The Creation of a Fascist Dictatorship (1922-1926) Flashcards
Who made up Mussolini’s government? Why was it called a ‘National Government’?
- 4 fascists (including Mussolini)
- 4 liberals
- 2 PPI members
- 1 ANI member
- 3 independents
- It was coalition of right-wing groups
In what other way were the fascists outnumbered?
- Only 35 deputies out of 535 were fascists in the Chamber of Deputies
- The PSI still had the most seats; 123
How did Mussolini distribute roles in his government?
- He appointed himself Foreign Minister and Minister of the Interior
- He appointed Alberto de Stefani as Minister of Finance
- He appointed Stefano Cavazzoni as Minster of Work and Welfare
Why was Mussolini’s decision to appoint de Stefani important?
- De’Stefani was an orthodox economist
- It helped win the support of conservative industrialists as they could see that there would be no radical economic changes
Why was the appointment of Cavazzoni significant?
- He was a PPI member, so after his appointment he encouraged the rest of the party to work with Mussolini
- Other Catholic politicians then did do this
What were 2 other ways Mussolini tried to gain the Catholic Church’s trust?
- He increased clerical pay
- He reinstated crucifixes in schools
What were 6 features of Mussolini’s first speech as prime minister in November 1922?
- It was a mixture of offers to work with parliament as well as threats of violence to any who disagreed with him
- He threatened to close down the Italian parliament
- He credited the king for preventing civil war by not introducing martial law
- He emphasised the role of the Catholic Church within society
- He promised to uphold the law (even against fascist violence) and constitutional liberties
- He demanded emergency powers for a year to deal with the existing political and economic issues
How many in the Chamber of Deputies voted to grant Mussolini emergency powers?
- 306: 116 voted in favour (mainly socialists and communists voted against)
Why did the Chamber of Deputies grant Mussolini emergency powers, and for how long?
- Due to the combination of his threats and promises
- 1 year
List 3 other reasons why liberals agreed to give Mussolini emergency powers.
- They wanted an end to ineffective coalition governments
- They believed they could influence/ control Mussolini
- They believed only the fascists could put an end to socialism
List the 2 main powers that having emergency powers gave Mussolini.
- He had full power to govern without parliamentary approval
- He could not be removed by parliament in this period of time
How did Mussolini deal with the ANI?
- In February 1923 the ANI was officially absorbed into the PNF
When did the PPI begin to decline? What were 3 reasons why?
- In July 1923 Luigi Sturzo resigned due to his concerns that the PPI was being too absorbed into the PNF
- Mussolini’s pro-Catholic policies encouraged the Vatican to support the PNF at the expense of the PPI
- Due to the lack of support from the Vatican and the absence of Sturzo’s leadership, the party began to decline
List 2 ways that the PNF threatened Mussolini’s position, and explain them.
- Fascist violence ran the risk of losing Mussolini support from the liberal elite and the middle classes, especially since the likelihood of a socialist revolution happening was very low, so it was viewed as no longer being necessary by many Italians
- Support for the PNF was now also coming primarily from the middle classes
- The ras and squadristi wanted to shut down all political parties and the Italian parliament, but Mussolini was against revolution and illegal actions
- He wanted to take control legally and supported ‘normalisation’ (returning to normal legal methods of doing politics)
What were the 2 organisations Mussolini created to control the PNF, and when was each created?
- The Grand Council of Fascism, December 1922
- The MVSN, January 1923
What was the Grand Council of Fascism? Give 2 details.
- It was a body of leading fascists such as Balbo, De Bono and Bianchi who were all chosen by Mussolini
- It was a rival organisation to the cabinet
List 3 purposes of the Grand Council of Fascism.
- Mussolini used it to exert his control over the party as he controlled appointments, and as it was the supreme body of the PNF, Mussolini controlled the whole party by extension
- It created policy instead of the elected parliament, and bypassed it
- It helped Mussolini overcome his weak position in the cabinet
What happened to De Vecchi, and why?
- Mussolini sent him to govern Italian Somaliland
- He had continued to support the use of violence against political opponents
What was the MVSN? Give 4 details.
- The Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale; Fascist Militia
- This organised the 300,000 existing squadristi into a party-based paramilitary force that were paid directly by the state
- Their job was to support the army and police ‘to defend the fascist revolution’
- They swore an oath of allegiance to Mussolini and Italy (not the king or government)
What did the creation of the MVSN mean for the ras? Give 2 details.
- They were replaced by former army officers
- More than 200 were expelled from the party
What other organisation did Mussolini create, and who led it?
- The Cheka; his secret personal bodyguard
- Amerigo Dumini
Give figures for the increase in support for the PNF.
- Members:
- October 1922: 300,000
- end of 1923: 780,000
What was the Acerbo Law?
- It proposed that the party with the most votes (provided it had over 25%) would gain two-thirds of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies
- The remaining one-third of the seats would be distributed in the same proportion that the rest of the parties won seats in
What were 3 reasons why Mussolini wanted to pass the Acerbo Law?
- If he could win the most seats, he would have a clear majority in the Chamber of Deputies
- Many local governments were dominated by fascists, so fascist squads could be used to fix elections
- Mussolini could stop the police from acting against this as he was minister of the interior
How did the vote for the Acerbo Law go?
- 235 for
- 139 against
When was the Acerbo Law passed?
- July 1923