Booklet 6: The Fascist Economy Flashcards
Alberto de Stefani
Appointed minister of finance in 1922
Supported free trade and Laissez faire economics
Removed in 1925 when Mussolini became more interested in transforming Italys economy
Early economic policies 1922-1925
Focused on reducing gov spending
Privatised the telephone sector
De regulated the economy and cut protective tariffs
Consequences of early economic policies
Manufacturing production increased
Budget surplus
Inflation
Shift towards fascist economics
Volpi appointed finance minister and economic policies became dominated by Mussolini and fascists
Mussolini wanted to achieve economic independence
Battle for Lira 1926
1926 150 lira to 1 bp
Mussolini viewed strength of lira as strength of Italy
Declared 19 to dollar, 92.46 to bp
Consequences for battle for lira
Cuts to workers wages
Massive price reductions
First policy that represented Mussolini’s power and strength
How does Mussolini justify the battle for lira
Makes it sound like a patriotic battle to save their currency, strong lira means strong Italy
Palazzo vidoni pact 1925
Confinductria and fascist trade unions
Take bargaining power and trade unions away from socialists, Catholics
Win for industrialists
Rocco law 1926
Banned strikes
Failed to balance industrial Italians and fascist syndicalists
Ministry of corporations 1926
Working together of employers and workers
Meant to create Harmonious economic order
Charter of labour 1927
Bottai Ensure workers rights
Reduce fascist syndicalists power
Rossoni syndicalists 1928
Rossoni dismissed
Syndicalists split into 6 groups
Represented by 6 employers confederations
National council of corporations 1930
Consultive body
Employers and workers organisations
Representing 7 sectors of the economy
Mixed corporations 1934
Representing 22 major economic sectors
Fixed price of goods, rates of service
Increase production of economy
Results of corporate state
All essentials propaganda
Mussolini had all the power
Jobs provided for fascists
Results of corporate state for workers
Workers never allowed to vote for representatives
No arguments about wages
Didn’t benefit at all
Results of corporate state for industrialists
Gained more power over workers
No strikes or debates about pay from workers
Mostly ignored the corporations
Results of corporate state for fascists
Provided jobs
Propaganda for Mussolini
Centralised power to Mussolini
Primary achievement from corporate state
Viewed as powerful overseas, people acclaimed his economic system
Response to businesses going under
Workers wages cut by 12% in 1930
Encouraged price fixings and cartelisation
Mergers insured employment rates stayed stable
Response to unemployment
Increased to over 1 million
Employment provided through large work schemes such as road building, electrification of railways
IMI
Ensured that major banks were protected from collapse
provided credit to banks
IRI
Government bought up shares in banking, industry and commerce
Help protect companies
Once companies were healthy they sold shares back to private ownership
IFE
regulate foreign exchange and currency trading
Trying to maintain the value of the Lira
Why did Mussolini want an autarky
Decline in Italian trade due to depression and lira value
Sanctions had been placed on Italy after militaristic actions in Africa
Preparation for war
Autarky trade
Value of imports matched value of exports
Minimise and control imports
Autarky economic
Through IRI the gov took over private firms for national defence
Predominantly iron and steel companies, improved self sufficiency
Autarky agriculture
Cereals, wool, raw materials stockpiled
Boost stocks
Autarky result
Gov spending doubled to 60billion in 1938
Debatable success
Battle for births goal 1927
Increase size of families, population of 60mil by 1950s
Battle for births policies
Closer relationship with Catholic Church (family values)
Tax reductions and loans provided to families with large numbers of children
Battle for births results
All forms of birth control banned
Birth rate continued to decline
Marriage rates fell
Battle for grain 1925
Aimed to make Italy self sufficient in grain
Battle for grain policies
Wheat growing competitions were held
Huge propaganda campaign to free Italy from the slavery of foreign grain
Battle for grain result
Largely self-sufficient wheat production by mid 1930s
Grain production rose by 50%
Cattle and sheep farming reduced
Battle for land/marshes goal
Increase land available
Provide more jobs
Improve health
Battle for land/marshes policies
Marsh draining projects
Irrigation, road building, house building
Empty cities campaign
Battle for land/marshes result
Healthcare increased
Malaria decreased
80,000 m2 land claimed
No boost in wheat production
