Italy Flashcards
economic conditions which lead to the emergence of an authoritarian state
Inflation caused by war economy
Indebtedness left no money to rebuild Italy
Soldiers returning from war had reduced employment opportunities
Gross inequalities in rural areas (latifundia, lack of peasant control) and urban centres (exploited industrial workers)
social conditions which lead to the emergence of an authoritarian state
Peasants demanded land, in exchange for support fo the war
Major divisions between N and S unresolved
Lack of a single, national character/identity
political conditions which lead to the emergence of an authoritarian state
Crisis of Italian Liberalism: short-lived coalitions and frequent changes of PM
Inability of govt. to solve econ. and social problems
ideological conditions which lead to the emergence of an authoritarian state
Failures of Italian Liberalism which disappointed expectations of the Risorgimento
Contest between Communist/Socialist ‘internationalism’ and Italian Nationalism, esp. regarding participation in WW1
Biennio Rosso (1919-20): strikes and protests on the Left caused economic chaos, government failed to break strikes –> Fasci di Combattimento stepped-in to restore order
Irredentism fuelled nationalist sentiment, esp. after Paris Peace Conference (e.g. seizure of Fiume in 1919)
Italy emerged on the side of the victors of WW1 but left the Paris Peace Conference (1919) with less than promised
establishing power: persuasion
Creation of PNF in 1921 to bring Fasci under more direct control
Pact of Pacification (1921) with socialists to end street violence: a short-lived truce but enough to divide the Left and ruin their chances of saying power
establishing power: use of force
Fasci di Combattimento/Squadristi used violence against opponents on the Left and in Catholic leagues
March on Rome (Oct 1922) was a political stunt but it frightened the establishment
establishing power: ideological appeal
Fascist Programme of 1919 promised a radical ‘third way’ between Liberalism and Socialism
National renewal seemed very necessary after the devastation of war and the disappointments of Paris
establishing power: leader’s qualities
Mussolini’s speech-making and journalistic skills
Editor/founder of ‘Il Popolo d’Italia’, a Fascist newspaper
Brutality of ras (e.g. Farinacci) appealed to many war-hardened youth
Cult of Il Duce
domestic policies and their impact: economic
battle over the Southern problem 1924:
aim: make N=S to fix poverty and illiteracy and deal with the Italian mafia (it was an economic organisation, a form of financial exhortation)
positives: villages were built and used as propaganda in Luce films
negatives: villages were very $, very few were built
*M. wanted to destroy the Mafia but didn’t to reinforce their copperation with the government
the “syndacs” (mayors) were replaced with “podesta”, many of which were Mafia leaders
battle for grain 1925:
aim: to produce more wheat
positives: increased Italian prestige, used in propaganda, new trading currency, chemical, mechanical and other Northern companies benefited (Fiat and Montecatini chemicals)
negatives: other crops (olives, citrus fruits) were turned over to produce wheat - IMPORTED
IT didn’t have ideal growing conditions, peasants didn’t have $ to buy equipment - moved to cities or the USA
money went to the Northern industries, not the poor S.
wheat was used as a trading currency, rather than food for ITs
battle for land 1926:
aim: to produce more productive farm land in Italy by draining swamps and marches in the South
positives: successful in “Littoria” and created more jobs and opportunities
negatives: took up a lot of time, expensive, massive project, not much was achieved
battle for the the Lira 1926:
aim: to increase the value of the IT currency (Lira)
positives: helped IT in the short term & to some degree in the Great Depression
negatives: hard to fight unemployment because they weren’t exporting as much bc other countries were dying after the G.D & Lyra was pushed up too much, making exports expensive
IRI and Autarky:
IRI: “instituto per la Ricostuzione industrial” - non profitable companies were taken over by gov and sold to bigger companies - monopolies
positives: enterprises stable during the G.D bc gov was buying products
made rearmament easy - only one company
corporate state - could change prices bc no competition
negatives: standard of living declined
smaller businesses fell under (in lower middle class and private sector)
domestic policies and their impact: women
women and politics:
could not hold political office, could vote in local election until 1925
1919: creation of the Fasci Feminili (FF) to coordinate women’s actions in promoting: fertility, pride of race, Romanita
battle for births: 1925-1938:
aim: to increase IT population from 40 million (1929) to 60 million by 1950 by encouraging early marriage, offering jobs to married men over single men, gov would offer large amounts in child benefits
single men had to pay higher taxes, families w/ 6 or more children - exempt from tax
target, 5 per fam, 5 < medal
1933: decree to restrict female employment - only 10% of jobs could be held by women, was also bc there was a raise in male unemployment
battle for births didn’t succeed bc:
- emotional appeal was not strong enough
- propaganda didn’t explain state’s aims and reasons
- insufficient funds to act as real incentive
- women were trained to be educated mother and find pleasure in life
women in propaganda:
“Donna rurale” - ideal fascist woman - national, rural robust mother
called the “new woman” in charge of the “fascisation” of the family - raising good soldiers who would sacrifice themselves for IT - shift back to traditional values
some could be virile but feminine, in the case of the competitors for the 1936 Olympics Berlin - showed IT’s “aesthetic of power” to the world
women could and did work but couldn’t occupy a position of power over any man
“Donna crisi” - represented the danger of modern female “liberation” - unwed, childless, skinny, hysterical
OMNI and Massaie Rurale:
“organisation for Motherhood and childbirth” - created in 1925 - aimed to spread medical & hygiene info to new mothers & emphasise duty to reproduce
1933: Massage Rurale - rural housewives section of OMNI - emphasises joys of rural life, to fight against ppl moving to the cities
- supplemented by Visitatrci (wealthy women) who volunteered to educate rural women - became an important organisation for expressing themselves - expression in a male dominated community - many women worked to supplement family income, creates a community
domestic policies and their impact: jews
background:
M. and fascist IT didn’t have a history of anti-semitism prior to the close relationship with GY, the Jews were not segregated
changed in the 1930s, especially w/ the Rome-Berlin axis (1936), when IT foreign policy drew closer to that of GY - IT adopted racist ideologies
M. began to see Jews sas a threat bc many were part of the anti-fascist group “justice and liberty” (lead by a Jewish man)
racial laws of 1938:
- Jewish businesses were “Aryanised” - confiscated by non-Jews
- Jews were banned from jobs (in gov, banking, education, law,…) & Jewish written books were banned
- citizenship (granted after 1919) was removed from foreign Jews and they were required to leave within 6 months
- property confiscated, forbidden to serve in military
- banned from education centres
- consensus that led to thousands of arrestations of Jews
- jews were banned from marring non-Jews for “racial purity”
→ these laws didn’t apply to jews who fought in WW1
→ overall these laws weren’t very effective bc catholic church opposed them & Jews were well integrated into the society
racial laws of 1943:
policies around Jews became stricter, especially w/ GY invasion
→ 7,500 Jews sent to concentration camps, only 600 survived
all laws were for “la difesa della razza”
success?:
1938-1943: → policies largely ignored bc well integrated into soc.
→ pope openly criticised these racial laws, many IT trusted the church more than the gov
→ laws were unpopular amongst senior fascists
→16% of 47,000 deported
80% of 7,500 sent to the camps survived
not much opposition to the manifesto of race
domestic policies and their impact: jews
prior views on the Catholic Church:
domestic policies and their impact: young people
