Consolidation Of Power & Post War issues Flashcards
Explain the political and economic problems experienced by Italy 1919-22 (8)
P - Movements such as the Fascist movement claimed that the Liberal government had ‘mishandled the war’ and then ‘lost the peace’ by mutilating their WW1 victory, and this created political instability
P - in 1919 PM Orlando made the mistake of raising Italian demands beyond what the allied leaders thought reasonable and refused to go beyond what had been agreed in 1915 aside from some minor advances on Italy’s north-eastern frontier.
P - the Italian government publicly demanded control of the Adriatic port of Fiume however this was denied them. This became a potent symbol along Italians of the weakness of the liberal government that had failed to stand up for Italian interests
P - Liberal government’s weak position was further undermined when Gabriele d’Annunzio, a Nationalist poet, seized the Adriatic port of Fiume in September 1919. The liberal government did nothing, emphasising its weakness and indecision.
E - Although a few firms made huge profits, industry generally became too dependent on wartime demand and faced problems when war ended abruptly in 1919
E - to achieve maximum war production the government ran up large budget deficits and borrowed heavily abroad, especially from Britain. As a result. The post-war national debt stood at 85 billion lira.
E - Financing war production caused inflation and the value of the lira at the end of the war was only 1/4 of what it had been in 1914 and this proved to be the more potent source of political turbulence
E - unemployment reached 2 million during 1919 - a poor reward for soldiers’ sacrifice
Who supported Mussolini? (8)
(M)r. -
The Monarchy thought that Fascism would bring strength against the left-wing with VEIII feared more than fascism. He also feared civil war and the easiest way out was to appoint Mussolini
(E)aton -
Ex-military, Petty bourgeoisie, felt that the government had not recognised their contribution to Italy’s victory in WW1 and despised the numerous politicians who had opposed the war & felt betrayed by the ‘mutilated victory’
(C)an -
the Catholic Church believed the fascists would be very likely to oppose Marxist atheism and improve the official status of the CC. Mussolini won support with his promises to provide the Vatican with the material resources needed for schools, churches and hospitals
(C)oncern -
Police, army, rural landowners and middle class business people (Conservatives) supported the Fascist stand against the left
(L)ow -
Agari/Latifundisti feared socialism and wanted someone to stand up for them. They were scared that peasants would want to grab land back
(I)ndustries -
Industrialists feared the rise of left-wing militancy in the factories and criticised liberal governments for failing to take a hard line against the workers
(S)emi-
Some liberal politicians and sections of the press were concerned about the threat from the ‘left’. Liberals were divided over Mussolini, however Salandra (Liberal PM) advises the king to appoint Mussolini who was essential to bring Fascism into government to bring about public order
(N)icely -
To nationalists, Fascism stressed national identity and the desirability of national strength and glory
What were the methods Mussolini used to win popular support for the Fascist movement 1919-22? (8)
- He founded the newspaper Il Popolo d’Italia and claimed that it was the ‘newspaper of combatants and producers’ or soldiers, farmers and factory workers. It was anti-liberal and supported nationalist views
- He saw the political opportunities squadrismo offered and reasserted his claim to be the sole and undisputed leader of the movement. He used his power of persuasion to convince even the most ambitious Ras that their success depended on his leadership.
- Mussolini provided finances and favourable press coverage for the fascist takeovers of the Po delta and Bologna. By the autumn, the PNF ran much of the upper half of Italy, dominating local government, levying unofficial taxes and controlling the job market through its syndicates
- Mussolini used left-wing protests to his advantage as well. On 31st July 1922, a 24 hour general strike against Fascist brutality and government indifference to squad violence. Mussolini used the strike as a propaganda vehicle, claiming the PNF had restored order and prevented left-wing revolution
- Through the period 1919-22 Mussolini skilfully pursued a dual policy to obtain power which involved playing up the threat of violence and offering assurances to important groups
- He cultivated the support of serving and former officers, and several retired generals advised the PNF.
- Mussolini knew that the the King could order the army to suppress fascists and could appoint him as PM, and thus he delivered a speech in September 1922 which argued that fascism and the crown could coexist.
- Moreover, to increase fascist influence over the king, two royalist sympathisers recruited the Queen Mother to the fascist cause. The King’s cousin, the pro-fascist Duke of Aosta, took up residence near the PNF’s headquarters in Perugia.
