relationship with political and economic interests

Question 1

why did Mussolini need the support of the monarchy?

Answer 1

the elites inc. judiciary, civil service and the army were all strongly linked to the monarchy and thus he needed the support of the monarchy + also support of King lent the regime an air of legitimacy

Question 2

how did Mussolini weaken the power of King Victor Emmanuel III?

Answer 2

in December 1928, the Fascist Grand Council was granted constitutional right to limit king’s power to nominate future PMs and then in March 1938 it was further minimised by creation of First Marshal of the Empire title, given to both Mussolini and the King, and in June 1940 Mussolini deprived king of his role as supreme military commander after joining WW2

Question 3

how did the king still have some power?

Answer 3

he resisted some elements of fascism in terms of army service and denying the army from making fascist salute, refused to allow fascist symbol to be incorporated into Italian flag, was critical of antisemtiic laws though he still signed them, he remained constitutionally the only one able to remove Mussolini, and ordered his arrest in 1943

Question 4

give evidence that Mussolini brought the civil service under the control of the fascists

Answer 4

from 1922-24 the number of ministries was cut from 15 to 11, and 50,000 railwaymen were sacked
number of civil servants was greatly increased to offer jobs to Fascist supporters

Question 5

give evidence that he did not bring the civil service under control

Answer 5

after 1925 civil servants kept their jobs, by 1930 it was expanding again and by 1939 there were 15 ministries once more, in 1917 only 15% of civil service were members of PNF. BUT this changed in 1935 when it was made compulsory

Question 6

give evidence that Mussolini brought the judiciary under the control of the fascists

Answer 6

anti-fascist judges were removed from their posts and replaced with fascists, and imprisonment without trial became more frequent

Question 7

give evidence that Mussolini did not bring the judiciary under control

Answer 7

the system was largely unchanged, apart from the establishment of the Special Tribunal for the Defence of the State in Nov. 1926, and the ordinary courts were not altered and the remaining judges joined the PNF and kept their jobs

Question 8

what were the shared interests between Mussolini and the armed forces?

Answer 8

expansion of armed forces
aggressive foreign policy
promoting senior generals to gain their support

Question 9

give evidence that Mussolini gained support of the armed forces

Answer 9

army was supportive because of shared interests, thus they gave their loyalty to Mussolini, and inreasingly the more senior positions in army were given to fascists (but no major reorganisation or purge)
army was discontented in 1925 about plans to reduce its size but these plans were soon brought to an end
army had the potential to replace Mussolini by a coup, but this was never attempted and it remained passive.

Question 10

give evidence that Mussolini did not have the support of the armed forces

Answer 10

armed forces were disorganised and disunited, and this lack of intervention was popular with career officers but ended up being disastrous in the long run in terms of the army’s readiness for action in WW2

Question 11

what change did the laws of December 1925 bring to Italy’s central govt?

Answer 11

the head of govt alone could decide what parlt could discuss, and only Mussolini could initiate legislation

Question 12

what powers did parlt lose in 1926?

Answer 12

parlt lost the ability to discuss policy, debate, and amend proposed legislation

Question 13

what happened to Italian parlt after all opposition parties were banned?

Answer 13

parlt became full of fascist supporters who simply rubber-stamped Fascist laws.
it was later replaced by the Chamber of Fasces and Corporations in 1938

Question 14

how was the Chamber of Deputies chosen in 1928?

Answer 14

parlt was to be made up of 400 deputies chosen by the Fascist Grand Council from a list of 1,000 candidates nominated by fascist confederations and public bodies

Question 15

what was the significance of the Grand Council’s role in December 1928?

Answer 15

the Grand Council became the most important legal body in the state, responsible for discussing and approving all major matters of govt and party policy

Question 16

did the Grand Council have any influence over Mussolini’s policies?

Answer 16

No, Mussolini had complete control over policies, such as the accommodation with the Catholic Church in 1929 and Italy’s entry into WW2 in 1940.
The Grand Council had little influence in practice

Question 17

what was Mussolini’s role in the Fascist Grand Council?

Answer 17

he retained the power to appoint PNF leaders and set out laws to be debated by the Grand Council, controlling key policies without consultation

Question 18

what powers did prefects hold in provinces?

Answer 18

prefects were responsible for organising police, ensuring press censorship, and suppressing antifascist activity.
they were appointed by Mussolini to ensure loyalty

Question 19

who controlled local councils within each province?

Answer 19

local councils were run by the podesta, who were appointed by the prefect
they were typically conservative elites, not fascists

Question 20

how did Mussolini change the composition of the Senate?

Answer 20

though the Senate remained unchanged, Mussolini created a greater fascist presence by ensuring that all new senators were fascists

Question 21

how did Mussolini seek to strengthen his position within the fascist movement?

Answer 21

mussolini sought adulation and exploited rivalries among his ministers, encouraging them to undermine each other, preventing a powerful rival from emerging

Question 22

why did Mussolini dismiss talented Fascists like Alfredo Rocco and August Turati by 1933?

Answer 22

Mussolini replaced them with figures who were less likely to question his leadership, consolidating his power

Question 23

who was Alfredo Rocco, and what role did he play in the fascist regime?

