The Fascist State 1925 - 40 Flashcards
What organisation was set up in 1925 as a replacement for something (what was this?) ?
- 1925 –> OND set up
- Replaced socialist organisations for welfare + worker recreation that had been shut down
What did each OND section typically have?
- Clubhouse
- Recreation ground
What did OND offer workers?
- Variety of social + sporting opportunities eg. libraries (8625 by 1939) + football teams
- Plays, concerts + art exhibitions
- Dopolavaro clubhouses for local communities (by mid 1930s, nearly every town had one)
- Food and clothing for poorer people
- Providing radio sets
- Rail ticket discounts
- Welfare for workers
- Provided social insurance
- Holidays subsidised by fascists for virtually no cost eg. mountain retreat
Compare OND membership in 1926 and 1935
- 1926 –> 300,000
- 1935 –> 2.4 mil
How many members did OND have by 1939 and what percentage of industrial, private and state sector workers were members?
- 4 mil
- 80% of state + private sector workers
- 40% of industrial
What was different about OND when compared to other fascist organisations?
There was no particular promotion of fascist ideologies
What did the PNF complain about in relation to OND and how did Mussolini respond to this?
- Complained that it made no attempt to provide fascist education to workers
- Mussolini said the achievement of OND was that it workers were meeting in places + participating in social activities linked to PNF and that this was more important
Who was the OND originally set up to be responsible to, but who did this later become part of and when?
- Originally, under Ministry of National Economy
- From 1927 –> Part of PNF
When were youth organisations set up and under which organisation?
- 1926
- Under ONB
What were the 3 female youth organisations?
- Daughters of the She Wolf (6 to 8 yrs)
- Little Italians (8 to 12 yrs)
- Young Italian Women (13 to 18 yrs)
How was the ONB restructured and when did this happen?
- 1934
- Split into 3 categories: Sons of the She Wolf (6 to 8 yrs) , Balilla (8 to 14 yrs) + Avanguardisti (15 to 18)
What did members of ONB have to do?
- Swear oath of loyalty
- Learn Balilla creed
- Wear uniform
How was uniform different between the Balilla and Avanguardisti?
- Balilla –> black shirt, blue scarf, black tasselled cap, grey shorts
- Avanguardisti –> Similar uniform to Blackshirts, military rifles, bayonets, gathered together to sing Giovinezza (fascist hymn)
What was the GUF’s main goal, how long did this run until and what happened to those who won?
- To run the Littorali (national student games involving cultural + debate competitions on fascist themes)
- Earmarked for future success in PNF + other organisations
- From 1934 to 1940
What was there an increased emphasis on and why?
- Sport and exercise –> need for biologically fit Italian race
- Religious instruction –> due to Lateran Pacts
How was the focus of physical education implemented into youth programme for girls and why was this an aim?
- Gymnastics
- Ensure they would be able to bear healthy children
What happened in youth organisations?
- Constantly exposed to fascist propaganda
- Physical exercise
- Attendance at summer camp
- Militaristic activities
- Traditionally feminine activities for girls
Were there any other youth organisations?
All were banned except those provided by RCC
What were the advantages of being a member in a youth organisation beyond the age of 11?
- Access to jobs + special scholarships
- Free sports facilities
- Enjoyable social occasions
- Holidays at seaside for urban children
What were the disadvantages of being a non-member beyond age of 11?
- Difficult to enrol in further education
- Barred employment in civil service
- Seen as a reason to suspect families of being anti-fascist
What was the aim of the youth programme for boys and activities did they do at specific ages for this?
- Producing young fascist soldiers
- 8 to 14 yrs –> Trained in moral + spiritual defence of country
- From 14 –> Special gymnastic + sporting programmes as physical prep for military life
- At 18 –> All able-bodied males under military training
- ONB: Sport + military training w/ activities eg. marching, wrestling
How successful were youth organisations in the rural south and why was this the case (give stats) ?
- Not very successful
- Most did not study past 11 esp girls
- Nature of agricultural work made it difficult to participate
- Boys enjoyed their activities much more than the girls (1937 survey by PNF in Rome showed girls were much more interested in sporting activities provided to boys)
When was membership in youth organisations beyond 11 yrs old made compulsory?
1939
After the Church’s movement was banned and ONB membership made compulsory, what did membership numbers increase to?
- More than 8.5 mil
What had been created in 1929, what was its role, what did it control and what did this mean?
- Ministry of National Education
- Oversee scholarly education + physical training of Italy’s youth
- All youth organisations
- Compulsory for all boys + girls in elementary (6 to 11 yrs)
Who was the first fascist Minister of Education, what was his plan from 1923, was this popular and what happened in the end?
- Giovanni Gentile
- Improve literacy + increase educational standards
- Unpopular
- From 1929 –> Deprived of power by those who saw education as an opportunity for indoctrination
What changes were made in schools?
- Teacher must refer to Mussolini’s heroic qualities
- Portrait of Mussolini in every classroom alongside Kings
- Posters emphasising fascist achievements
- School day begins with a fascist slogan
- Taught to read w/ books using fascist cartoons + quotes from Mussolini’s speeches
- From 1928 –> 1 authorised gov textbook, libro unico, w/ all subjects esp achievements of Italian history + literature
- History textbooks lacking patriotic content replaced (1926 –> 101/317 textbooks banned as a result)
- Encouraged to make links between Caesar + Mussolini
What was uni like?
- Less focus on formal fascist education/military training in uni
- Had to join University Fascist Youth
What were the benefits of joining the University Fascist Youth?
- Use of sports facilities
- Half price admissions for entertainment
- Partial exemption from military service
- Enhanced career prospects
How did the stats for number of university students change between 1921 and 1942?
- 1921 –> 54,000
- 1942 –> 165,000
- More diverse range of backgrounds
What was the biggest problem faced by fascists in relation to unis, however what shows that this was manageable?
- Professors were harder to dismiss + harder to threaten into obedience + could not be tricked that it was just a formality
- Did not want to join PNF/take oath of loyalty
- Only 11/1250 refused
What did teachers have to do after 1931, how were some tricked into doing this and what did teachers have to have done to be employed?
- After 1931 –> Take oath of loyalty to regime
- Said it was just a formality
- Must have received teachers’ diploma after 1923 (when Fascists consolidated power)
Which people were removed from their jobs, when and as a result what became compulsory?
- 1920s –> Antifascist teachers
- Teachers who did not agree w/ changes
- 1933 –> Teachers must belong to PNF
Give examples of sporting events used for propaganda purposes
- 1932 –> 12 Olympic gold medals won
- 1934 + 1938 football World Cup winners
- Between 1933 + 1935 –> Primo Carnera, an Italian, was world boxing champion
For what two reasons was culture used for in the fascist regime?
- Enhance authority
- Increase external prestige of the Fascist state
The definition of Fascist style was unclear. What was Mussolini’s, Farinacci’s and Bottai’s take on this?
- Mussolini: Looked to Novecento movement, which emphasised Roman styles, rejected recent past + embraced cultural nationalism
- Farinacci: Favoured 18th - 19th century traditions
- Bottai: No state art
What were the two main artistic/architectural tendencies that existed under the fascist regime and which did fascists tend to favour?
- Neo-classical
- Modernist
- Fascists favoured neo-classical
What did art frequently portray?
- Sturdy rural/industrial workers
- Productive women
- Virile youths