What was the significance of the 1921 election? (3)
- Fascists and Giolittian Liberals co-operated during the general election held in May 1921
- Despite this new air of respectability, the fascists killed about 100 socialist sympathisers during the election campaign.
- However, the election results proved that the violence and intimidation had not deterred the voters. The socialists remained as the largest party in the Chamber, holding 123 seats, followed by the Popolan with 107 seats. The Fascists had secured 7% of the total vote and had won 35 seats. Mussolini was now a deputy.
How many supporters did the Fascists have by the end of 1921 ? (2)
At the end of 1921, Fascism had probably a little over 200,000 active supporters. Roughly 50% were ex-servicemen but those were also landowners, shopkeepers, clerical workers and even teachers.
By 1921 about 13% of the country’s students belonged to the PNF . They joined to register their resentment of ‘unpatriotic’ workers and to protest against the difficulty of finding employment after the war
What is the role of the King in Mussolini becoming PM? (8)
- The King supported fascism because it would bring strength against the left wing which he feared more than a Fascism. Once they dropped their republican ideas, their policies would appeal to him
- He feared civil war and the easiest way out was to appoint Mussolini
- Queen Mother and Queen were sympathetic to Fascism. They were charmed by Mussolini and called him a ‘man of purpose’
- He was influenced to Support Mussolini from prominent people such as industrialists in the north
- September 1922 - Mussolini made a convincing speech that the crown and fascism could co-exist
- March On Rome reaffirmed that Mussolini was growing in strength
- the king doubted the loyalty of the army if they were called on to challenge the fascists, this led to hesitation in dealing with fascists at the march on Rome when he ignored the advice to introduce martial law and instead invited Mussolini to become PM
- The King Believed that the Fascists nationalism, anti-socialism and their energy might breathe new life into the regime
What was the role of the Church in Mussolini consolidating his power? (8)
- he decided to work with the Catholic Church so that Italians didn’t have divided loyalties
- He insisted that Catholicism could be under threat if the left were in power.
- the Church believe that the Fascists would be very likely to oppose Marxist atheism.
- Many catholics were law abiding and Mussolini promised to restore law and order
- Mussolini stressed that the church had nothing to fear from his policies, such as the promises to heal the rift between church and state and promote similar values to church - importance of family, opposed to divorce etc
- He promised to provide the Vatican with the material resources needed for schools, churches and hospitals
- The church leaders believed that fascism would improve the official status of the church in Italy.
- Pope Pius IX blessed Fascist Banners when he was archbishop of Milan
Explain how Socialism was a threat to the Liberal government and why it failed 1919-1921 (8)
- the Biennio Rosso, or two red years of 1919 and 1920, marked the revival of trade union activity and strikes beginning. This was often marked by violence and the breakdown of law and order
- Both peasants and factory workers were more militant, having been inspired by the Russian Revolution and increase in socialism European-wide
- Socialists organised events to weaken Giolitti’s government outside of parliament, such as the September 1920 ‘occupation of the factories’ where engineering workers occupied their factories to prevent employers from locking them out. This deepened distrust of a Giolitti’s government for industrialists.
- Land owners were also losing faith with the liberal government as they were bitterly complaining about a socialist threat in the countryside
- However The socialist threat failed because of numerous factors. Many Italians felt intimidated by Fascist violence and this led to countryside peasant leagues being disbanded
- Fascist popularity was increasing as ex-soldiers realised that socialists were against war, leading to more anti-socialist feeling especially post war
- Wealthy citizens and government-disillusioned landowners also took to fascism as they feared the “red menace”
What was the March on Rome and what happened ?
5 Ws
What - An organised fascist march by Mussolini
Explain the rise of socialism and why the conditions were good for the rise of socialism (8)
- Growth of unions- 1919-20 wave of strikes in industry, agriculture
➢ Factory occupations-August-Sept 1920 over 300 factories occupied to prevent employers from locking them out. This had the aim of weakening the government outside of parliament
➢ Land occupations-1919-20 returning ex-soldiers occupied unoccupied land, and some landlord’s land. Government legalised these occupations.
➢ Socialist power in the agricultural economy- In Emilia-Romagna, powerful socialist agricultural union (Federterra), labour exchanges and Chambers of labour developed. 1920 wave of strikes forced employers to improve workers’ terms
➢ PSI success in local elections- November 1920 PSI won control of 2162 of 8059 communes and 25 out of 69 provinces
➢ Successful Russian Revolution-1917 Soviet Revolution helped inspire many socialists. 1919 strikes in solidarity with Soviet Russia.
