Fascist Italy- 1925 To 1940

Question 1

When was the ONB created

Answer 1

3rd April 1926

Question 2

What did the ONB focus on for boys and girls

Answer 2

Boys Focused on sport,military style training and loyalty to Mussolini for patriotism
Girls focused on exercise and motherhood

Question 3

What was education like in Fascist Italy

Answer 3

. Italians learnt about how Mussolini had saved Italy from communism and made links between fascist Italy and ancient Rome
. Anti-fascist teachers were sacked and from 1933 all teachers had to be a member of the PNF

Question 4

What was the impact of the ONB and changes to the education system

Answer 4

. By 1937 their were 7 million members of fascist youth groups, this was before compulsory membership
. Some of this may have been due to enjoyment for sport and games instead of fascist ideology
. Less success in the south as most people left at 11 to work in agriculture
. Surveys in Rome showed that in 1937 girls liked the sport but not the teaching of motherhood

Question 5

What was the OND

Answer 5

.fascist run OND replaced workers social organisation after
. Provided social and sporting opportunities for regular Italians with each OND section typically having a clubhouse and recreational ground
. Also provided some welfare and subsidised holidays and events
. By 1939 their were 4 million members and 80% of white collar worker were members, along with 40% industrial workers
. The OND was popular and never forced fascist ideology onto its members

Question 6

How was press censorship and control implemented

Answer 6

. Freedom of press restricted in 1923 and 1925
. By 1926 local prefects could confiscate papers,suspend publification and sack editors
. Left wing newspapers such as Avanti shut down
. All journalists had to join a fascist trade union and their jobs depended on writing positive stories about fascism
. Journalists depended on the PNF press office reports for their stories and were not told to print negative stories
. Fascist newspapers only accounted for 10% newspapers in circulation

Question 7

How was propaganda used within fascist Italy

Answer 7

. Mussolini focused on making links between the Fascist Italy and Ancient Rome
. A 1937 celebration of Augustus Caesar was attended by over 1 million people
. Sport was used as progaganda with the Italian national team successful in 1934 and 1938 World Cup
. Minister of popular culture was not very efficient and many Italians continued to hold their pre-fascist views
. Attempts to create a new fascist culture were not effective
. Particularly difficult ion south since it lacked the mass media of the north

Question 8

What was the Cult of Il Duce

Answer 8

. Developed to portray Mussolini as an Italian hero
. 30 million pictures of Mussolini were circulated and he was represented as a historic, successful leader

Question 9

What examples of culture were their in Fascist Italy

Answer 9

. PNF funded the Italian film industry and created the Film City complex in the 1930s
. Films focused on Italian success but 87% of all films came from Hollywood
. Fascist art celebrated 10 years of fascist rule and the exhibit was visited by 4 million people
. Despite this fascist culture did not manage to transform Italy or Italian attitudes

Question 10

Repression and Terror in Italy

Answer 10

. All other political parties were banned in November 1926
. The death penalty was reintroduced fro threatening state security or trying to kill Mussolini or the state
. special tribunal dealt with political opponents who were often sent to the south
. Political police set up in 1926 and the OVRA was created in 1927 under the leadership of Arturo Bocchini
Little serious opposition to Mussolini’s rule and it showed the effectiveness of the OVRA and generally that Italians followed the regime

Question 11

What was anti-semitism like in Fascist Italy

Answer 11

. In 1937 fascist began to introduce anti-Semitic policies, only 45000 Italian Jews in Italy
. In 1938 Jews were not allowed to marry Italians, hold public office, run large businesses and were barred from certain professions
. 6000 Jews left Italy

Question 12

Why were the policies introduced

Answer 12

.Introduced to copy Germany as Italy became closer to Germany in late 1930s
. Introduced a racial mentality to preparation for war
. Develop a ‘totalitarian ‘ state in which all aspects of life were controlled by the state

.

