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
