M3- Consent and Control Flashcards
what were the first fascist youth groups?
Fascist Youth Front
Balilla
why were early fascist youth groups ineffective?
they were poorly structured and had to compete with the youth groups of other political parties
by 1924 how many children were involved in fascist youth groups?
3000
what was the ONB?
Opera Nazionale Balilla
when was the ONB set up?
April 1926
what was the goal of the ONB?
to provide for the physical and moral benefit of youth through the education of boys aged 8 to 18
what were the male contingents of the ONB?
Figli della Lupa
Balilla
Avanguardisti
Figli della Lupa
ages 6 to 8
Balilla
ages 8 to 14
Avanguardisti
ages 14 to 17
what were the female contingents of the ONB?
Figlie della Lupa
Piccole Italiane
Giovane Italiane
Figlie della Lupa
ages 6 to 8
Piccole Italiane
ages 8 to 14
Giovane Italiane
ages 14 to 17
who controlled the ONB?
the Ministry of National Education
when was the Ministry of National Education set up?
1929
what was the aim of the Ministry of National Education?
oversee scholarly and physical education of young Italians
to create a loyal and physically strong generation of fascists
at which ages was the ONB compulsory?
ages 6 to 11
when was the ONB made compulsory for 11+?
1939
what were the downsides of not having an ONB membership?
made it difficult to get into higher education
prevented employment in civil service
made you seem to be anti-fascist
what were the benefits of ONB membership?
got access to jobs and scholarships
it was a helpful youth organisation
what was the only other youth organisation in Fascist Italy?
Catholic Action
how many ONB members by 1937?
7 million
what did boys do in the ONB?
sports and military training
- wrestling
- shooting
- marching
to prepare them for life in the armed forces
told to swear loyalty to Mussolini
what did girls do in the ONB?
gymnastics and motherly training
- sewing
- child care
make mothers who could bear healthy children
what did school teach about Italian history?
compared great heroes such as Caeser with Mussolini (modern day embodiment)
showed how poorly treated Italians were in WW1 and how the fascists saved Italy from a communist revolution
when was it made compulsory for Italian teachers to join the PNF?
1933
how many textbooks were banned by the fascists for being anti-fascist?
101
what youth organisation was run in universities?
the GUF
did the same things as ONB but more mature:
- debate competitions
- cultural competitions
what was seen to be the MAIN reason why young people were motivated to get involved in the ONB?
for the enjoyable social experience it provided as you were able to be outdoors and play sport instead of being in a classroom
also parents saw the importance of membership for their child’s future ambitions
IT WAS NOT BECAUSE OF A BELIEF IN FASCISM
why did the ONB and education struggle in the south?
education was only compulsory until the age of 11
and after that many boys would immediately work in agriculture which made participation in youth groups difficult
what did a PNF survey in 1937 show about girls’ interests in the ONB?
they were more interested in the fun activities the boys were doing
many girls did not enjoy the motherly education which was being provided
what showed that the ONB was successful in producing loyal fascists?
most Italians who fought in WW2 were young men who would have gone through the fascist youth system
what showed that the ONB was unsuccessful in producing loyal fascists?
many Italians who fought as partisans in the anti-fascist movement were predominantly young so they had also gone through the same youth system
why is it difficult to tell if the ONB and education in Fascist Italy was successful in indoctrination?
hard to tell if children were ready to die for Mussolini and fully endorsed in Fascist beliefs
OR
they were just enjoying the activities provided
what was the OND?
Opera Nazionale Dopolavoro
when was the OND set up?
1925
what were the activities which the OND provide?
leisurely activities for workers:
- bars
- billiard halls
- football teams
- plays and concerts
- films
where were OND activities held?
in local clubhouses which had a recreation ground
what added benefits did OND membership provide?
- rail ticket discounts
- worker welfare
- social insurance
- subsidised holidays
what was the most popular aspect of the OND?
the subsidised holidays
workers could take their families to the beach, mountain retreats or sporting events for no cost
by 1939 how many OND members were there?
4 million
what % of state and private workers were members of the OND?
80%
was there any fascist involvement in the OND?
NO
the PNF intended not to get involved in the OND so there was no form of indoctrination involved
how was the OND a success for Mussolini?
it generated huge popularity and support for him
workers were grateful for the benefits it provided
how was the OND a failure for Mussolini?
many joined because of the services it provided
few joined because of the fascist movement
Mussolini was pushed by the PNF to implement more fascism in the OND but he declined
what was Mussolini’s view on control through the OND?
he saw participation BY THE MASSES more important than ideological indoctrination TO THE FEW
he did not want to discourage the Italian people to refrain from getting involved
wanted full popular support
when was press censorship introduced in law?
in the Leggi Fascistissime
December 1925
what powers did the Prefects hold with press censorship?
confiscate editions of a newspaper or magazine
suspend publication
replace editors
shut down newspapers
which newspapers were shut down?
