1. ITALIAN FASCISM
The many problems and failures of Liberal Italy and the establishment of Mussolini’s fascism

2. Italy and Germany Fast rise to power being a new political ideology
Mussolini became Prime Minister in 1922
Situation in Italy did not appear as being favourable for the fascist rise
Slower rise to power, being also a new political ideology
Hitler became Chancellor in 1933
Situation after Versailles made possible the rise of the Nazis

3. Comparison with the German Nazis
Germany was a defeated nation
Territorial and economic losses
Traumatic political changes, from autocracy to democratic republic
Privations and starvation because of the blockade
Fear of Russians and communists
Hyperinflation

4. The Italian situation Victorious after WWI It acquired territory
Not dramatic institutional change
It remained a constitutional monarchy
It suffered the usual economic and social problems after the war, but not too serious

5. The Italian situation
Italians though that they had been cheated by their allies
The town of Fiume had been awarded to Yugoslavia
The arditi seized Fiume by force
Blame on liberal-conservative politicians

6. The Italian situation
Democratic government held by modern, mass political parties
The dominant parties were the Socialists and the Catholic People’s party
From 1919 to 1922 there were six short-lived coalition governments
Mussolini came to power in October 1922

7. The Italian situation Italy suffered from serious economic problems:
High levels of unemployment due to the demobilisation of troops
Slowness to return to a peacetime economy and inflation that hit the middle classes
The failure to solve these problems undermined the faith in political parties and democracy

8. The Italian situation
The fear of Bolshevism was exploited by fascists to raise to power
was a period of upsurge of working class militancy: strikes, bread riots, violence against political opponents
Occupation of the land and factories

9. Agrarian Facism
Fascist acted mainly in areas where the battle between large landowners and peasant leagues and agricultural trade union was more acute
Fascism became a mass movement and entered the Parliament
Between 1920 and 1922 Fascist fighting squads took the sides of the landowners and middle-class elements, defeating peasant leagues and trade unions by burning their offices, assaulting and intimidating their members of even killing their leaders

10. The March on Rome
In 1922 Mussolini warned that if the Fascist were not given the power they would take it by force
Other political forces, even the King, seemed unwilling to form a stable government
Squadristi marched on Rome and gained power

11. The consequences of a rapid rise to power
They gained power in a legal way but the Fascists were a minor party in the Italian Parliament
Their ascent to power depended upon
Leading liberal-conservative politicians
The monarchy
The armed forces
The Catholic Church
The business and landowning elites

12. The consequences of a rapid rise to power
Mussolini did not have time to bring the provincial leaders or the Fascist movement under his control
After October 1922 he spent a long time bringing the institutions of the State under Fascist domination
The Fascist party lacked of a strong parliamentary position

13. The consequences of a rapid rise to power
In the long term, Fascist regimen was a compromise between Fascism and the establishment
This weakness meant that the survival of element in the block of consensus was essential and they became disillusioned with military defeats

14. Life in Mussolini’s Italy
Dealing with opposition
Use of Blackshirts or Fasci di Combattimenti. They killed political enemies, such as the socialist Matteotti
They terrified opponents, but they did not use the same techniques used in Germany
The OVRA was the secret police of the regime
Prisons were set up in remote islands
Some political opponents preferred to leave the country for their own safety

15. Life in Mussolini’s Italy
Education
Young boys were prepared for fighting while girls were expect to became mothers
Boys were given military instruction
Their example was the March on Rome and they followed the Duce
Organisation
Age Group
Uniform
Sons of the She Wolf
4 to 8
Black Shirt
Balilla
8 to 14
Black Shirt and cap, shorts, grey socks
Avanguardista
14 to 18
As Balilla but with knickerbockers

16. Life in Mussolini’s Italy
Women
Girls were educated to get married and have children
Large families got tax benefits
Mussolini wanted a population of 60 millions but they only got to 37 millions

17. The Economy in Fascist Italy
Italy was a poor country
Mussolini wanted to reach autarchy
His plans were based on two points:
Attacking the power of trade unions to control workers
Setting Italy targets

18. The Economy in Fascist Italy
Mussolini introduced three battles:
Battle for land: to clear marshland and built roads, this gave work to people
Battle of the Lira: to inflate the value of the lira, leading to unemployment and lack of competence for industries
Battle for grain: to try to be self-sufficient

19. The Economy in Fascist Italy
Results:
Industry did not expand
Economy continued based on agriculture
Economic growth was based on a weakness that Mussolini could not overcome

20. Mussolini and the Roman Catholic Church
Thanks to the dictatorship Church was powerful
Measures taken: marriages, baptises, girls educated as mothers, wine shops closed…
Church controlled education after Lateran Treaties
Concordat: Roman Catholic faith of the estate
The Pope protested to the Chart of Race (against Jews)

21. Foreign policy
Italy just got Eritrea and Somaliland in the Scramble for Africa
Mussolini tried to get new land in Africa, such as Libia and Abyssinia. This created a problem with the League of Nations

22. Italy and Germany
Italians took part in Spanish Civil War, helping Franco
Mussolini visited Germany and allied to Hitler
He left the League of Nations
Pact of Steel with Germany
In 1940 entered WWII attacking British troops in Egypt