➢ Bienno Rosso - Conditions for growth of the left were very favourable in post war Italy, since socialists had always opposed the war, working conditions deteriorated during the war and thus socialism appealed to workers and workers and peasants themselves suffered disproportionately from the war- both on the front line and the home front
Explain Biennio Rosso (7)
- The Biennio Rosso, or two red years of 1919 and 1920, marked the revival of trade union activity and strikes beginning. This was often marked by violence and the breakdown of law and order
• In September 1920, engineering workers who were engaged in a dispute over wages decided to occupy their factories to prevent their employers from locking them out.
• Within a matter of days, 0.4m workers from Northern cities had joined them.
• The employers demanded Giolitti intervene to crush the occupation.
• However, Giolitti refused – deciding to remain neutral. He thought force would lead to carnage, and believed the occupation would collapse naturally, which it did within one month.
• Giolitti enraged industrialists through his inaction and his advice for them to make concessions to workers. He also concerned conservatives, since some factories were producing weapons for strikers – they feared a revolution.
• Therefore, when the occupation was over, his support from industrialists and conservatives was now precarious.
Explain the economic problems Italy faced between 1919 and 1922 (8)
- Although a few firms made huge profits, industry generally became too dependent on wartime demand and faced problems when war ended abruptly in 1919.
- Peacetime production resulted in several larger firms going bankrupt as military orders collapsed
- to achieve maximum war production the government ran up large budget deficits and borrowed heavily abroad, especially from Britain. As a result. The post-war national debt stood at 85 billion lira. Such borrowing proved inadequate to cover the cost of war and so government began printing money, led to inflation
- Financing war production caused inflation and the value of the lira at the end of the war was only 1/4 of what it had been in 1914 and the 1913 price index was 100 and rose to 591 in 1920
- Inflation destroyed savings; hitting the middle class in particular. This undermined people’s living standards
- Landowners, relying on rents and state employees whose wages didn’t keep up with inflation, also suffered
- There was rising unemployment from 1920, as a result of 2.5 million soldiers being demobilised and the government’s abrupt switch from a war production to free market
- the North/South divide was worsened, as Bienno Rosso in 1919/1920 became a huge economic problem because of the strikes and factory occupations
Why was Mussolini appointed Prime Minister of Italy in 1922? (8)
- Italy was suffering from political, economical and social problems. In March 1919, Mussolini set up a combat group, formed mainly from ex-soldiers. The Fascists said they would provide new leadership in a national revolution and it was a party for all Italian patriots.
- Due to Bienno Rosso occurring from 1919-1920 and the increase in support for the PSI (socialist party) the industrial and rural elite were worried about the socialist threat, some saw the Fascists as the best option against Socialism and started to fund them
- The Party attracted a broad spectrum of support, as Mussolini aimed to rescue Italy from feeble government. Supporters included Nationalists, demobilised soldiers, landowners, industrialists and the church
- Giolitti made the mistake of hoping he could tame the Fascists by offering Mussolini a government post, but Mussolini refused to join the government as a junior partner.
- Mussolini used the political opportunities the squadrismo offered and convinced the most ambitious of Ras that he was the indispensible Duce
- Throughout 1921-22, Fascist violence continued to mount and Fascist groups increasingly began to control the countryside.
- Anti-fascist groups failed to cooperate with one another, socialists refused to work with the government to curb fascist violence
- Victor Emmanuel, influenced by family members, threat of socialism, actions of fascist squads and unreliability of army invited Mussolini to be PM
Explain the political problems faced by Italy between 1919 and 1922
P - Movements such as the Fascist movement claimed that the Liberal government had ‘mishandled the war’ and then ‘lost the peace’ by mutilating their WW1 victory, and this created political instability
P - in 1919 PM Orlando made the mistake of raising Italian demands beyond what the allied leaders thought reasonable and refused to go beyond what had been agreed in 1915 aside from some minor advances on Italy’s north-eastern frontier.
P - the Italian government publicly demanded control of the Adriatic port of Fiume however this was denied them. This became a potent symbol along Italians of the weakness of the liberal government that had failed to stand up for Italian interests
P - Liberal government’s weak position was further undermined when Gabriele d’Annunzio, a Nationalist poet, seized the Adriatic port of Fiume in September 1919. The liberal government did nothing, emphasising its weakness and indecision
