Relationship with Economic & Political Elite Flashcards
Role of the king
The relationship between the king and Mussolini was a ……… that ultimately suited them both
compromise
Role of the king
How did Mussolini reduce some of the King’s power in politics
: FGC was granted the right to nominate future prime ministers and advise the king on future royal succession (a considerable humiliation for the king)
Role of the king
How did Mussolini reduce some of the King’s power in the military
March 1938: Mussolini and the king shared the highest rank in the military Cune
1940: Mussolini took complete control of the military)
Role of the king
Was King Emannuel III subservient to Mussolini
- King Victor Emmanuel III made little effort to either prevent or minimise the erosion of his power - he was unwilling to challenge Mussolini and happy to play a subservient role to the dictator as long as he was able to retain his position
Role of the king
Why was an agreement with the King important to consolidate his power
- This agreement with the king was important for Mussolini’s consolidation of power as it encouraged the armed forces and state administration, who were still very loyal towards the king, to accept the fascist dictatorship even tho M wanted to serverely limit the King’s power
- It also gave M an heir of legitimacy
Role of the king
How did the king symbollically limit his power
- He did make some symbolic resistance to Mussolini, for example he refused to allow the fascist symbol to be incorporated in to the Fascist flag
- & he was critical of the ant Semitic decrees
Role of the king
- The existence of the monarchy gives a clear …… on Mussolini’s dictatorship
limitation
Central govt
The laws of December 1925 changed the……………. with Mussolini taking on a new position as …………
The laws of December 1925 changed the structure of central government, with Mussolini taking on a new position as head of government
Central govt
He was now only accountable to the ……, not …..
He was now only accountable to the king, not parliament
Central govt
Parliament therefore lost the ability to……….
Parliament therefore lost the ability to discuss policy, to debate and change proposed legislation, and to criticise the government. Only Mussolini could initiate legislation
Central govt
With opposition parties banned, the chamber was dominated by ………………..who did not even bother to ….on laws, they simply shouted their agreement
With opposition parties banned, the chamber was dominated by Fascist deputies who did not even bother to vote formally on laws, they simply shouted their agreement
Central govt
What happened to elections
- Free elections ceased to exist, and the electorate was reduced to exclude most of the working classes
- All candidates had to be approved by the Fascists, and the results were rigged to show over 98% approval for the regime
Central govt
In what way did Mussolini compromise with central govt
- Mussolini did choose to leave the Senate, whose members were appointed for life by the king, completely unchanged
- In 1932, 148 senators were not members of the PNF
- Example of Mussolini accommodating the existing political elite in order to cement his dictatorship
Central govt
What evidence is there that Mussolini was not prepared to share power with his government ministers
- he held the ministries of foreign affairs, interior and the three armed services himself
- no cabinet-style government with ministers jointly discussing and deciding government policy
Central govt
Describe the limited influence of the Fascist Grand Council Created in December 1928
- Dec 1928 - formalised as most important legal body in the state
- Mussolini retained the power to appoint the top PNF leaders and set out laws to be debated by the FGC
- Crucially, the FGC was not consulted on major policies such as that towards the Catholic Church (1929) or Italy’s entry into WWII (1940)
- Throughout the 1930s the FGC barely met
Local govt
Local government was largely ………….. of the fascist party, and instead placed in the hands of……………..
Local government was largely out of the control of the fascist party, and instead placed in the hands of conservative elite and career civil servants (appointed by Mussolini).
Local govt
Local self-government was ……… and elected majors and town councils were replaced by ……………….
- abolished
- officials appointed from Rome
Local govt
How was the role of the prefect reinforced to consolidate Mussolini’s power
- The traditional position of the Prefect as the highest state authority in each Italian province remained, and these were mostly career civil servants
- The Prefect’s job was wide-ranging and involved organising the police, censoring the local press and suppressing antifascist activity
- Although not always fascists, the prefects were appointed by Mussolini and this ensured loyalty to his political goals
Local govt
Who ran the local councils
- Tthe podestà, who were appointed by the prefect
- These also were usually given to the existing conservative elite rather than fascists
Local govt
In what way should the Prefect & Podestas role in the local councils not be seen as a lessening of Mussolini’s power
- The prefects and the podestà ultimately owed their position to Mussolini, thus ensuring that these local authorities would carry out his political policies
- This approach to local government therefore enabled to strengthen his personal dictatorship, extending his power throughout the Italian state, at the expense of the PNF
Conservative elites
Why was Mussolini so willing to work with the existing elites e.g civil service & army
- In order to cement and retain his power
- A wholesale sacking of personnel and their replacement by Fascist Party appointees would almost certainly have caused a crisis Mussolini was keen to avoid any such crisis and to achieve his goals without provoking a head-on clash with these institutions
Conservative elites
What was Mussolini’s role in the military
He was the minister of war, but left the running of the armed forces to under-secretaries, who were usually generals or admirals, so he allowed the military to run independently
Conservative elites
How did Mussolini consolidate his power as Minister of War
- He gained further support by promoting senior generals to the prestigious post of field
- Ambitious officers soon came to realise that a pro-Fascist attitude, and preferably party membership, would enormously increase their chances of promotion
Conservative elites
Give evidence that there was little change to the civil service
- In 1927 only 15 % of civil servants were members of the PNF
- but was made compulsory by 1935
- and on the whole the civil service simply carried out government policy
Conservative elites
Why did membership f PNF increase by the 1930s amingst the civil service
- rewarding loyalty and introducing policies that conservatives would support
- & due to a realisation that promotion depended on being a card-carrying supporter of the regime
Conservative elites
At the same time, Mussolini made it clear that if his wishes were not supported and obeyed, he would…
… be ruthless in seeking out and destroying opposition
Conservative elites
This approach resulted in a greater ………….of Mussolini’s dictatorship and therefore strengthened his position, albeit at the expense of …..
