Mussolini seizes the initiative: May 1921-October 1922 Flashcards
What two important things had the 1921 GE given M?
An air of respectability and a foothold in parliament
Why did he announce that the fascists would not support Giolitti’s government after all?
He did not want the movement to be absorbed into liberalism or become a junior partner in the coalition
What did M know he needed to do take real power?
Demonstrate to the Italian public, the industrialists, landowners and the middle classes in particular that liberalism was finished as a political movement
What provided proof for this idea?
Unstable short lived governments unable to maintain law and order or deal with Italy’s economic problems
What did he have to convince these groups about fascism?
That it was the only way to stop socialism and restore order and discipline to Italian society
What did he realise he must do to the movement for it to become acceptable to conservatives and the middle classes?
He must abandon or play down any ideas about radical economic or social reform
Describe governments following the May 1921 GE
Unstable
What did Giolitti do following the GE?
Formed a coalition without M
What happened to this coalition?
It collapsed within a month
What caused it to collapse?
The PPI withdrew its support when he proposed to introduce a tax which would have had the side effect of hitting the Vatican’s financial investments
Why could there be no stable government after this?
Because without the support of the PPI, with its 107 seats, it was almost impossible for any government to survive. The PPI was suspicious of the anticlerical traditions of liberalism and was willing to destroy any government that offended it
What made matters worse for the liberals?
They were divided amongst themselves
What caused this internal division?
Liberalism was still plagued by factions centred around prominent politicians, notably Giolitti, Facta, Salandra and Orlando, all of whom actively disliked one another
What was the consequence of this?
There were three governments between May 1921 and October 1922 and they were fragile and unable to introduce the necessary measures needed to cope with the industrial disruption and the collapse of law and order
What was the collapse of law and order largely a consequence of?
Fascist actions
How did fascist violence extend to parliament itself in 1921?
A socialist deputy was beaten up on the floor of the chamber
What were M’s activities directed towards for the rest of 1921?
Making fascism a cohesive political force that could command more widespread support
What did this result in the formation of in October 1921?
the National Fascist Party
What did the party congress do in the following month?
Formerly accepted M as party leader
Who ran and organised the PNF?
Men from M’s own Milan faction, who were loyal to him
What did he establish more control over?
The squads
Why was this control over provincial fascism as party leader not total?
Because there were still disagreements over how to secure power
Who did he make a direct attempt to win over in Nov 1921?
The Catholics
How did he do this?
He declared fascism to be opposed to divorce, in agreement with the PPI that the peasants deserved a better deal and prepared to settle the Roman Question on terms acceptable to the Pope
What was the Roman Question?
The political dispute over the role of the Catholic Church in the Italian state, including the territorial claims of the Pope over Rome, and the issues of civil and church marraige and divorce
How did he appeal to conservatives?
He dropped the more socialist sounding policies in 1919. The 35 fascist deputies elected in 1921 were on the right of the party
Describe M’s speeches from 1921
They concentrated on what fascism was against, namely socialism and liberlism, spelling out fascist policies only in very broad terms, stressing its patriotism and commitment to strong government
What were these speeches deliberate attempts to do?
Convince conservatives that they had nothing to lose but much to gain from the victory of fascism
What did his vague speeches reflect?
Fascism’s lack of specific, detailed policies
What political ideas did M subscribe to?
He wanted a strong, expansionist Italy, hated socialism and democracy and despised parliament
What was his principle concern rather than ideology?
Winning power for himself and becoming a dictator
What was the consequence of this?
All policy was directed towards this end
Why was it advantageous to have little clear policy?
Because no groups would be offended and it provided the flexibility to go in any direction
Why was M concerned about the increasing fascist violence even though it was directed towards the socialists?
Because it might go too far and cause the conservatives to demand that the fascists be crushed so that law and order can be restored
Why was this a real danger?
Because M could see that the army and police had the resources to crush his movement
What was his ability to calm the conservatives while preventing splits forming within the party proof of?
His political skill
What did he encourage the squads to continue with?
Their campaign of violence
What did this suggest he might agree with?
Their plans for a violent seizure of power
What did he do when talking with conservatives?
He disassociated himself from the worst excesses of fascist violence - suggesting that the perpetrators were renegades whom he would discipline, implying that only he could curb these excesses
What did he say he would do if they conceded a share of political power to fascism?
Ensure that the PNF became a more respectable political party
When did this dual policy continue into?
Throughout 1922
What did the squads do in spring 1922?
They rampaged through northern and central Italy attacking socialist town councils and attacking TU property
What did they do in May?
The town council in Bologna was driven out of office
What happened in July?
Street fighting took place in most of the northern cities
What did M do during discussion with the liberals at this time?
He stressed fascist power but looked to underline that it was far from a rabid, revolutionary movement
What did he imply he was interested in?
A parliamentary alliance that would bring the fascists into government
Why was this an astute political move?
Because the fragile coalition government lacked the political will to use the police against a group who may soon be joining them in government
Why were the police reluctant to intervene in street fighting anyway?
Because they had no love for the socialists and in some areas they had even loaned weapons to their local fascist squads
What happened at the end of July 1922?
The socialist TUs called a general strike in an attempt to force the government to act against the fascists
What is a general strike?
A strike involving millions of workers in a wide range of industries. They usually have a political motive rather than being about pay and working conditions
What did M use this opportunity to do?
Present the left as a threat that only the fascists could deal with
What did he publicly declare after the general strike was announced?
That if the government did not stop the industrial action then the fascists would step in and do it for them
What did the fascists do immediately after the strike began?
Took over the running of public transport and ensured the postal system continued to run. If strikers protested they were beaten up
Why was the general strike a fiasco for the left?
It had been poorly organised, and only attracted partial support from the workers. Even those in the cities where the strike call was obeyed, the fascist action limited its effect. The strike collapsed within days, leaving the socialists in disarray
What could M present the socialists as?
The sole defenders of law and order
Why was this a crucial turning point for the fascists?
It convinced the conservatives that the fascists could be trusted with a share in government. From this point the question was not whether the fascists would enter the government, but rather on what terms
