Mussolini gains power 1920-22

Question 1

When did nitti resign and why?

Answer 1

• 9 June 1920
• deteriorating economic situation, the lingering situation in fiume and the ongoing strikes

Question 2

Who was nitti replaced with?

Answer 2

giolitti

Question 3

What was Giolitti’s solution to the 1920 strikes?

Answer 3

To try absorb it
- seek compromise for the workers, - pressuring banks to withdraw support for companies that would not negotiate with the striking
- refusing to use violence against them

Question 4

Was Giolitti’s solution successful?

Answer 4

yes strikes ended 25 sep 1920

Question 5

Response from nationalists and catholics?

Answer 5

considerable anger as this contrasted with the actions of the fascists who used violence to deal with the socialist threat

Question 6

When did the more radical members of the psi split to form the pci?

Answer 6

jan 1921

Question 7

On what basis did their party form?

Answer 7

• more radical in their aims for revolution
• more closely aligned with the communist party in Russia

Question 8

How did mussolini able to use the splitting of the psi as propaganda?

Answer 8

• appearance of an official communist party that spoke of revolution and was financed by the Bolsheviks

Question 9

When did the psi and pci attempt call for general strikes across italy?

Answer 9

• July 1922

Question 10

Were the strikes supported by the workers?

Answer 10

no as they were weary of any further strike action

Question 11

How did mussolini take advantage of the July 1922 strikes?

Answer 11

• claimed that the reason for the strike’s failure was due to the actions of the fascists and that it was only the pnf that had spared italy from revolution became more widely believed

Question 12

Why were Giolitti’s old tactics of compromise and transformismo inadequate?

Answer 12

• the ideological splits were more defined and deep rooted
• the strong ideology of the newly formed parties such as ppi, pci, pnf they were less likely to be bought off

Question 13

How did giolitti try to absorb the fascists in the 1921 elections and did it work?

Answer 13

• tried to absorb the fascists by offering the members running for parliament a place in his national bloc
• nope after being voted into parliament as a gov backed candidate mussolini announced that he would vote with the opposition

Question 14

Why did giolitti resign?

Answer 14

impossible to form a stable gov

Question 15

What was the dual policy?

Answer 15

• Despite violence providing the basis for fascist strength mussolini still held out hope that he get the position of pm through difficult balancing act

Question 16

How did mussolini favour the more conservative members of the pnf - what steps did he take?

Answer 16

• July 1921: called an end to squadristi violence concerned that with the fear of the communist rev failing what was violence still being used
• august: pact of pacification with the socialist trade union and psi members

Question 17

Why was it an issue that the fascism was a movement not an organised party?

Answer 17

• mussolini was leader of the movement but the multiple squads had strong loyalities to their ras
• squads were funded at a local level not a centralised body

Question 18

What was the reaction of the ras to the mussolini’s actions to be more conservative?

Answer 18

• three most powerful ras bosses condemned the pact and meetings of squadristi were held where they called an end to the pact

Question 19

Why did mussolini resign and why was this a political manoeuvre

Answer 19

• resigned as he said that the ras were not prepared to follow his policy direction
• without mussolini the fascists lacked unity and direction
• his absence strengthened his position

Question 20

How was mussolini reappointed ?

Answer 20

• nov 1921: fascist delegates voted fro mussolini as leader and confirmed the organisation of the movement into an official party

Question 21

What did the programme of the pnf confirm?

Answer 21

• squadristi was ultimately under the control of the party not the leadership

Question 22

What concession did mussolini have to make?

Answer 22

• drop the pact of pacification but he was willing to as he knew the direction he wanted to go in was using violence

Question 23

At the end of 1921 what were the squads organised into?

Answer 23

• cohorts –> consuls –> zone commanders

Question 24

When did Bonomi’s gov collapse and who was he replaced with?

Answer 24

• feb 1922
• facta - weak and complacent leader

Question 25

In spring 1922 how did the fascist violence expand?

Answer 25

• blackshirts attacked areas across italy where the socialists controlled the local council

Question 26

How did the fascist violence upsurge?

Answer 26

• the east coast of italy the homes and offices of the socialists and communists were destroyed
  -by sep: squads had taken over all areas surrounding the capital
• gov had done nothing to stop them
• squads launched new attacks in Genoa, Milan murdering socialist leaders and supporters

Question 27

By 1922 how many members did the pnf have?

Answer 27

320,000

Question 28

How did mussolini favour the dual policy in sep and oct 1922?

Answer 28

• promised if the fascists were accepted within a fascist coalition he would pursue a moderate conservative policy backing the monarchy
• at the same time he encouraged the squads to attack Bolzano and Trent –> attacked the gov itself

Question 29

How did Orlando and nitti respond to the violence?

Answer 29

• they called for a coalition that included fascism
• they believed that an alliance with fascists would help them become pm

Question 30

What was giolitti more concerned with?

Answer 30

Giolitti was more concerned with stopping his rivals from becoming pm that he was with avoiding a fascist rev

Question 31

How was mussolini able to take advantage of the liberal parliamentarians being divided?

Answer 31

• able to promise nitti, salandra, facta and giolitti that they would be pm in a fascist coalition gov