M3- Relationships with political and economic interests Flashcards
what was the role of the King in Mussolini’s dictatorship?
Italy was still a constitutional monarchy
who was the King?
Victor Emanuel III
why was the original fascist policy of anti-monarchism dropped in 1920?
Mussolini understood how important the relationship with the King was in order to gain and consolidate his power
what did Mussolini’s relationship with the King help him gain acceptance of?
the armed forces
the state administration
both were incredibly loyal to the King
what powers did the King lose in December 1928?
the ability to nominate future PMs
he now had to choose from a list of fascists provided by the Grand Council of Fascism
why was this significant for Mussolini’s consolidation of power?
as Mussolini was the head of the Grand Council of Fascism he was in charge of providing the list of fascist candidates
so he had control over who future PMs would be
what powers did the King lose in March 1938?
a law was passed which created the title of First Marshal of the Empire
role was given to both the King and Mussolini
the King was no longer the supreme commander of the armed forces
why was this significant for Mussolini?
he could now take control of the armed forces, something he does when he enters WW2 in 1940
however, what power did the King retain?
the power to remove Mussolini
what was the King’s relationship with Mussolini like?
he played a subservient character by not challenging Mussolini
he was only interested in retaining his position as King
example of King being subservient to Mussolini
the King did not try to stop the unpopular implementation of racial and anti-semitic decrees in 1938
concl on Mussolini and the King
was a balancing act
Mussolini needed the King’s early support to get control of the armed forces and state
the King was still in a strong position to depose Mussolini BUT chose not to
the King was too concerned with his own position
which of the conservative elites did Mussolini prepared to work with?
army
judiciary
civil service
what was Mussolini’s view on the role of judiciary?
they were important for him to suppress opposition
what did Mussolini do to the judiciary?
he sacked many judges for not being sympathetic enough to Fascism
Mussolini wanted the judiciary to follow his government’s instructions and legislature
many judges joined the PNF to ensure their positions were retained
concl on Mussolini and judiciary
he had removed judges who were not aligned with Fascism
most judges joined the PNF which allowed Mussolini to control the legal system
Mussolini himself would occasionally intervene in legal cases by dictating verdicts and sentences
LEGAL SYSTEM WAS NO LONGER INDEPENDENT
what did Mussolini do to the armed forces?
allowed them to run as independent institution
put generals or admirals in charge of running the armed forces
why was the civil service less of an issue for Mussolini?
they were largely sympathetic to Mussolini and the fascist cause
how did Mussolini ensure loyalty in the civil service?
he used his power of patronage to reward loyalty
he understood that by appeasing the conservatives the civil service would be happy
how many civil servants were PNF members in 1927?
15%
why did PNF membership in the civil service rise in the 1930s?
civil servants understood that being a PNF member was a major factor in getting a promotion
concl on Mussolini and civil service
he didnt have to do much
most civil servants supported Mussolini
simply had to appease and reward loyalty to keep civil servants in side
they loyally carried out the instructions of Mussolini
how did Mussolini get the support of the traditional conservative elite?
by giving them powerful positions such as being Prefect or podesta
thus old ruling elite were inclined to support fascism
what did the Leggi Fascistissime change with regards to Mussolini’s position as PM?
he was no longer answerable to parliament and deputies
he had complete control over legislation and laws
what change was made to parliament in May 1928?
parliament was to be made up of 400 fascists deputies chosen by the Grand Council of Fascism
what was the Grand Council of Fascism made in December 1928?
the most important legal body in the Italian constitution
why was this significant for the PNF?
would allow it to rule after Mussolini’s death as well
was the Grand Council of Fascism influential in governing?
nope
Mussolini had complete control over the council and only he could appoint senior
the council barely even met in the 1930s
when was parliament abolished?
January 1939
what replaced parliament?
Chamber of Fasces and Corporations
concl on Mussolini and central government
Mussolini had complete control over parliament from 1925
with opposition parties banned and only fascists in parliament, parliament became useless
to add to this Mussolini could rule by decree which meant that parliament was only used for ratification
ended up being replaced by fascist equivalents which were also under Mussolini’s complete authority
what was the role of a Prefect?
highest state authority in each Italian province
in charge of policing and censorship of the local press
who were appointed Prefects?
role was given mainly to the traditional elite to keep them on side
Mussolini had no intention of giving this position to fascists or ras
Mussolini had complete control over who was appointed which allowed him to ensure loyalty on a provincial level
concl on Mussolini and the local government
despite giving the positions of power to civil servants and traditional elte…
ULTIMATELY
these people were ferociously loyal to Mussolini and the fascists
therefore Mussolini was able to control local governance as well as being able to strengthen his role as dictator
who did Mussolini appoint Secretary of the Fascist Party in 1925?
Roberto Farinacci
who was purged by Farinacci in 1925?
PNF members who did not agree with Mussolini’s direction for the party
why was Farinacci becoming a problem for Mussolini?
he was too radical and extreme
he encouraged fascist violence against both Socialists and Catholics, which after the Matteotti crisis was extremely unpopular
Mussolini did not want any more fascist violence to occur (after speech in Jan 1925)
who did Mussolini replace Farinacci with in 1926 as party secretary?
Turati
what changes to the PNF did Turati bring?
he expelled the older hard-line fascists from the party
how many PNF members were kicked out of the party by 1929?
60,000
who succeeded Turati as party secretary in 1931?
Giurati
what changes to the PNF did Giurati make?
he purged more PNF members
he replaced these members with new fascists
how many new fascists did Giurati bring into membership in 1931?
800,000
who were these new fascists and why did they join?
those who worked in government jobs
saw PNF membership as useful for career progression as well as for the benefits it provided
cared little about a fascist revolution and challenging Mussolini
therefore loyal
when did PNF membership become compulsory for government workers?
1933
concl on Mussolini and the PNF
he had appointed and instructed party secretaries to purge the PNF of it’s traditional old hard-line members who represented the radical element of the PNF
Mussolini wanted to maintain popularity and so the violence had to go… (shown in Mussolini’s sacking of Farinacci)
Mussolini replaced these hard-line fascists with middle-class govt workers who had no interest in pushing for a fascist revolution or even challenging Mussolini
who did Mussolini appoint as Minister of the Interior to appease the nationalists?
Federzoni
after the merger with the PNF, what did many nationalists think about Mussolini?
they followed his political direction and had no interest in opposing him
UNLIKE the fascists themselves
who was Mussolini’s longest serving minister?
Costanzo Ciano
was an ex-nationalist
was Minister of Communications for 10 years
his son married Mussolini’s daughter
which nationalist was in charge of the reform of customs?
Danielli
what was the reform of customs?
removal of foreign sounding words
concl on Mussolini and the Nationalists
probably his best working relationship
got even better after Mussolini’s foreign policy became more expanisonist
it was the ANI’s initial policies in the 1910s which drew the PNF to adopt a more nationalistic approach
with the merger of the ANI and the representation of nationalists in ministerial positions, Mussolini trusted nationalists
