Fascism and anti semitism Flashcards
What the way that the Nazis and Italian fascism respectedly treated the Jews show about the two regimes?
How different they were
What were the levels of anti semitism early on in the regime?
There were very little levels of it either within Italy or the PNF
How much of the Italian population did the Jews make up?
Less than 1%
What had most of them managed to do in terms of their relationship to Italian life and culture?
Integrate themselves
Why can it be argued that pre-1938 Italian fascism was perhaps the opposite of anti semitic?
disproportionate number of Jews were part of the PNF. For 16 years the Jews enjoyed the same pros and cons under the regime as other Italians
What type of decrees did M introduce in 1938?
Anti semitic ones
What is the policy change usually seen to reflect?
M’s subservience to Hitler by this point
Why is it wrong to blame Italian anti semitism on Hitler?
Anti semitism can also be seen as a product of other trends, both international and domestic. It can also be seen as part of the general trend of radicalisation
Italian historian Bernardini in an article ‘The Origins and Development of Racial semitism in Fascist Italy’
His anti semitic policies were purely voluntary and flowed naturally from the confluence of Italy’s imperial policies, the ideological tenets of fascism and Italian national interests as put forward by M. The emergence of official anti semitism must be viewed not as a momentary mistake on the part of M, or as an attempt to honour the Nazis by copying the Nuremburg Laws. It was, rather, cut from the same cloth as the rest of fascism’s final costume and was an attempt to once and for all eradicate the remains of earlier values and customs, to transform the Italian people from top to bottom, and the present the world with a truly new fascist man
M in conversation with German writer Emil Ludwig in 1932
Of course, there are no pure races left. Not even the Jews have kept their blood unmingled. Successful crossings have often promoted the energy and beauty of a nation. Race is a feeling rather than a reality. Nothing ever will make me believe that biologically pure race can be said to exist today. Amusingly enough, not one of those who have claimed the nobility of the German race was himself a German. Anti semitism does not exist in Italy. National pride has no need for the madness of race. Jewish Italians have shown themselves good citizens, and they fought bravely in the war. Many of them occupy leading positions in the universities, in the army and the banks
M in Il Giornale d’Italia, September 1938
History teaches that while empires are conquered by force of arms, they are nevertheless maintained by prestige. And to have prestige it is necessary to maintain a clear racial consciousness which establishes not only the sharpest differences between races, but also levels of superiority
M commenting to friends in 1938
Race, it makes me laugh. But there are reasons of state which I must obey. In Italy, racialism and anti semitism are being made to appear as important politically as they are unimportant in real substance. The racial purity of this nation over which have passed so many invasions and which has attracted so many peoples, is clearly absurd
What did the L’Osservatore Romano (the daily newspaper of the Vatican) say in 1924 about the Jews?
‘The Jew is the most tenacious enemy of Christianity’
What did Pope Pius XI say against the anti semitic decrees in 1938?
‘Catholic means universal; it is not racist, nationalist or separatist, Why unfortunately, did Italy have to go and imitate Germany’
How many Jews were there in Italy?
About 50,000
How did Italy aid the Jews in the face of early Nazi persecution?
They allowed hundreds of Jewish immigrants to enter the country
How many Jews were PNF members by 1938?
10,000
How many Jews actually had to become government ministers for the regime?
2
What were their names?
Finzi and Jung
What was Finzi’s role?
Finzi was the interior undersecretary and a member of the Fascist Grand Council (1922-4
What was Jung’s role?
Jung was finance minister between 1932-5
How many Jewish mistresses did M have?
2
What did M criticise about Hitler early on?
His anti semitism
Which leading fascist was incredibly anti semitic?
Farinacci
Why was M not completely innocent in terms of anti semitism even in the early days?
Because he would still occasionally make anti semitic comments
What were these anti semitic comments based upon?
These were based on ideological racism, with M criticising Jews for their beliefs or actions (that they were anti nationalist) rather than ideological racism (attacking Jews as inherently inferior)
How did the 1935 invasion of Abyssinia and the proclomation of empire encourage anti semitism?
encouraged the development of racism to justify imperial control
What did the racist decrees of 1936 do?
Banned the mixing of races in Abyssinia
What foreign policy moment in 1936 contributed to Italian anti semitism?
The Berlin Axis
What did the Propaganda Ministry publish in July 1938?
