2. The creation of a fascist dictatorship 1922–26

Question 1

Mussolini’s aim of placating the old ruling classes

Answer 1

Action: He appointed the orthodox economist Alberto De’Stefani minister of finance

Result: conservative industrialists reassured his appointment would not lead to radical economic changes = support for M

Question 2

Taking away opposition - ANI

Answer 2

Action: Mussolini announced a compromise had been reached between the ANI and the PNF and in February 1923 the ANI had been officially absorbed into the fascist party

Result: Took away a powerful rival and designated the PNF as the only party representing Italian Nationalism

Question 3

Taking away opposition - PPI

Answer 3

Action: pro-Catholic policies (increasing clerical pay/reinstating crucifixes in schools) encouraged the vatican to support PNF + appointed PPI member Cavazzoini as the minister of work and welfare who then encouraged the party to accept collaboration with M

Result: In july 1923 the leader of the PPI Luigi Sturzo resigned over his concern that the party was being too absorbed into the PNF

Question 4

Consolidation of power through legitimate means - emergency law - 1922

Answer 4

Action: Mussolini told deputies he required a year of emergency powers in order to carry out reform that italy needed given the political and economic turmoil

Result: Parliament subsequently approved emergency powers by 306 votes to 116 against = Mussolini could not be removed/had full power to govern for at least a year

Question 5

Consolidation of Power through threat of violence

Answer 5

Action: warned parliament that he had 300,000 young men ready to take violent action against deputies who would not support him (emergency powers)

Result: warning was enough to intimidate antifacist politicians who approved emergency powers

Question 6

Controlling the PNF -

The Fascist Grand Council

Answer 6

Action: December 1922 Mussolini created the Facist Grand Council to rival the cabinet in which he appointed key fascists

Result: helped M overcome weak position in the cabinet (4 liberals, 2 PPI, 1 ANI, 2 military) + undermined liberal government institutions - (M’s sole ability to appoint members in council)

Question 7

Controlling the PNF -The creation of the Facist Militia MVSN

Answer 7

Action: January 1923 Fascist Grand Council created MVSN - absorbed all squadrisiti and formalised role in defending ‘fascist revolution’ as paramilitary force

Result: 300,000 members pledged allegiance to M (commander in cheif) - strengthened control at expense of Ras and end fascist violence

Question 8

The Acerbo Law

Answer 8

dealt with system of proportional representation

law proposed two-third of parliamentary seats would go to party that won more than 25% of the vote = bring stability

Passed in November 1923

Question 9

Passing The Acerbo Law - support/violence

Answer 9

PCI and PSI opposed

Liberal elites such as Giolitti, the king and the Vatican all supported

The fascists applied pressure by staging massive demonstrations in tuscany and Umbria threatening violence if the bill did not pass

Question 10

violence during 1924 Election

Answer 10

blackshirts violence - destroyed opposition clubs/offices and murdered the PSI candidate Piccinini

Question 11

1924 Election - results

Answer 11

Facist electoral list gaining 66.3% of the vote (made acerbo law irrelevant)

Fascists had increased their number of deputies from 35-375.

PSI, PCI and PPI still held 80 seats between them = still a democracy

Question 12

1924 Election - reasons for fascist victory

Answer 12

• belief that M could provide the strong leadership needed
• weakness of opposition
• support of liberals = included besides fascists on electoral list

Question 13

Matteotti’s speech

Answer 13

May 1924: fascists had only won the election due to violence/corruption and were determined to establish a dictatorship no matter what the electoral results

embarrassing but M was more concerned by rumours that Matteotti had gathered a large file on fascist party corruption that he was about to make public

Question 14

The Matteotti crisis

Answer 14

June 1924

Matteoti kidnapped walking towards parliament - witness saw number plate (car that matteotti had been dragged into) belonged to Mussolini’s press secretary Cesare Rossi.