Question 13

What was the impact of anti-Semitic policies

Answer 13

. Many Italians thought that the anti-semitism was an example of Hitler copying Mussolini
. It was criticised by the pope
. It demonstrated a new radicalism in the fascist movement, the Roman salute was also introduced as a greeting

Question 14

What was Mussolini’s relationship with the King like

Answer 14

. The king had the power to sack Mussolini at anytime and chose not too after the Matteotti crisis
. In December 1928 Fascist grand council limited the kings power to chose future prime ministers
. Mussolini and the king met regularly but he had no role in policy and relations became increasingly strained
. In 1940 Mussolini gained control of the armed forces which the king had previously been head off

Question 15

What was Mussolini and the government like

Answer 15

. The legal system did not change and many judges retained their position
. December 1925 laws made Mussolini undisputed dictator of Italy
. Mussolini could not be removed by parliament
. The 1928 electoral law, parliament was made up of 400 deputies chosen by the fascist grand council
. In December 1928 the fascist grand council was made the highest legal authority in the state
. However in reality Mussolini was in control and decided what was discussed at FGC meetings

Question 16

What was Mussolini’s relationship like with local governments

Answer 16

. Prefects were highest authority in each Provence - police, press, authority in each area were controlled by prefect
. Prefects were appointed by Mussolini but were not always PNF members
. Podesta were in charge of local councils and were appointed by prefects- often members of the old elite to ensure central control and that Mussolini had most influence
. Mussolini restricted power of ras and PNF. Roberto Farinacci purged party and ensured loyalty to Mussolini

Question 17

How did Mussolini ensure control over the PNF and nationalists

Answer 17

. Expelled hard line older Fascists from the PNF, 60000 were expelled and another 110,000 left voluntarily
. 800,000 new members joined who were mostly middle class workers. Joined to advance their personal prospects
. New members did not challenge Mussolini and strengthened his personal control
.ANI was absorbed into the PNF in 1923
. Nationalists leaders served in Mussolini’s government and they influenced Mussolini’s more aggressive foreign policies in 1930s

Question 18

How was Mussolini’s relationship with economic interest groups

Answer 18

. Initially Mussolini worked with big companies such as Fiat and Pirelli to try and restore the economy
. Mussolini tried to help smaller businesses by passing laws protecting smaller shop owners against larger supermarkets
. Under the Palazzo Vidoni Pact in October 1925 all socialist and Catholic work unions were banned and replaced with fascist syndicates

Question 19

What was syndicalism

Answer 19

. Idea that predated fascism and it was based on the idea that to prevent disputes between workers and bosses , workers and employers would form co-operative groups or syndicates in order to discuss working terms, conditions and the economy of a country
. Many syndicates joined the fascist movement and hoped syndicalism would change the entire economic policy of Italy

Question 20

What was the Rocco law

Answer 20

. In April 1926 the Rocco law allowed syndicates some right of representation in industrial disputes about pay and conditions
. However strikes and lockouts were banned
. This undermined workers and favoured big businesses and industrialists
. Many syndicates were disappointed by the fascist economic policies

Question 21

What were Italy’s economic policies

Answer 21

. Early policies under Di Stefani as minister of Finance focused on reducing government spending and balancing the budget
. Between 1921-1924 Italy achieved a budget surplus
. In July 1925 the economy became more state led and Mussolini had more influence
. Autarkey was a key priority

Question 22

What were the economic battles

Answer 22

.Battle for births - announced in May 1927. Aimed to raise the population to 60 million in the 1950s. Contraception was banned and larger families received tax cuts. The population rose to 44.5 million by 1940 but overall it was a failure

. Battle for Grain - announced 1925. Was linked to autarky and aimed to produce more Italian grain for bread, grain did increase by 50% but this came at the expense of other agriculture

Question 23

What was the Corporate State organisation

Answer 23

. Proposed as a third way between socialism and capitalism
. Ministry of corporations set up in 1926, it was a mixed group of workers who would meet to discuss and organise national economic planning
. Charter of labour created in 1927 and proposed to organise the economy and guarantee workers rights, it had little influence
. In 1928 syndicates split down into 6 parts each representing a different part of the economy
. In 1934 22 corporations representing the major parts of the economy were created to settle disputes and fix prices