‘manifesto of Italian racism’
List the things that the 1938 racist decrees did
Jews banned from mixed marriages
No Jews in state service
No Jews in state schools
Jews not to have Aryan servants
Foreign Jews expelled
Jews not allowed to own land over 5000 liras worth
Jews not allowed to own property worth over 20000 liras worth
Jews not allowed to own businesses employing more than 100 people
How did Germany influence the 1938 racist decrees?
M wanted to emulate Hitler and strengthen the Axis
What other foreign policy moment had helped foster racist attitudes?
The Abyssinian campaign
What added to the perception amongst some that Jews were at the heart of international anti fascism?
Several Jews prominent in the international movement for sanctions against Italy, like the Roselli brothers
Which political ideas were Jews associated with and why did this add to Italian anti semitism?
The fascist movement was opposed to bolshevism and internationalism, both of which were assoicated with the Jews
Where did internal pressure for anti semitism come from?
Anti semitic radicals from within the party, like Farinacci
Why were the anti semitic measures not good for the regime’s popularity amongst the Italian people?
Unpopular and resented by many
What were the anti semitic measures seen as in terms of the relationship between M and Hitler?
Seen as M kowtowing to Hitler
This and what other policy turned many influential Italians against the regime?
The reform of customs
What was the response to the anti semitic measures from the Popepublicly critical?
publicly critical
What was the response from the King?
Privately critical
What proportion of university teachers were sacked as a result of the decrees?
1/12
Why did the fact that anti semitism had been legislated not matter in many cases?
Because they laws were not properly enforced
Give an example of this
Italian forces in occupied Nice hindered Nazi attempts to deport Jews to extermination camps
Explain the negative impact that Nazi occupation of northern and central Italy had on the Jews?
German occupation in 1943 led to 9000 Jews being sent to extermination camps
What did the measures show in terms of the relationship between M and Germany?
Show how M was coming under German influence
What foreign policy measure do the measures show the harmful affects of
Show the harmful effects of the Abyssinian campaign
What do the measures demonstrate about the regime in the 1930s
Show the radicalisation of the regime in the late 1930s
What does the lack of proper enforcement of the measures tell us about the regime?
Show the limited impact of fascism
What did the measures contribute to a decline in?
Support for M and fascism
What did Himmler have to persuade M to do?
Persecute the Jews
What did Himmler accuse M of?
Accused M of ‘sentimental humanitarianism’
What did Goebels say about M’s attitude to the Jews?
Goebels said he was too soft on the Jews
What did Bosworth say about the anti semitic policies?
Bosworth ‘not willing executioners’. Opportunist policy that he wasn’t properly committed to rather than genuine intent. If he’s hollow about everything he must also be hollow about racism
What does Bernardini say?
Bernardini says it was purely voluntary and a natural extension of fascism
What makes Bernardini a reliable source?
He is an Italian historian
What contradict Bernardini’s ideas about Italian anti semitism?
Pre-1938 quotes from M
What contradicts this idea?
Because M claimed in his later writings that he was infact ‘racist before Hitler’
What contradicts this idea?
but this seems to be him just trying to prove that he wasn’t just copying Hitler
Make the case that Italian fascism was anti semitic
M said his lack of anti semitism as a mistake
Abyssinia encouraged the development of racism – perhaps this promoted it more than Hitler
1937 book written called ‘Who are the Hebrew people in Italy?’
Make the case that it wasn’t?
Jews moved to Italy during the holocaust
By 1939, there were 57,000
10,000 in the PNF
Some in the Fascist Grand Council
Two Jewish mistresses
High ranking jobs in the bank and universities
Assimilation
M called Italian Jews good citizens and brave soldiers
Jews converting to Christianity. However, the fact that Jews felt the need to convert could suggest anti semitism
Give a quote from M where he talks about the incompatability between fascism and Judaism
‘Judaism is irreconcilable with fascism’ (1938)
How can the King be seen as especially complicit?
Because he had to sign of on all of the racist decrees
Why can the discrimination post 1938 be seen as being motivated by biological rather than cultural racism?
Because even Jewish families that did not practise were discriminated against
How does M’s fluid position of the genealogy of the Italian people show that he came under Nazi influence?
M had claimed that Italians were descended from the ancient Romans and Greeks. Now he claims that we are Aryans
