How far did Mussolini improve church-state relations Flashcards
1
Q
What was the Roman Question and the cause
A
- It was the dispute regarding the temporal power of the popes as rulers of a civil territory in the context of the Italian Risorgimento.
- Happened because, with the completed unification of Italy in 1870, the papacy objected to the Italian seizure of Rome and the Papal States - not recognising the New Kingdom and prohibited Catholics from engaging politically.
2
Q
Mussolini’s original anticlerical views
A
- Movement was originally anticlerical.
- Anger furthered by WWI - Pope Benedict XV’s attempts to end it via the Peace Note of August 1917 - believed to spread pacisfism and defeatism, coming after Italy’s defeat at Coporetto.
- Final programme of Fasci di Combattimento in 1919 called for the confiscation of all church property.
3
Q
Mussolini’s change in viewpoints
A
- Dropped his anticlerical rhetoric as it was not conducive to taking power in a strongly Catholic country.
- Declared at the fascist congress of May 1920 that Catholicism could be used as a political force to drive Italian unity and nationalism - angered older fascists but most of the Fasci leadership understood that compromising with Catholicism was beneficial.
- In his maiden speech in 1921 - publically asserted F’s positive view of the Church ‘fascism neither preaches nor practices anticlericism’.
4
Q
Relations with Pius XI
A
- Helped by the death of Benedict XV in Jan 1922 and his replacement, Cardinal Ratti (Pope Pius XI) who was predominately feared communism in Italy, believed a govt of ‘National Concentration’, including Fascism, would save Italy from left-wing revolution.
- After becoming PM, Mussolini responded to this by introducing policies that were favourable to the church.
- Close relationship undermined the PPI. In 1923 - ordered the leader Sturzo to resign and called the party to support the PNF. Backed Mussolini during the Matteoti crisis.
- This strong relationship led to the beginning of negotiations to the Church and State, resolving the Roman Question that plauged Italy since unification.
5
Q
Policies introduced that strengthened the relationship between the Church and State before the Lateran Pacts in 1929
A
- Reintroduced religious education
- Restored crucifixes to public buildings
- Increased clerical pay,
- Banned freemasonary + anticlerical bills.
- Dropping liberal policies on taxing church property and married his wife in a church.
6
Q
What is the Lateran Pacts?
A
- After three years of negotiations, on February 11th 1929, Mussolini and the Catholic Church signed a Concordat.
- This pact essentially ended the conflict between the Church and State.
7
Q
Benefits to the Catholic Church
A
- Gained a sovereign state of 44 hectares of land, with full diplomatic rights, designated in Rome as the state of Vactican City to be controlled by the Pope.
- A financial convention of 750 million lire and 1,000 million in State Bonds as compensation for the loss of his territories in 1870.
- Recognised Catholicism as the main religion, providing it with privileges like increased control of religious education and church marriages were given legal validity.
- Catholic Youth groups could continue but with no political activities - a substantial concession given the fascist belief there should be no alternatives to fascism. The only one permitted and it had over one million members.
8
Q
Benefits for Mussolini
A
- Church publically endorsed the fascist regime (made bishops swear an oath of loyalty), consolidating Mussolini’s power in a Catholic country.
- Helped undermine the PPI - Pope Pius XI placed his support behind the PNF at the exense of Catholics.
- Solved the Roman question plauging Italy for fifty years - one his popular achievements that cemented his consolidation of power.
- Gained the admiration of Italians domestically and considerable prestige overseas.
- Restricted Catholic influence to one region and can spread fascism to the rural population.
- HOWEVER = appeared to make the state not entirely ‘totalitarian’ as Mussolini didn’t control religion.
9
Q
How popular was the Pact?
A
- 1928 = M introduced a new electoral law and would hold a plebiscite no later than April 1929 to claim a broad consensus for his rule as Italians could approve or reject a list of candidates from the PNF.
- Church promised to mobilise the vote for the fascists - ‘motivated’ by gratitude to Mussolini and felt it should demonstrate Catholic support for the dictatorship but felt the pacts would be stronger if endorsed by a govt with majority support.
- Catholic Action officially appealed to voters to vote ‘yes’ to the plebiscite held on the 12th March 1929.
- 90% of the electorate voted and 98% of the candiate list was approved - questionable how much Catholic support contributed but the Pacts did contribute to Musso’s popularity.
- Catholic support was repeated in 1934 plebscite and the Church was generally supportive of his policies.
10
Q
Youth organisations
Church-state tensions increased in the 1930s
Yes it increased
A
- Youth movements and influence were a major aspect for Church and the PNF to ensure the loyalty of the next gen Italians - the existence of a rival organisation could exist with 250,000 members was troubling.
- 1931 = became political, driven by changes in PNF leadership with Giurati becoming Party Sec and Scorza given responsibility for fascist youth orgs in Oct 1930 - both accused Catholic Action for organising sport (prohibited), of being led by former PPI leaders, of acting as a sanctuary for antifascist politics and of attempting to form trade unions.
- Police raids and fascist violence on Catholic youth orgs - shut down by the police and the Pope Pius XI responded with an attack on fascism and the PNF.
- Pope argued that fascism’s ideal with the youth belonging to the state couldn’t be reconciled with Catholicism, and he condemned the attempt to steal children from Christ so that they would worship the state alone.
11
Q
Youth organisations
Church-state tensions decreased in the 1930s
A
- Both compromised by summer 1931.
- Catholic Action youth groups were reinstated but they were not allowed to: have former PPI members as leaders and organise sporting activities - must be strictly religious recreational and educational.
- Catholic youth associations grew in popularity through the 1930s and they had 388,000 members by 1939.
- Feb 1932 = visited each other in Rome - confirmed their mutual views on societal and gender values and foreign policy towards the USSR and communism.
12
Q
Minor disagreements - Girls sport involvement and prostitution
Church-state tensions increased in the 1930s
Yes it increased
A
- Girls’ involvement in physical activities of the fascist youth organisations, which the Church worried was contrary to public decency and didn’t properly prepare girls for maternity.
- Fascist attitude to prostitution, viewing visits to brothels as a natural part of young male culture, was condemned by the Church.
13
Q
Major disagreements - antisemitic legislation and growing nationalism
Church-state tensions increased in the 1930s
Yes it increased
A
- More serious tension in 1938 as the Church became concerned with Mussolini’s growing attack on Italy’s Jewish population and the adoption of anti-Semitic legislation.
- Defined Judaism in biological terms and prohibited marriage with ‘Pure Italians’ - conflicted with the Concordat and the Church’s authority to assert that Jews could convert to Catholicism through marriage.
- Pope was gravely concerned about Mussolini’s growing nationalism and commissioned a letter against racism but wasn’t published due to his death in Feb 1939 - replaced by Pius XII who played a more controversial role during WWII regarding his dealings with Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany.
