1.1 INTRODUCTION Parliamentary Democracy Fail (5)
By 1922 it was obvious that parliamentary democracy had failed to deal with the social and economic challenges of post-World War 1 Italy. What conditions existed?
- Weak Coalitions - Governance was blighted by weak coalitions created by the PR system.
- Prime Ministers - In less that 5 years, Italy had 4 Prime Ministers.
- Communism Concerns - The Industrialists, Clergy, Landowners and even the King himself were all concerned by the rise of communism.
- Treaty Versailles - The Italian people were outraged by the “Mutilated Victory” given to them by the Treaty of Versailles.
- WW1 Veterans - Many WW1 Veterans were disillusioned and unemployed.
Mussolini proved himself enough of an opportunist to to take advantage.
1.2 INTRODUCTION Mussolini’s Fascism Blueprint (3)
Mussolini wrote the blueprint for Fascism. Where did the term “Fascism” come from? What ideas did it advance? What did Mussolini insist about Fascism?
- Term Origins - The term came from a bundle of rods tied together to an axe, a symbol of authority in Ancient Rome.
- Ideas Advanced - It advanced ideas of togetherness and service to the nation.
- Mussolini Thirst Quote - Mussolini insisted “Fascism is an idea, a doctrine…never before have people thirsted for authority, direction and order as they do now.”
1.3 INTRODUCTION Fascism Characterised By (4)
What would Fascism be characterised by?
- Totalitarian State - The creation of a totalitarian state.
- Promote & Encourage - It would promote through propaganda and terror the idea of a superman leading a super race. It would encourage devotion to the state that would impact every part of life.
- Political Economy - The creation of a political economy and the promotion of autarky.
- Ancient Glories - Look to recreate the glories of Ancient Rome.
1.4 INTRODUCTION Fascism Anti-Philosophy (4)
How did Fascism epitomise the anti-philosophy?
- Anti-Democratic
- Anti-Communist
- Anti-clerical (to a point)
- Anti-Semitic
2.1 CORPORATE STATE Third Way (4)
The corporate state what Mussolini called “The Third Way”. What were some of the characteristics of the corporate state?
- Promote - It was not capitalism nor did it promote the idea of nationalisation (Communism) but state directed capitalism.
- Aim - It sought to modernise the economy and advance self-sufficiency.
- Ban - Trade Unions were banned. Strikes and lockouts were outlawed.
- Ecomomic Output - Nothing would stand in the way of economic output.
2.2 CORPORATE STATE Corporations Design (5)
By 1934, 22 corporations were in place. How did they operate?
- Represent - They represented management and workers.
- Set - They set prices, wages and general conditions.
- Unions - Trade Unions became irrelevant and illegal.
- Disputes - All disputes were resolved through “mandatory arbitration”.
- Leisure Time - Workers were given leisure time some of which was used to train them how to be good fascists.
2.3 CORPORATE STATE Control (2)
The Corporations were controlled by _ _ _ . What 6 fields did they cover?
- Controlled By - Ministry for Corporations
- Fields Controlled - 1. Agriculture, 2. Commerce, 3. Maritime, 4. Air-transport, 5. In-land water transport, 6. Land transport (Railways and Canals)
2.3 CORPORATE STATE Pro & Con (2)
Through corporations, Italy’s economic life came under the direction of the fascist state. What made the corporation idea popular? What was the reality?
- Pro - The corporation idea was popular as it brought social justice and real planning to the economy. It eliminated class conflict.
- Con - In practice however, the corporate state created too much bureaucracy and bribery abounded.
A facet of Mussolini’s regime was propaganda and terror. From 1926 onwards the myth of “Il Duce” was promoted. How was it promoted? (9 points)
- The most fervent advocate of Mussolini’s invincibility was his brother Arnoldo who day after day in “Popolo d’Italia” (newspaper) described “Il Duce” as a demigod who knew everything.
- “Il Duce” had placed his wisdom, heroism, and vast intellect in the service of his people.
- “Mussolini is always right” and the message of “believe, obey, fight” was portrayed.
- He was shown in a diversity of activities, fencing, riding, driving, even playing the violin.
- He was compared to Aristotle, Kant and St. Thomas Aquinas.
- The papers claimed he was even greater than Michelangelo.
- His photograph was stencilled on all writing paper.
- If he asked for advice it was to confirm what he knew already.
- School teachers were important messengers in this regard
Compared to Hitler, Mussolini made little use of terror. What evidence is there of this?
Between 1927 and 1940, in all only ten people were executed for political crimes and only 5,000 were sent to prison camps.
What was the effect of Mussolini’s propaganda and terror?
He created a form of national socialism but nowhere close to the totalitarian regime Hitler oversaw.
Mussolini did set out to create a totalitarian state, the very essence of fascism. What was his aims and ideas? (3 points)
- His aim was to create a new civilisation, a new type of human being and a totally new way of life.
- He could not conceive any sphere of human activity that would be immune from state interference.
- He claimed “We must control political forces, moral forces and economic forces, nothing against and nothing outside the state.”
If they were the masters of all “moral forces” in society, why then did he need to do a
deal with the Catholic Church? (3 points)
- The Church’s message was tied up in empathy, charity and peace whereas Mussolini’s fascism promoted militarism, social
Darwinism (the survival of the fittest) and obedience to the state. - The idea of papal infallibility flew in the face of Mussolini the “demigod”.
- The man who believed that if his power didn’t come from God it was at least God given.
What was the Lateran Treaty struck in 1929 between Mussolini and the Catholic Church?
- £10 million was given in cash and government bonds as compensation to the Vatican for the loss of the Papal states in 1870.
- In return the Catholic church agreed to stay out of politics and disbanded it’s Centre Party.
- The Lateran Treaty soon came under pressure, especially in the sphere of education where the battle for the hearts and minds of young people was fought.
- The Church survived. Mussolini did not.
The political economy was an important characteristic of fascism under Mussolini and public work schemes were a major feature. Name some of the schemes and who supported them. (4 points)
- The Pontine Marshes near Rome were drained and families from the south were moved there.
- Mussolini built HEP stations, sports stadiums, railway stations and new motorways.
- In the early days he was supported by some big industrialists in Northern Italy like the Peronni brothers who owned Pirelli tires and the Agnelli family, the Fiat car manufacturers. Such industrialists benefitted from these schemes.
- These projects did much to reduce the unemployment rates but did little for overall economic output.
Some of the schemes in Mussolini’s political economy failed. Name three.
- In August 1926 Mussolini re-valued the Lire upwards seeking economic prestige.
- It damaged Italian exports.
- The Wall Street Crash in 1929 hit the Italian economy hard.
- This decision was reversed in 1936. - Internally he promoted the battle for grain to make Italy self-sufficient in food.
- This created a food shortage as imported gain dwindled.
- In Southern Italy the land wasn’t suitable and yields were inadequate.
- This drove food prices up, creating poverty among the poor.
- He could have used cash crops to export like wine and used the money to buy grain.
- Unfortunately he was a slave to his ideology. - His attempts to increase the birthrate failed also and his tax on bachelorhood was ineffective.
Fascism failed in Italy for no other reason than the inadequacies of the man himself. Why was Mussolini’s fascist regime doomed to failure? (3 points)
- After entering WW2 in May 1940 the economy collapsed in no time.
- Hitler came to power in 1933 and was ready for war within 6 years. Mussolini couldn’t do the same in 17.
- His foreign policy was reactionary.
- His invasion of Abyssina (Ethiopia) in 1936 had more to do with reducing the unemployment lines at home than anything else.
- He had propaganda to an art form but lacked any real substance.
