3: Rise of Facism/Mussolini 1919-1922 Flashcards
When was the first facist meeting and what were Mussolini’s main goals?
- March 1919
- Give ex-soldiers rights and have them be honoured
- Oppose Imperialism, take back the Irredenta but don’t want colonies
- Oppose neutralists with violence, those who didn’t support the war and socialists were the main targets
How did Mussolini do in the 1919 election?
He failed to be elected to the Chamber of Deputies and failed to win any seats. Movement was on the verge on failure and only had 4000 supporters
Why was violence so important to the facist rise in power?
- Army and government feared a socialist revolution so the violence wouldn’t be punished
- It created a myth that Facism ‘saved’ Italy from revolution
- The elite were happy to see Socialist collective farms destroyed
Why did Industrialists support Facism?
Angry at Government for no response to ‘socialist threat’, strikes and increase in taxation. They liked that they could control strikes and socialist protests, also that they attacked trade unions.
Why did major landowners support Facism?
Socialists and Catholic Unions were pushing for land reforms which would restrict their wealth. They liked that fascists broke strikes and forced the unions to disband
Why did ex-soldiers support Facism?
Felt they had been betrayed by the Mutilated Victory. Liked Facism as strongly nationalist and had ex-soldiers as key members of the movement. Promised to punish those who had not supported Italy during the war.
Why did small landholders support Facism?
Threatened by socialist policies redistributing land and higher taxes. Liked Facism as they attacked the Land Leagues (collective farms) and weakened socialist power
Why did some working class support Facism?
Unemployment was high and they disliked the socialists who’d use violence on the people who didn’t help them strike. Facism offered fair wages and more employment. Created a Facist Syndicate that was a version of trade union and helped fight against other trade unions.
Why did the petty bourgeoise support Facism?
Angry at Increase in taxation and thought Italy was on the verge of a Socialist revolution. Facism promised to stop a revolution and wanted to bring in an 8 hour working day as well as taxes proportional to income.
Why did young people support Facism?
Liked the idea of a radical ‘movement’ uniforms and violence were appealing. In 1921 10% of facists were students
What were some of Facist promises in 1919?
- Universal male suffrage
- 8 hour working day and guaranteed minimum wage
- Education for all
- Abolition of obligatory military service
- Heavy tax on capital, confiscation of unproductive income
- Confiscation of religious property
- Peaceful competition among civilised nations
How had some of the Facist promised changed by 1921?
- Exceptions of the 8 hour day for agricultural or industrial needs
- Brought back obligation of military service
- Taxes proportionate to income
- Not confiscating religious property
Who were the PNF?
Facist party
How did the PNF do in the 1921 elections?
Won 7% of the vote and 35 seats
How many members did the Facist movement have from 1921-22
200,000 (1921)
300,000 (1922)
Why did the 1921 elections help the Facist movement?
Other parties considered them for coalitions which would include them within the political sphere. They seemed less radical, improved coordination within the movement. Mussolini was seen as an important figure and a sole leader.
What is meant by a Dual Policy in terms of describing Mussolini?
A respectable politician on one side, but then appears as a thug who has control of the streets on the other side
What were some significant factors to the rise of Facism in Italy?
- Military/police allowed violence against socialists
- Mussolini was a strong leader and powerful public speaker
- People feared a socialist revolution
- People wanted a new direction and system after the failure of war
Why did the police not helping with violence give Facism more support?
Many Italians started to not trust the police and so turned to fascists for help. This meant facists were viewed as authority and could get away with controlling the state
What was the attitude of the Fascists to Jews?
Many fascists were Jews and those that weren’t were not anti-sematic
Who were the black shirts and what sort of things did they do?
‘Front line’ against the red socialists. Core membership/militia, they destroyed trade union offices with the police often supporting them
Why did the King appoint Mussolini as Prime Minister after the March on Rome?
- Facism has great support from the people
- Giolitti was too old
- Salandra didn’t have enough support
- King was worried about a socialist revolution and being overthrown
