Fascism in Italy

TotalitarianismTotalitarianism By 1939 every major

European state was dictatorial except Britain, France

Totalitarian state: govt controls the political, economic, social, intellectual and cultural lives of its citizens

Greatly expands the powers of the state

Aim to conquer the minds and hearts of the masses

Extensive use of propaganda and censorship

Uses modern technology to impose tight control on citizens

Ruled by a single leader/party

Rejects ideals of limited government and democracy

Individual freedom is subordinate to the will/interests of the collective

The leader determines the collective will

All citizens must be devoted to the cause of the state

Benito MussoliniBenito Mussolini Born in Milan in 1883 Originally attracted to

Marxism Editor of Socialist Party

newspaper Avanti before WW1

Broke with Socialists by advocating Italy’s involvement in the war

Briefly fought against Austria and was wounded

Became disgusted with socialism’s pacifism and with the Bolsheviks in Russia

Rise of FascismRise of Fascism Italy faced severe

economic problems after WW1

High inflation & unemployment

Rampant industrial strikes and riots

Socialists advocated revolution

Middle class feared Bolshevik-style revolution

Nationalists outraged that Italy didn’t receive more in the Versailles Treaty

The FascistsThe Fascists 1919: Mussolini established

the Fascio di Combattimento (League of Combat) Mostly war veterans

frustrated with the Versailles Treaty and with the weakness of the govt

Gangs of fascists called Blackshirts attacked socialist offices and newspapers

Quickly gained popularity among veterans, middle class, and industrialists

Evolved into a political party

1921: included in the govt coalition

March on RomeMarch on Rome October 1922: Mussolini

threatens to march his Blackshirts to Rome and overthrow the govt

25,000 Blackshirts stage demonstrations in Rome

King Victor Emmanuel III appoints Mussolini Prime Minister

Mussolini imposes heavy press censorship

Mussolini given power to make laws by decree

Police given unlimited powers of arrest and interrogation

Blackshirts engage in widespread political violence

Mussolini with members of the Fascist Party after the March on Rome (October 28, 1922)

What is Fascism?What is Fascism? Latin word fasces Ancient Roman

fasces was a bundle of rods tied tightly together around an axe

Symbol of unity and strength

What is Fascism?What is Fascism? The State not only is authority which

governs and molds individual will with laws and values of spiritual life, but it is also power which makes its will prevail abroad….For the Fascist, everything is within the State and…neither individuals nor groups are outside the State...For Fascism, the State is an absolute, before which individuals or groups are only relative….Liberalism denied the State in the name of the individual; Fascism reasserts the rights of the State as expressing the real essence of the individual. -- Enciclopedia Italiana, 1932

What is Fascism?What is Fascism? Extreme right-wing ideology Celebrates nation or race as

transcending all other loyalties Constant use of patriotic symbols to

create nationalism All aspects of society must be

subordinate to the state Glorifies violence and militarism Intensely anti-democratic and anti-

communist Individual has no significance Calls for revolution against moral

decay, individualism, materialism, and all alien forces

Enforces strict gender roles and strong families

What is Fascism?What is Fascism? Rallies the nation against enemies

(foreign states, communists, racial minorities)

Disregards human rights and individual freedoms

Uses religious rhetoric to gain popularity

Hostile toward intellectuals and modern trends in art and music

Rampant cronyism Democratic procedures are

manipulated and abused Exerts thorough control over and

effective use of mass media Suppresses the power of labor and

protects the power of business

The Fascist StateThe Fascist State 1926: Fascists outlaw all

other political parties and labor unions

Create secret police (OVRA) to monitor and jail all opponents

Mussolini calls himself Il Duce (The Leader)

Propaganda used extensively to mold Italians into devoted fascists

Pro-fascist youth groups created to reinforce military skills and fascist values

The Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church Popularity of Catholicism

forced Mussolini to compromise with the Catholic Church

Lateran Accords (1929): Mussolini recognized the Church’s sovereignty over the Vatican and the Pope recognized the legitimacy of Fascist Italy

Mussolini subsidized the Church and recognized Catholicism as the “sole religion of the state”

Church urged Catholics to support the regime

Social PoliciesSocial Policies Encouraged large

families Schooling

emphasized Italy’s glorious past and her destiny of imperial greatness

Every day students would salute the flag and recite “Hail Italy! Hail Mussolini!”

Strong emphasis on physical fitness

Mussolini visits a youth camp near Rome in 1935

Foreign PolicyForeign Policy Mussolini dreamed of creating a

new Roman Empire around the Mediterranean

1935: invaded Ethiopia League of Nations responded

with weak sanctions 1936: signed Rome-Berlin Axis with

Hitler 1936: Italy and Germany sent many

troops and weapons to the Spanish Civil War to help the Nationalist leader Franco

1936: joined the Anti-Comintern Pact directed against the Soviet Union

1938: Gave Hitler the green light to annex Austria

Italian troops fighting in Ethiopia (1935)

Hitler visits Rome to cement the Rome-Berlin Axis (1936)

Jewish PolicyJewish Policy Fascist regime was officially

anti-Semitic Jews criticized for championing

avant garde intellectual and artistic movements

Accused of disloyalty to Italy and fascism and loyalty to Zionism

1938 legislation Excluded foreign Jews Excluded Jews from teaching,

civil service and military Mussolini resisted Hitler’s

extermination policy and left most Jews alone 75% of Italian Jews survived the

Holocaust

Italian FascismItalian Fascism Italian Fascism was much less

violent and repressive than the Nazi variety

The state’s power over the lives of most Italians was not extensive

Mussolini was not successful in reshaping the attitudes and ideas of most Italians

Much of industry, the army, the Church, and the bureaucracy was not thoroughly “taken over” by the Fascists

Nonetheless, Hitler was inspired by Mussolini’s example, methods and successes