Question 24

How did Mussolini deal with the Great Depression

Answer 24

. Cut wages by 12% in 1930
. Public work schemes updated rail work network and focussed on road/ house building
. Government credit was provided to stop banks collapsing through IM policy
. IRI scheme enabled the government to buy shares in banks and businesses to keep them afloat
. Prices fixed through cartels

Question 25

What were economic failures Italy suffered

Answer 25

. The battle for lire caused deflation and negatively impacted on industry
. Corporate state was largely propaganda
. Real wages fell below cost of living in the late 1930s
. Increased military spending put economy under financial pressure
. Births and marriages did not meet target

Question 26

What were some of Italys economic successes

Answer 26

. Industrial production had increased by 145% between 1913-39
. Some success in protecting the economy during Great Depression

Question 27

What was the Lateran Pact

Answer 27

. Introduced on 11th February 1929
. Was a concordat that which represented a broad agreement between the fascist state and Catholic Church
. Vatican City was made a sovereign city state run by the pope
. The pope received 750million Lire and 1000 million lire in bonds as compensation for land lost since 1870
. Catholicism was made the state religion of Italy with influence in education
. Catholic young groups like catholic action were allowed to retain their independence

Question 28

Why was the Lateran pact a success for Mussolini

Answer 28

. Big success because he had finally solved the problem of church-state relations since the unification of Italy
. 98% of Fascist voters supported Mussolini and the Lateran pact

Question 29

What church-state tension were their

Answer 29

.main problem was fascist encroachment into the rights of Catholic action and other church organisations
. Catholic groups were accused of helping ant-fascist and overstepping their rights
. Police raids on catholic groups led to criticism from the Pope
. Catholics eventually agreed to a liminted religious role
. Membership grew to 380,000 in 1939
. Overall the Catholic Church and Mussolini worked well together and persuaded the shared aims of anti-socialism and conservative values

Question 30

What were Mussolini’s foreign policies

Answer 30

. Wanted an empire in the Mediterranean- opportunity came in Greece in 1923. Mussolini demanded an apology and when he did not get this bombed Corfu
. Success in Balkan’s with treaty of Rome giving Mussolini Fiume. 1926 treaty of friendship turned Albania into an Italian puppet state
. Mussolini wanted to spread fascism and he did this by supporting Franco and nationalists in Spanish civil war. Degree of success as Franco was successful and Mussolini gained a potential ally, fascism didn’t spread much beyond this so arguably the policy failed ‘
. Mussolini wanted to gain prestige with France and Britain, joined the stresa front which portrayed his as a diplomatic fixer,however Italy was sanctioned after the use of poison gas in Abyssinia
. Wanted to gain popularity at home-war in Abyssinia boosted Mussolini’s popularity at home
. Become closer with Germany

Question 31

What was Italys WW2 experience like

Answer 31

. Attacked southern France in June 1940 but was easily defeated by weaken french forces
. Attacked British territories in North Africa and was humiliated, 250,000 Italian troops defeated by 30,000 British
. Axis forces defeated in North Africa in 1943
. In July 1940 Italian airforce bombed Italian navy
. In October 1940 Italy attacked Greece with 60,000 men thinking they had 30,000. Greece in fact had 300,000. Mussolini sent a further 500,000 and eventually 32,000 dead and 100,000 wounded

Question 32

What was Italy’s war time economy like

Answer 32

. Had 75 military divisions but only enough equipment for 35
. Lacked tanks and vehicles, 1/3 destroyed by British
. Used rifles from WW1
. Had few aircraft carriers
. Low Morale and bad tactics

Question 33

Whatwere politics like in 1943

Answer 33

. 100,000 workers went on strike in Turin in march 1943
. Anti-fascists groups began to grow and influence newspapers
. 1400 political arrests between march and June in 1943
. In 1943 all anti-fascist groups agreed to work together to co-ordinate their opposition