Italy and Benito Mussolini (1883-1945) Flashcards
What was Italian fascism unlike?
Italian fascism was unlike either of the other famous 20th C European dictatorships
Although there was suppression of individual freedom, whose regimes was Mussolini’s less brutal than?
Although there was a suppression of individual freedom, Mussolini’s dictatorship was nowhere near as brutal or oppressive as Stalin’s or Hitler’s regimes
Was Italian fascism marked by a degree of racial thinking or influenced by ideology?
Italian Fascism was not marked by the same degree of racial thinking as Nazi Germany, nor was it influenced by an ideology, as was the case in Russia
What was the core of Mussolini’s fascism? and what was it defined by?
The core of Mussolini’s Fascism was, rather, the assertion of nationalism
Beyond that, it was defined more by what it opposed rather than what it stood for
What were the fascists primarily?
The Fascists were primarily anti-communist and anti-democratic
What did their movement grow out of
their movement grew out of widespread public discontent and disillusionment in the aftermath of the First World War
In the late 1920s and the early 1930s, what did some left-wing historians and political scientists begin to do?
In the late 1920s and early 30s → some left-wing historians and political scientists began to classify Fascism in Italy and Nazism in Germany in similar terms
What were Fascism in Italy and Nazism in Germany described as?
They were both described as conservative, anti-communist responses to capitalism in crisis
What crisis was their response to?
The crisis in question was the massive disruption caused by WW1, the economic uncertainty of the 1920s & finally the high levels of unemployment associated with the Great Depression
Although there is some truth in these broad generalisations, is it still found useful today?
Although there is some truth in these broad generalisations, this view was quickly challenged and few - if any - historians today find it useful to group Fascism and Nazism in this way
When did Mussolini come to power?
Mussolini had come to power more than a decade before Hitler (October 31, 1922 →July 25, 1943)
While Germany had lost the First World War, what side was Italy on? and ho were they at the Paris Peace Conference?
Germany had lost the First World War, while Italy had been on the winning side & one of the ‘Big Four’ at the Paris Peace Conference
Where did Fascism and Nazism differ?
But where Fascism and Nazism differed most clearly was on matters of race and antisemitism
When did these themes of race and antisemitism appear in Fascist ideology? Were they popular?
These themes did not feature in Italian Fascist ideology until 1938 & even then they did not appear popular
How does Italian fascism need to be studied?
Italian fascism, like the other dictatorships that emerged after the First World War, needs to be studied on its own terms
Why did democracy fail in Italy?
Democracy failed in Italy because it had not been able to establish deep roots in Italian society
Prior to 1912, who was the right to vote limited to?
Prior to 1912 → the right to vote was limited to men with a formal education and who paid a certain level of income tax
Who did the 1912 election reform extend the vote to?
A 1912 election reform → saw the vote extended to include all males over 21 who had served in the armed forces
What did the change of who could vote result in?
The changes resulted in an increase in the number of people entitled to vote from 1.8 million to over 5 million men (of whom 3 million were illiterate)
How did the traditional Italian elites feel about these changes? Were they critical and who did they lack faith in? What did they lack faith in them to do?
However, the traditional Italian elites - the great landholders, industrialists, merchant families & key figures in government administration and the law → were critical about the changes, as they lacked faith in the capacity of this ‘under class’ to make sound decisions about the future of Italy
What was the Italian economy like after the First World War?
The economy was fragile in the aftermath of the First World War & there were no more loans to access from wartime allies
In the aftermath of ww1, what happened to industrial production and unemployment?
Demand for wartime industrial production decreased & unemployment grew
How was unemployment made worse?
This was made even worse by the return of 3 million ex-servicemen to civilian life looking for work
How many unemployed men were there by the end of 1919?
By the end of 1919 → there were more than two million unemployed men in Italy
At the same time, what was happening to the value of the Italian currency and the cost of living?
At the same time, the value of the Italian currency plummeted and the cost of living rose dramatically
What happened to inflation? What was the result of this?
