Did Mussolini succeed in imposing fascist values on women? Flashcards
1
Q
Aims
Increasing the birth rate
A
- Mussolini wanted to increase the birth rate from 37 million births in 1929 to 60 million by 1950.
- REASON = he wanted to create healthy soldiers and make Italy greater.
2
Q
Methods used to increase the birth rate
A
- ‘The Battle of the Births’.
- Introduced propaganda, with campaigns stressing marriage.
- Improved services (providing better healthcare).
- Financial rewards (provided loans and tax relief).
- Prizes (annual ceremonies - awarded 93 families who had over 1300 children).
- Increased pressure and prohibition: introduced the bacholer tax for single men, banned abortion and limited conctraception use.
3
Q
Was the aims to increase the birth rate successful?
A
- It achieved a rise of population to 45 million in 1940 and 47.5 million in 1950 (after his fall) - showed an improvement.
- Still births and infancy death did decrease.
4
Q
Data regarding deaths under 1 year per 1000
A
- 1914 = 130
- 1918 = 196
- 1936 = 127
- 1930 = 106
5
Q
Data regarding still births
A
- 1922 = 45%
- 1930 = 35%
- 1942 = 28%
6
Q
Failures of attempts to increase the birth rate
A
- Birth rate continued to decline (1921-25 = 29.0%; 1931-35 = 24%; 1941-45 = 19.9%).
- Average marriage age rose and marriage rates also dropped - incentives didn’t achieve the goal of 60 million population.
- Higher birth rates in the south compared to the north.
7
Q
Data regarding north-south divide on birth births
A
North:
1921-25 = 26%
1931-35 = 20%
1941-45 = 17%
South:
1921-25 = 36%
1931-35 = 30%
1941-45 = 25%
8
Q
Aim
Attitudes to women
A
- Idea was making women stay at home and pushing specific traditions and values.
- Linked to his aim of removing women from the workforce.
9
Q
Methods to change attitudes to women
A
- Criticised women wearing high heels, cosmetics and liking ‘negro’ and rhythmn dancing.
- Mussolini wanted women to be sturdy and rounded women, rather than thin, for childbirth.
- Changed the role of women to childbirth (the Battle of the Births and removal from the workforce).
- Contradictory attitude to sport.
- In politics, women still couldn’t vote as it would distract women - originally gave the vote in local elections which was removed.
10
Q
Was Mussolini successful in changing the attitudes to women
A
- Sport promoted vigour, discipline and national pride - yet criticised for distracting women from having children, encouraging lesbianism and female liberation (Mussolini believed it would cause infertility).
- Blocked an attempt by Rizzoli to increase women’s influence - the Fasci Femimini remained a vehicle to spread the regime’s revolutionary policies - aided by the Catholic Church which stressed obedience.
- Women served in Omni committees.
- Encouraged to do charity work, run home economic classes, attend rallies and aid inc reating propaganda.
- Only woman with some political prominence was Margherita Sarfatti; she was Benito Mussolini’s biographer in 1925 as well as one of his mistresses.
- Generally limited role meant women were given no choice but to give birth and marry ‘for the state’.
11
Q
How did Mussolini fail to change attitudes to women?
A
- Sport having very conflicting viewpoints questions whether the measure was effectively carried out.
- Millions of women continued to go to the cinema, seeing American actresses and their breasts with thousands dressed scantily in athletic parades.
- Regarding politics, 50K + women partook in the Italian resistance movement during the Italian Civil War, when Italy was under German occupation (1939-1945) - their mass participation increased the involvement of women in Italian political life
- Questionable why women work for the state if it doesn’t benefit them and why the state demands they stay at home yet still involves them in wider affairs.
12
Q
Aims
Removing women from the workforce
A
Wished to remove women from the workforce, especially those in ‘unnatural occupations’ like teachers, offices and professionals, so they focus on raising healthy children.
13
Q
Methods to remove women from the workforce
A
- Restricted employment for women, especially after the rise of unemployment in 1927.
- Mid 1920s = excluded women from certain teaching jobs, especially prestigeous posts in Secondary Schools teaching Latin, Italian, History and Philosophy.
- 1933 = limit of 10% of state jobs for women, extended to private firms - revised in WWII.
- Passed legislation to support women child rearing whilst protecting them at work - happy workers means popular support.
14
Q
Successes - removing women from the workforce
A
- Women did decrease in the workforce, accounted for below 1/2 in each sector and as a whole.
- Women experienced a reduction in paid employment, sticking to famine and agricultural jobs.
- Only one female member on the Council of Corporations for the Midwaves cooperation.
- Removed WWI’s increase of employment opportunities for women - but some may have wished to continue working (limitation).
15
Q
Failures to remove women from the workforce
A
- Agricultural worker numbers remained high (only dropped by 1% between 1921 and 1936 - accepted their position.
- Percentage of women making up the workforce: 1911 - 43% and 1936 = 41%.
- Increased during the war effort - in 1936 was 24%, rose to 28% in 1951.
- Women maintained their role in the economy and opportunities expanded.
- The lack of job opportunities led women to join universities more - 6% in 1914 to 15% in 1958 (opposed their values).
