the army and sustained a shrapnel injury during the war  When he returned to civilian life after the war, he saw an opportunity for personal power in the instability

 The democratically elected liberal government of Italy was too weak to control all of the social turmoil  Mussolini formed a militia called the “Blackshirts” › This militia served to break up strikes and beat up communists › This made Mussolini popular with traditional conservatives as well as his core group former socialists, war veterans and nationalists  Mussolini issued a Fascist Manifesto demanding minimum wage, 8 hour work days and voting rights for women  Mussolini claimed he would reestablish the Roman Empire

 In 1921, Mussolini was elected to the Italian legislature - Fascism was now a legitimate political movement  The democratic Liberal government was very unstable and was considered weak by the fascists  In 1922, the Fascists organized a “March on Rome” to seize power. Instead, King Victor Emmanuelle III gave Mussolini the Prime Ministership, and the march turned into a parade  Mussolini made it clear he wanted to be a dictator › Parliament passed the Acerbo Laws in 1923 giving whichever party had the most votes in the election a 2.3 majority › The Fascists won  The Socialists protested, but after their leader Giacomo Mateotti was killed, they quit parliament, leaving the Fascists as the only party

 Mussolini became “il duce”- the leader  Once in power, the fascists did not discriminate against people based on their race or religion as long as they were loyal to fascism and accepted the Italian culture  Mussolini had a cult of personality built around him  He created massive public works projects to employ the poor  The media was heavily controlled

 In 1929, Mussolini signed the Lateran Pact with the Pope › This was seen as a huge victory because the in exchange for giving the Pope the Vatican City, the Catholic Church recognized Italy  The Great Depression hurt Italy, although not as much as most other states, because Italy had less international trade due to their Autarky policy  To back up his constant militaristic rhetoric, Mussolini invaded Ethiopia, the last independent country in Africa in 1935