Mussolini and the Development of Fascism (c.1919-1922) Flashcards
What were 3 significant things Mussolini did before and at the start of the war?
- In 1910 he wrote an anti-clerical book, ‘The Cardinal’s Mistress’ with the pen name ‘Sincere Heretic’
- He was the editor of ‘Avanti!’ the socialist newspaper, until he was removed for having an interventionalist stance in 1914
- He then began to write ‘Il Popolo d’Italia’, an interventionalist newspaper
How had the First World War influenced Mussolini? Give 3 details.
- He had been a socialist before the war, but during and after the war he had become more right-wing
- He now wanted to establish a movement led by ex-soldiers, the ‘trinceristi’, who wanted to create the Italy they had been fighting for
- Mussolini had seen how war brought people together, and called this ‘trincerocrazia’; the rule of the trenches
- This was a state where class, geographical and rural and urban divisions did not exist, as men were all fighting for Italy and for each other
What did Mussolini do in March 1919?
- He called together the representatives of 20 ex-soldiers’ leagues, and formed the ‘Fasci di Combattimento’/ ‘Fasci’
What was a fascio (plural fasci)? Give 2 details.
- An ancient Roman emblem symbolising strength through unity
- In terms of politics, it had been used by the left-wing first, and was therefore associated with them
What was Mussolini’s party programme like in 1919, and what influenced it?
- Although it was quite vague, it was influenced by his socialist beliefs
List 10 aspects of Mussolini’s party programme in 1919.
- Anti-clericalism; confiscation of church property
- Republicanism
- Abolition of the titles of the nobility
- Female suffrage
- Nationalisation of the arms industry
- Progressive taxation
- Confiscation of the large profits made by some companies during the war
- Abolition of the senate
- Minimum wage
- 8 hour working day
What was the problem with Mussolini’s party programme?
- It did not distinguish him from other left-wing parties such as the PSI
What were 2 advantages of Mussolini’s party programme?
- It was vague, so attracted support across different classes as it didn’t tend to alienate anyone
- Those disillusioned with other parties found something they could agree with
How did Mussolini capitalise off of the advantages of his party programme? Give 3 details.
- He took advantage of people’s negative thoughts about:
- the growth of socialism
- the weakness of the political system and therefore democracy
- the Treaty of Versailles and the ‘mutilated victory’
How popular was fascism in 1919? Give 3 details.
- Not very as there were only 4000 active supporters of it by the end of the year and they had won 0 seats in the election
- Most of these people were either ex-soldiers or were based in towns or cities
- However, its popularity was increasing, mainly through Mussolini’s newspaper (Il Popolo d’Italia)
Where did the idea of the ‘Blackshirts’ come from?
- The ‘arditi’; talented soldiers in WW1, who had worn a black uniform that distinguished them from everyone else
- This was then adopted by the fascists
What was the squadrismo and who were the squadristi?
- Squadrismo was the movement of small fascist military units/ squads
- The squadristi were the members of these squads
How were the squadristi organised? How could they be recognised?
- They were organised into military units under a commanding officer; a ‘ras’
- They all wore black shirts and usually carried a revolver and a club
What did the squadristi do, why and how far did this extend?
- They fought the ‘socialist threat’ using extreme violence
- They believed that socialists and communists were as big of an enemy as Austria-Hungary was
- This included socialists land leagues that fought for land reform
Give 2 figures on squadristi violence.
- In April 1919 they torched the Milan offices of Avanti!
- In the first 5 months of 1921, they killed 200 people and wounded 1000
