How far did fascism improve the Italian economy? Flashcards
What were many foreign journalists impressed by in the 1920s and 30s?
The battle for grain, the land reclamation schemes and the claim that the Italian economy was being modernised
What phrase sums up this foreign admiration?
‘M made the trains run on time’
Explain this phrase
Coined by foreign journalists to suggest that the fascist regime had somehow improved the efficiency of Italian industries
Give an example of a foreign newspaper that was intrigued by the idea of a corporate state?
Britain’s financial times
What do a number of modern historians still argue?
That fascism did much to improve the economy
What does Farrell describe the 1928 public works programme as?
A significant achievement of fascism
What does he think the crowning glory of this public works programme was?
The draining of the malaria infested Pontine marshes, which made millions of hectares of unsuitable farmland arable
How much of the railway system does he say the fascist electrified?
2100 km
Why does he think the phrase ‘M made the trains run on time’ does not go far enough?
Because he also made them run faster - halving the journey time between Rome and Sicily
What does he say they constructed thousands of kms of?
Roads
What does he say Italy was the first state in Europe to construct?
A motorway
What did he say the fascists would boast about their public works programmes?
That in ten years they spent more on public works than the liberal regime had in 60
What statistics does he sight to show Italy’s healthy GDP at this time?
By 1938, Italian production had increased by 154% since 1913, compared with 150% in Germany and 109% in France
What is the best way we can guage living conditions of Italians at this time?
By looking at the real wage index
Give these statistics
100 in 1913, 123 in 1922, 121 in 1928, 125 in 1938
How does Farrell describe these statistics
Though not good, they are not bad either
Give a quote from Spencer DiScalia emphasising the positive effects of fascist economic policy?
He argues that they ‘stimulated modern industries such as electricity, steel, engineering and chemicals. Italy’s profile began to resemble that of modern European countries to a greater degree than in the past’
What do most modern historian concede in agreement with DiScalia?
That some major industries like vehicles and shipbuilding did expand
How do these historians differ from DiScalia?
They are much more critical about fascist economic policy
What does Tannenbaum think fascist economic policy was?
A failure
What did he think the corporate state had done nothing for?
The reduction of class antagonisms or the improvement of economic conditions
Why does he think that the self sufficiency in wheat production came at a cost?
Because it happened at the expense of the rest of Italian agriculture
What does he say about Italy’s economic performance in the 1930s?
That it was worse than any other major country
What does he think the regime did to economic growth and modernisation?
Hindered it more than helped it
What does he think had retarded national income even before the great losses sustained in WWII?
Restrictive cartels, discouragement of urban growth, the battle for grain, the spread of autarky and the promotion of the war industry
What does John Whittam emphasise?
The negative impact of fascist economic policies in the 1930s
Why does he say that businessmen became uneasy with the policies for autarky?
Because the new taxes, price controls and restrictions on imports made them uneasy
Why does he not accept the arguement that workers benefitted because they enjoyed pay rises?
Because they were still worse off than they were in the late 1920s, and their consumption of a whole range of foodstuffs had declined
What did the middle classes become increasing dependent on according to Whittam?
Post in the bureaucracy and in the dozens of party organisations that proliferated after 1925
What does he think was the main reason for there being 2.5 million PNF members by 1939?
Because the party card was a passport to employment
What fascist claims are historians united in dismissing?
That the corporate state transformed the economy and industrial relations
What did Alexander De Grand say in 2000 to support this idea?
‘Fascism did not create its own unique economic system but rather grafted further statist and bureaucratic tissue on the existing body of Italian capitalism’
What did Martin Blinkhorn say about the corporate state in 1984?
‘Corporativism in practise involved the thinly disguised exploitation and oppression of labour’
Which two historians were particularly supportive of fascist economic policy?
Farrell and DiScalia
Which two historians were particularly critical of fascist economic policy?
Tannenbaum and Whittam
