OND Flashcards
List the fascist motivations for creating the OND
- To provide social services for Italians
- To control all aspects of life for Italian citizens; totalitarian ambitions
- To replace the cooperative service of the TUs that were banned
- Increase Italians love and gratitude for the regime
- Improve the health of the people
- Genuine concern for the otherwise ignored peasant
- To pursue rural individuals, as they were outside of the propaganda sphere
- To persuade Italians that fascism could provide as well as socialism
- Compensate Italians for falling wages and poor living conditions
Why was it launched on 1925 labour day?
To replace the need for TUs following the Vidoni Palace Pact
When was it reorganised under the PNF?
1927
How did the OND expand its remit after being reorganised by the PNF?
By taking over many existing activities and clubs
What did the OND provide?
Social activities, holidays, entertainment, sport and welfare
Why was its role extended during the Battle for Lira?
To help workers suffering wage reductions
Give an example of a firm developing its own Dopolavaro institution
Dopolavaro Ansaldo was set up by a steel firm and had 50,000 members
List the aims of the Dopolavaro
- Replace and extend the services previously provided by labour organisations
- Provide compensation for low pay
- Help production by developing healthy workers
- Foster the image of caring employers
- Gain popularity and win support
How was the it geared towards gaining support?
It was largely non ideological, meaning that it was geared towards winning the support of Italians rather than converting them to fascism
What did the regime do to ensure it had as many members as possible?
Subscription dues were subsidised by the state and employers were forced to contribute
List the range of activities it offered
- Libraries, films and radios for communal listening
- A travel agency which subsidised trips
- Mobile cinemas, theatre and orchestras for remote areas
- Sport and summer camps
- Welfare to families in distress
How were the mobile cinemas provided used for propaganda?
They would be proceded by newsreels produced by the government controlled film agency, LUCE
Describe the extent of the organisation
- Impressive membership: 280,000 in 1926, 1.7 million in 1931 and 3.8 million in 1939
- By 1939, 80% of salaried employees, 40% of the industrial workforce and 25% of peasants were members
- It was the largest and most active adult organisation
- Most villages, even in the south, had a dopolavaro clubhouse
How many holiday trips did it provide per year by the late 1930s?
Over 4 million
Describe the impact it had
- It was the main point of contact with the industrial working class, who were seen as potentially hostile; it was hoped that through it they might become more attracted to the regime
- Diverted attention away from socio-economic problems
- Controlled employees’ leisure time
- The state played an active role in developing mass leisure; as elsewhere this was done by a consumer society
- It was the fascist state’s most popular regime and survived the regime’s collapse
- It failed to foster a national community; often there was class segregation on passenger trains and cruise shifts
What was it renamed to after 1945?
The National Organisation for Worker Assistance
What was the name of the sister scheme in Nazi Germany?
Strength Through Joy (KDF)
How was it different to the KDF scheme?
It placed less emphasis on self improvement
What did the OND rapidly become?
One of the most successful and popular policies of the regime
Who funded its activities?
The state, but they did not provide lavish funding
Describe the quality of equipment and facilities
Often basic
How was the OND different to other aspects of society under the regime?
There was no need for coercion; people joined in its activities because they wanted to
How many members did it attract in its first year?
Around 300,000