Question 15

Dealing with/the result of Matteotti crisis

Answer 15

Leader of the kidnapping was Dumini (head of a facist terror squad) was arrested in june.

no direct link between Mussolini and Matteoti’s kidnapping but the implocation of the facist party and its leader with a murder of a key political leader threatened to topple the PNF government

Question 16

Pressure faced by Mussolini after Matteotti crisis

Answer 16

1. Old established elite - concerned about backing a prime minister associated with murder
2. The PSI, PCI and other antifascist parties - called for the dismissal of Mussolini and the overthrow of facist government
3. The Ras - saw matteoti’s murder as the first step in a facist revolution/dictatorship

Question 17

Evidence for why Mussolini was not involved in the murder of Matteotti?

Answer 17

No evidence Mussolini knew what being planned or had any direct link

Murder was poorly planned and almost led to the fall of the fascist government

M seemed unsure how to act following the news of - out of place for someone who had planned it t

Mussolini sent financial assistance to Matteotti’s widow and children

Question 18

Evidence for why Mussolini was involved in the murder of Matteotti?

Answer 18

Dumini only served 11 months in jail and received in total 2.4 million lire in payments from the PNF until 1943

Question 19

Aventine Secession

Answer 19

June 1924, 100 antifascist deputies left parliament, claiming the government was unconstitutional and established their own parliament called the Aventine Secession

The absence of 100 antifacist deputies made it easier for Mussolini to pass legislation through parliament

Question 20

Weaknesses of the Aventine Secession

Answer 20

The Aventine Secession was hampered by considerable ideological differences between its members (who had political ideologies from liberalism to communism) = Aventine deputies could not agree on what to do so offered no threat

Question 21

Eliminating the use of violence

Answer 21

November 1924

pressure from the army led M to order PNF to cease all forms of violence and remove any undisciplined members not willing to follow directives

Question 22

The establishment of the dictatorship - January 1925

Answer 22

Announced the establishment of the fascist dictatorship

M formed cabinet - without liberals where M took on roles of minister of foreign affairs, aviation. war and navy

Question 23

The establishment of the dictatorship - February 1925

Answer 23

M appointed Farinacci as PNF secretary with task of purging PNF of those who would not support M

Farinacci increased fascist membership from 600,000 to 940,000 diluting the power of squadristi and increasing the numbers within the party who were loyal to Mussolini (saw membership as career advantage + less interested in fascist revolution/violence)

Question 24

The establishment of the dictatorship - October 1925

Answer 24

Facist Grand Council approved motion that forced all ras to disband any squads still in existence and enlist in the militia - independence/power of ras finished

Palazzo Vidoni Pact established the official fascist union as the only representatives of italy’s workers - took power from the socialist and catholic unions

Question 25

Repression and constitutional amendments - August 1925

Answer 25

New press law which meant all journalism had to be supervised and approved by the state

law passed giving government the power to sack any public employee whose actions were hostile to the PNF

Question 26

Repression and constitutional amendments - January 1926

Answer 26

ability of parliament to remove the prime minister through a vote of no confidence was removed and Mussolini was granted the ability to rule by decree (allowing him to make laws without parliament)

Question 27

Repression and constitutional amendments - October 1926

Answer 27

Freedom of association - freedom to meet together , particularly in political parties apart the PNF banned after another assassination attempt

Question 28

Repression and constitutional amendments - 1926

Answer 28

Aventine deputies permanently excluded from parliament

A Special Tribunal for the Defence of the State was set up for the prosecution of anti fascists with no appeal so 10,000 antifacists fled into exile - fascist + militia

M abolished elected local government and replaced mayors with new position called the Podestà who would be appointed by local prefects (appointed by Mussolini) - most powerful positions in italian regions were held by perfects not the ras

Question 29

The result of repression and constitutional amendments

Answer 29

By the end of 1926 italy was was to all extents and purposes a one party, police state, with opposition banned and persecuted however it was not the dictatorship the ras hoped for