Mussolini and Italy's Political and Economic Elites Flashcards
List 2 reasons why it was important for Mussolini to have the support of the king.
- Mussolini needed it in order to work effectively with the judiciary, civil service and military, who all had strong links with the monarchy
- The king’s support gave the regime legitimacy
What were 2 ways that the king supported Mussolini?
- He did not use the army against him
- He did not dismiss him after the Matteotti crisis
What was a benefit the king received in return for supporting Mussolini? Give 2 examples.
- He received additional titles and territories
- He became the Emperor of Ethiopia in 1936, and King of Albania in 1939
In what 4 ways was the king’s power reduced by the fascists?
- He lost the right to choose the next prime minister in December 1928
- The Grand Council of Fascism also had the power to advise the king on the royal succession
- When the title of First Marshal of the Empire was created in 1938, it was given to both the king and Mussolini- before, the king alone had held the title of supreme military commander
- In WW2, Mussolini took complete control over the army
In what way did Mussolini compromise with the king? Give an example.
- He observed protocol
- He still visited him twice a week to keep him up to date with state matters
List 2 issues the king resisted Mussolini’s decisions over.
- Mussolini wanted the army to make the fascist salute
- He also wanted the fascist symbol to be added to the flag
How did Mussolini generally deal with the judiciary, civil service and the army?
- He mostly left them alone
How did Mussolini deal with the judiciary?
- Judges remained largely independent of the PNF
- Anti-fascist judges were replaced with fascist ones
In what other 2 ways did Mussolini increase his control over the judiciary?
- Imprisonment without trial became more frequent
- Mussolini intervened in certain cases to influence verdicts and sentences
How did Mussolini deal with the civil service? Give 3 details.
- The civil service continued to be ran by conservative elites
- Some civil servants were removed due to their anti-fascist ties
- Civil servants had to join the PNF in 1935 (in 1927, only 15% were members of the PNF)
- However, this meant that they just joined the PNF rather than becoming sincere fascists
Why did the army and Mussolini work well together? Give 3 examples.
- They had shared interests;
- expansion of the armed forces
- aggressive foreign policy
- Mussolini also promoted senior generals to win their support
How did Mussolini increase his control over the army?
- Senior positions in the army were increasingly given to fascists
List 3 powers the Chamber of Deputies lost in 1926.
- To discuss policy
- To debate
- To amend proposed legislation
What were 2 other changes Mussolini made to parliament?
- From 1928, parliament was made up of 400 deputies chosen by the Grand Council of Fascism
- In 1928, the Grand Council of Fascism was made the most important legal body in Italy in the constitution
How did Mussolini compromise with the political elites? Give 2 ways.
- He left the Senate unchanged (in 1932 148 senators weren’t fascists, but he started to ensure all new senators were fascists)
- The positions of prefect and podestà tended to be held by conservative elites
What was Mussolini’s relationship with the nationalists like? Give 3 details.
- Since the ANI had merged with the PNF, they tended to follow Mussolini’s direction, and did not threaten him
- They had more of an influence on Mussolini’s policies than the PNF at times (especially than the more radical aspects)
- Mussolini gave nationalists important roles
Give an example of a nationalist given an important role. When and why was he given this role?
- Luigi Federzoni was appointed minster of the interior in June 1924, which reassured the conservative elites during the Matteotti crisis
Give 4 examples of Mussolini maintaining his control over the PNF.
- Mussolini was the one who decided what laws the Grand Council of Fascism would debate
- He also did not consult them on major policies
- Men who could pose a threat, such as Italo Balbo, were given posts where they couldn’t threaten Mussolini (he was appointed governor of Libya)
- The work of party secretaries
Give 5 details on the work of party secretaries.
- In 1925 he appointed Farinacci, who purged the party of people who didn’t agree with Mussolini
- Mussolini dismissed Farinacci in 1926 (due to his links with violence, which was unpopular with the population then) and replaced him with Augusto Turati, who was more bureaucratic
- He expelled around 50,000 members by 1929, which caused another 110,000 to leave the PNF as they did not like Mussolini’s political direction
- Turati was succeeded by Giuriati in 1931, who purged another 120,000
- These people were replaced by around 800,000 civil servants that had to join the PNF- this was advantageous as they had no interest in challenging Mussolini
How would fascists be successful in the PNF, and what issue did this create?
- Mussolini promoted fascists who were loyal and obedient, rather than able
- This meant many joined the PNF for the sake of career progression
List 5 ways Mussolini tried to win over the industrial and financial elites.
- He appointed Alberto de Stefani as finance minister; he supported pro-business policies
- Telephone companies were privatised
- The taxing of war profits was reduced/ abandoned
- Large firms and cartels were allowed to expand
- The Palazzo Vidoni Pact
What did the Palazzo Vidoni Pact do?
- It stipulated that Italian industry could only negotiate with fascist trade unions
When was the Palazzo Vidoni Pact passed?
- 1925
How did Mussolini keep the industrialists under control?
- He occasionally allowed unions to strike after 1925
Which other group that was important to the economy did Mussolini pander to, and how?
- Large landowners
- Strikes were banned, and the state decided wages (this mean they could pay workers less)