Avanti
L’Unita
all left-wing newspapers were closed
how were journalists controlled by the regime?
all journalists had to be incorporated into a fascist union which controlled access to jobs and promotions
this led to self-censorship:
many journalists wrote positive work on Mussolini and fascism in the hope of retaining their jobs or being promoted
what were journalists told not to write about and why?
stories on crime, suicides or traffic incidents
did not want the global fascist image of Italy to be disturbed
what showed that Mussolini intended more for press control than banning all newspapers?
his fascist newspaper was less popular than the other Italian newspapers
what was the fascist newspaper?
Popolo d’Italia
what was the most popular newspaper in Italy?
Corriere della Sera
what was given to newspapers who wrote positive stories on fascism?
increased subsidies
why was Mussolini successful with press censorship?
he had created a positive image of the PNF and himself in the press
the Italian people were never exposed to anti-fascist material
journalists and editors were completely controlled by the state
what was the main intention of fascist propaganda?
to mobilise support for Mussolini and transform the Italian people into true facsists
why was the symbol of Rome an important aspect of propaganda?
showed the greatness of the city of Rome and the connotations to the Roman Empire were heavily portrayed
it was stressed that the Italian people were heirs to the greatest empire in history
what did Mussolini do to Rome’s buildings?
removed all medieval buildings so that the classical buildings could be seen better
what was held in Rome in 1937?
a massive exhibition for the 2000th anniversary of Augustus
how many people visited the 1937 Rome exhibition?
over a million
who did propaganda associate Mussolini with?
Mussolini was portrayed to be the heir to Augustus
Mussolini was rebuilding Italy as a great power- the same as Augustus had done
in what years did Italy win the World Cup?
1934 and 1938
used to show Italian dominance in sport
shows of supremacy
when was the Ministry of Popular Culture set up?
1937
why was the Ministry of Popular Culture a failure?
failed to use modern forms of mass media such as film to spread propaganda
why was there a lack of fascist support Southern Italians through propaganda?
there was little mass media in the south which meant the fascist message was difficult to spread
concl on fascist propaganda
was widely accepted by the Italian people as there wasn’t really an alternative
HOWEVER failed to evolve into a modern and well organised propaganda outfit which limited its success in Italy
what was the cult of il Duce?
image propagated in posters, cinema news reels and radio which portrayed Mussolini as a great leader
almost God like image
how many pictures of Mussolini were circulated?
30 million
what did propaganda portray Mussolini as?
strong
physically fit
intelligent
charismatic
sexy
dynamic
family man
what was evidence that the cult of il Duce was real?
the PNF was never really popular
BUT
Mussolini was INCREDIBLY popular amongst Italian people
Mussolini was seen as above the party and state
concl on cult of il Duce
was EXTREMELY powerful in winning the support of the Italian people who saw him as a GOD
however
it can be argued that Mussolini’s image was more popular than fascism itself which perhaps shows the Italian regime as Mussolinism
Mussolini himself believed in this cult which would explain his aggressive approach to FP
when was the National Institute of Fascist Culture set up?
1926
what did the National Institute of Fascist Culture do?
organised cultural events
free concerts
publications to encourage Fascism
what was Film City?
a state funded art film production complex
how was the PNF involved in cinema?
all Italian films were funded by the PNF
when was the Exhibition of the Fascist Revolution?
1932 to celebrate 10 years since March on Rome
how many Italians visited the Exhibition of the Fascist Revolution?
4 million
did Mussolini try to control art?
nope
fascist art was allowed to be modern and experimental
all it had to do was correspond to the ideals of fascism
what were new fascist buildings based on?
a neo-classical Roman style
examples of popular Italian films
Luciano Serra
Pilot
how much of an influence did Hollywood have in Italy?
87% of box-office revenue came from Hollywood-produced films
was Fascist culture influential in spreading fascism?
NO
it never focussed on the key messages of fascism and instead looked to portray the PNF and Mussolini positively
when were all political parties banned in Italy?
1926
as a part of the Leggi Fascistissimme
who was the death penalty used for?
anyone who tried to assassinate the King or Mussolini
anyone who threatened state security
what was Confino?
exile to remote areas of Italy
why was Confino devastating?
it was seen as dangerous to employ anyone who had returned from Confino
families of prisoners faced discrimination in society
when was the Political Police division set up?
late 1926
how did the Political Police work?
used a network of spies in Italy and abroad to track down and infiltrate antifascist organisations
when were the Rosselli brothers assassinated?
June 1937 in Paris
when was the OVRA formed?
1927
what was the OVRA used for?
to spy on the Italian people and stamp down on domestic antifascist activity
how many OVRA informers in Italy?
5000
what did OVRA spies infiltrate to get intel?
universities
businesses
fascist unions
what did the Special Reserve Service do?
examine Italian mail and listen to phone calls
who was Chief of Police in Italy?
Arturo Bocchini
how many Italians did Bocchini have a file on?
130,000
how many Italians were sent to Confino?
10,000§
how many death sentences were carried out before WW2?
9
where did most socialists escape to?
Paris
concl on use of repression
VERY SUCCESSFUL
the work of Bocchini and Mussolini had suppressed all opposition to the PNF
opposition was either apprehended and shut down or they fled the country
was even successful abroad with the Rosselli brothers
only 9 death sentences shows the lack of serious opposition to the PNF
the work of the OVRA in surveillance meant that threats could be ascertained early on