- acceptance
- full fascist control of government
Conservative elites
This approach resulted in a greater acceptance of Mussolini’s dictatorship and therefore strengthened his position, albeit at the expense of full fascist control of government.
The exception to this approach was Mussolini’s handling of the …….
judiciary
Conservative elites
How did Mussolini control the judiciary
- Mussolini conducted a purge of ‘undesirable elements’. Dozens of judges were sacked for not supporting fascism or for being too independent of the government.
- The Italian legal system lost all claim to impartiality
- Imprisonment without trial became common, and where cases did come to court, Mussolini occasionally intervened to dictate verdicts and sentences.
Control over the PNF
What was one of the most crucial aspects of Mussolini’s personal dictatorship?
Minimising the power of his own political party, the PNF, to serve the Duce.
Control over the PNF
Who was appointed in 1925 to purge the PNF of those who disagreed with Mussolini?
Roberto Farinacci
Control over the PNF
Why was Roberto Farinacci replaced by Augusto Turati?
Farinacci continued to encourage squad violence against socialists, Catholics, and the PPI
Control over the PNF
How did Mussolini ensure no momentum of opposition at the final party congress in June 1925
- He demanded that the party should end internal arguments and obey him
- It was scheduled to last 3 days but only lasted a few hours
Control over the PNF
How many members were thrown out of the PNF by 1929 for suspicions of disloyalty?
50-60,000 members
Control over the PNF
How many members left the PNF voluntarily by 1929?
Another 110,000 members
Control over the PNF
Who led the purge of the PNF in the 1930s?
Achille Starace
Control over the PNF
How many new fascists replaced the purged members in the 1930s
800,000 new fascists
Control over the PNF
hat were the main reasons new members joined the PNF?
Job opportunities and benefits provided by PNF membership
Control over the PNF
What groups made up the PNF, and what were their priorities?
- Squads: Continuation of violent raids
- Ex-Socialists: Reorganisation of industry
- Nationalists: Changes to the WWI peace settlement
- Conservatives: Restoration of law and order
Control over the PNF
Other than political skill, why else was Mussolini able to dominate fascism, with the PNF completely subservient to him
- only he could provide unity
- the PNF was not a united, coherent movement but an uneasy collection of groups with different views and priorities
Control over the PNF
Why did Mussolini promote second-rate officials to senior posts in the party?
- To prevent the emergence of potential rivals
- Men of drive and ambition found themselves removed from the centre of power
Control over the PNF
Give examples of driven men removed from the centre of power
- Italo Balbo was sent to occupy a post in Libya
- Dino Grandi was sent to London as Italian ambassador
Control over the PNF
Describe the dependency within the PNF which esnured M’s power
- no serious rival to the Duce ever emerged
- Even many Ras realised that Mussolini was prepared to allow them to keep much of their power in the provinces provided they remained utterly loyal and obedient to him
- without Mussolini, their own power would collapse
Control over the PNF
What role did the PNF play in transforming ordinary Italians?
Helping to transform them into obedient, disciplined Fascists
Control over the PNF
What did Mussolini do in 1929 regarding the ONB?
- He took the ONB out of the hands of the party organisation and handed control to the Ministry of Education.
Control over the PNF
What were the consequences of disputes between party organisations and government departments?
A: Government became slow and inefficient, leading to confusion, delay, and incompetence
What was Mussolini’s relation with economic interest groups
- 1925 the Vidoni pact banned all Catholic and socialist trade unions.
- The Corporate state did not threaten their interests and he was the man who had defeated the “socialist threat” and so many businessmen supported Mussolini
