Jews Flashcards
What was ‘Justice and Liberty’?
Anti-fascist organisation led by the Rosselli brothers
How did ‘Justice and Liberty’ end?
Mussolini’s son-in-law Galeazzo Giano organised a hit squad and assassinated both brothers
Why did the anti-Jewish policy in 1937 come as a shock to Italians?
- There had never been any feeling of anti-semetism in Italian culture
- There were only 45,000 Jews in Italy which only made up 1% of the population
- Many Jews were fascists themselves and supported Mussolini as a leader
- Mussolini had Jewish ministers and even a Jewish mistress
How did the anti-Jewish policy affect the lives of Jews in Italy?
- They could not marry pure Italians
- They could not own over 50 hectares of land
- They could not hold public jobs
- They could not run any businesses with over 100 workers (those workers could not be Italian)
- Jewish students were expelled from schools
Why did Mussolini adopt an anti-Jewish policy?
- Other right-wing dictatorships in Europe also had an anti-Jewish policy
- He wanted to create internal Italian agression at a shared enemy (the Jew) in order to rile up the Italian people and prepare for war
- He wanted to make the Italians more racially aware
How did Mussolini describe his totalitarian rule?
Everything within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state
How did the anti-semetic legislation go down with the Italian people?
It was mostly resented by the Italians
They had no historical or present anti-semetic feelings
It actually portrayed a weak Italian government who were subordinates to the more superior Nazis
How did the anti-semetic legislation go down with the RCC?
The Pope condemned the anti-semetic policies and described it as un-Italian
Was the anti-Jewish legislation successful?
No because Mussolini had lost the support of:
- the Church
- Business and Judiciary
- the Italian people who now questioned the direction of the PNF