Answer 23

he was a fascist theorist who conceived the idea of the Corporate state and served as Italy’s Minister of Justice from 1925 to 1932. he later became a senator of a university
died in 1935

Question 24

what was the significance of the 1923 merger between the Italian Nationalist Association (ANI) and the PNF?

Answer 24

the merger had a greater impact on Mussolini’s policies than the more radical aspects of fascist thought, helping to consolidate his power and bring nationalists like Luigi Federzoni into the fascist movement

Question 25

who was Luigi Federzoni, and what role did he play in Mussolini's govt?

Answer 25

he was appointed Minister of the Interior in 1924, playing an important role in placating conservative elites during the Matteotti crisis

Question 26

how did former ANI members like Roberto Cantalupo influence fascist policies?

Answer 26

Cantalupo, along with others like Emilio Bodrero, influenced fascist educational policies, asserting that the creation of a generation loyal to fascist ideals was a key goal

Question 27

what was Constanzo Ciano's role in Mussolini's govt?

Answer 27

he was an ex-nationalist who served as Minister of Communications from 1924-34, making him the longest serving minister in the fascist regime after Mussolini

Question 28

how did nationalist thought influence Mussolini's foreign policies in the 1930s?

Answer 28

Mussolini's aggressive foreign policy, particularly from the mid-1930s, was influenced by nationalist ideas on Italian expansion and imperialism, rooted in the ANI's foundation in 1910

Question 29

what was Roberto Farinacci's role in the PNF, and what did he do as party secretary?

Answer 29

he was appointed party secretary in 1925 and purged the PNF of those who disagreed with Mussolini's political direction. his violent actions became unpopular, leading to his dismissal

Question 30

how did Augusto Turati reshape the PNF between 1926-30?

Answer 30

as party secretary, he ensured the PNF became a tool to implement Mussolini's policies, expelling 50,000-60,000 older fascists and causing 110,000 others to leave voluntarily

Question 31

what happened during Giovanni Giuriati's time as party secretary (1930-31)?

Answer 31

he oversaw the purge of 120,000 members from the PNF, replacing them with 800,000 new fascists

Question 32

who were the 800,000 new members of the PNF, and why was this significant?

Answer 32

most were clerks, civil servants, and white-collar workers who joined the PNF for employment opportunities rather than ideological reasons, demonstrating the party's shift towards serving personal interests

Question 33

what approach did Mussolini take when appointing members to senior posiitons in the PNF?

Answer 33

Mussolini appointed loyal fascists who were obedient and unlikely to challenge his authority, often prioritising loyalty over ability

Question 34

what were some of the diisions within PNF?

Answer 34

PNF had factions inc. the squadristi, those demanding industrial reorganisation, nationalists pushing for territorial expansion, and conservatives focused on law and order

Question 35

how did Mussolini manipulate divisions within the PNF?

Answer 35

he manipulated divisions by aligning one group's interests at the expense of another, shifting his position when it suited his political goals. initially, he sought support from conservatives, then later focused on a social revolution in the late 1930s

Question 36

how did the fascist regime's ban on strikes and state-imposed wage controls benefit agrarian employers?

Answer 36

the ban on strikes and state-imposed wage controls allowed agrarian employers and landowners to pay workers less, making it more cost-effective for them

Question 37

how did land reclamation policies benefit landowners under Mussolini's regime?

Answer 37

landowners were allowed to control land reclamation policies, inc. choosing the land to be reclaimed and overseeing the process, preventing any radical changes to farming or land distribution

Question 38

what were Alberto de Stefani's pro-business policies, and how did they gain the support of industrialists?

Answer 38

as finance minister, de Stefani privatised telephone companies, reintroduced private life insurance, and reduced taxes on war profits, which appealed to leading industrialists and economic interest groups

Question 39

what was the Vidoni Palace Pact (1925) and how did it help gain industrial support?

Answer 39

it banned Catholic and Socialist trade unions, removed their bargaining rights, and led to the banning of strikes, which pleased indsutry leaders and secured their support for the Fascist regime

Question 40

how did the concept of the Corporate State benefit industrialists under Mussolini?

Answer 40

the Corporate State removed the power of unions, benefiting industrialists by reducing labour-related disruptions. although some industrialists were intially skeptical, many were persuaded to support Mussolini due to these advantages

Question 41

what was the impact of the Rocco Law (1926) on industrialists?

Answer 41

it banned strikes, go-slows, and lockouts, while also granting syndicates some rights to representation and compulsory arbitration for disputes. this ensured industrial production remained uninterrupted, which was welcomed by industrial interest groups

Question 42

how did Mussolini's policies during the Depression of the 1930s favor big business and landowners?

Answer 42

Mussolini's policies during the Depression supported big businesses, such as Montecatini (chemicals), and ILVA (steel), by further cutting wages and propping up the interests of large and medium sized landowners

Question 43

who were the main beneficiaries of the Fascist economic policies during Mussolini's regime?

Answer 43

wealthier industrial and agricultural interest groups, who gained from policies that supported big businesses and favoured landowners