The rate of inflation grew & The result was that class divisions became more pronounced
What happened to the voting system in November 1919? and what was introduced?
In November 1919 → The voting system changed again & a system of proportional representation was introduced
What did the 1919 voting system change mean?
This meant that the overall percentage of the national vote that a party received determined the percentage of parliamentary officials elected
What was the result of the 1919 voting system change?
The result was a parliament made of many small quarreling parties
In the 1919 election who was the largest parliamentary party? and with how many seats?
In the 1919 election → the Socialists were the largest parliamentary party with 156 of the 506 seats
When was the Fascist Party founded? and by who?
It was in the midst of these troubled times that the Fascist Party was founded by Mussolini on 23 March 1919
What occurred in this ‘first wave’ of fascism? and why did it occur?
In this ‘first wave’ of fascism, party numbers grew rapidly in response to disillusionment with democracy & high unemployment rates
What were Fascist policies like? What were they more like?
Fascist policies were vague & were more like propaganda slogans about nationalism than actual policies
How many members did the Fascist Party have by February 1921?
Nevertheless, by February 1921 the party had 100,000 members
What Mussolini lead in October 1922?
In October 1922 → Mussolini led the famous March on Rome
What was the March on Rome a powerful public display of?
It was a powerful public display of the strength of the movement
What was the Italian Fascist Party like when King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy asked Mussolini to form a new government in Italy in October 1922?
When King Victor Emannuel III of Italy asked Mussolini to form a new government in Italy in October 1922, the Italian Fascist Party was still relatively small & lacked the kind of broad popular support that the Nazis had built up by the time Hitler came to power
According to historian Mark Mazower, what was the trigger for the rise of Mussolini and the fascist Party?
According to HISTORIAN MARK MAZOWER- the trigger for the rise of Mussolini and the Fascist Party had been the introduction of universal male suffrage as part of the 1919 reforms (meaning that every male over 21 could vote)
In other words, what had real democracy done?
In other words, real democracy had created fears among the more conservative sections of the community, especially among the police, the government civil service & the courts
Why did real democracy create fears among the more conservative sections of the community?
These groups were not accustomed to being held accountable and resented political interference from ordinary citizens
What was the first factor that the rapid rise of Italian Fascism was due to? cultural sympathy…
A cultural sympathy related to the monarchy and the respected history of Imperial Rome, associated with authoritarian values and a distrust of democracy
What was the second factor that the rapid rise of Italian Fascism was due to? disappointment that…
Disappointment that Italy did not get all that it had been promised and hoped for in the Paris Peace Conference
What was the third factor that the rapid rise of Italian Fascism was due to? economic re….
Economic recession and high unemployment
What was the fourth factor that the rapid rise of Italian Fascism was due to? growing class…
Growing class conflict and fears of communism
What was the fifth factor that the rapid rise of Italian Fascism was due to? positive image/vision….
The positive image and vision presented to the Italian people by Mussolini and the Fascists, who claimed to offer an alternative middle way to liberal democracy on one side and communism on the other
What was the sixth factor that the rapid rise of Italian Fascism was due to? acceptance of…. by…
An acceptance of the Fascist by the Catholic Church
What was Mussolini’s first government? and What did it reflect?
Mussolini’s first government (a coalition with three other political parties) reflected his initial lack of broad popular support
Once in power, what did Mussolini changes in the voting system in 1923 do?
Once in power, Mussolini pushed through changes in the voting system in 1923 that helped to give the Fascists control of the Council of Deputies (the Italian Parliament)
In these early years, what was Mussolini criticised for?
In these early years, Mussolini was criticised for his willingness to compromise and work with the parliamentary system → not being dictatorial enough
What did Mussolini’s criticism prompt?
This prompted what is sometimes called the ‘second wave’ of Fascism in 1925-26, where executive power was increased & critics lost their citizenship
What occurred during this phase of ‘second wave’ Fascism?
During this phase, both individual freedom and freedom of the press came under attack
What had the outward projection of a postwar democracy in Italy been?
The outward projection of a postwar democracy in Italy had been short-lived
