The Rise of Fascism 1919-22 Flashcards
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Describe the first fascist demonstration of violence
- 15th April 1919
- A fascist squad of around 200-300 attacked a socialist demonstration in Milan and burned down the Milan offices of Avanti
- M had not authorised the violence in Milan, but helped him realise the power of squaristi violence
- govt made no attempt to condemn - police, army & govt would tolerate it for fears of socialist rev
What was the outcome of the November 1919 elections for the Liberals?
The elections disappointed the Fascists, winning no seats in parliament, and highlighted the Liberals’ unpopularity.
How did Nitti’s Liberal government maintain its majority?
It relied upon support from Catholic deputies.
What was the PPI and who led it?
The PPI, or Popolari, was founded in January 1919
it contained conservative catholics & catholics committed to moral & social justice
and led by Sicilian priest Don Sturzo.
What was the PPI’s stance on government involvement?
- The PPI was reluctant to play a major role in government but supported the Liberals for policy concessions
- It found it easier to agree on what it opposed rather than what it stood for
What was Nitti’s fate in June 1920?
Nitti quietly resigned and was replaced by Giovanni Giolitti, because Nitti’s lib govt was disliked by both the right & the left
Why did Nitti resign
- economic crisis
- Fiume discredited his government;
- failure to please the left by granting major reform or the right by crushing protests and strikes;
- and falling support from the PPI
What was Giolitti’s approach to coalition building?
- The majority of socialists continued to be hostile to the liberals, so Giolitti relied on support from Catholics
- Giolitti attempted to appeal to both right and left (Trasformismo)
Describe Giolitti’s coalition make up
- Liberals, Populari and a handful of moderate Socialists joined this coalition
- The majority of Socialists were very hostile
What event occurred in September 1920 involving engineering workers?
Workers occupied factories to prevent employers from locking them out during a wage dispute
How many workers were involved in the factory occupations?
Approximately 400,000 workers from northern cities participated.
What was Giolitti’s policy during the factory occupations?
He followed a policy of neutrality, which looked like the govt had given into union demands, which angered industrialists.
What were the consequences of Giolitti’s neutrality policy?
- Employers feared revolution and denounced the Liberals for cowardice, weakening the liberals further
- Once the 8 hour working days & minimum wage were introduced, it appeared this is when the upper & middle classes may have turned to fascism
What was happening in the countryside during this period?
There were agricultural strikes and land occupations with trade unions expanding to nearly a million members e.g in Emilia, Tuscany & Po Valley
What were the circumstances of the socialist advance in Ferrara & Bologna
- Workers could only gain employment through a job centre run by the Socialist Labourer’s Union
- If landowners resisted these demands, they could face disruption and may be subject to physical attack
What was the economic circumstances in February 1920
- economic crisis with the production of wheat at 38 million quintals compared to the 52 million pre WW1
- industrial production had also fallen by 15% from 1914 levels
What did Mussolini encourage the formation of
- more armed squads across Italy, wearing black unifroms & carrying manganello (clubs) as their weapons
How did fascist fight back against continuing socialist threat
E.g in Emilia and Tuscany, people turning to local fascist squads who shared their hatred of socialism, supporting local fascist leaders like Italo Balbo in Ferrara and Dino Grandi in Bologna for help.
attacking socialist councils and supporters in Italy in an attempt to weaken power
Give evidence of the continued power of the socialists
November 1920 - Local elections highlighted the continuing power of the socialists, as they now controlled 26 of Italy’s 69 provinces, mainly in northern and central Italy
Importantly, many of the fascist squadristi weapons were supplied by the…
…local police and army barracks
What convinced Mussolini to take the fascist movement more definitely to the right
- The fascist failure in the 1919 election
- & the popularity of the fascist action against the socialists,
- among Italians who feared a revolution (middle classes; military; some elements of the ruling elite etc.)
What happened at the second fascist congress
- May 1920 - a “New Programme” was adopted
- more conservative and right wing, dropping any mentions of removing the monarchy and attacking the power of the Pope
- pro-business references and calls for compulsory military service
- considerably more successful and popular with the Italian population
What control did Socialists have in local elections of 1920?
- Socialists controlled 26 of the country’s 69 provinces, mainly in northern and central Italy
- In Emilia, controlled 80% of local councils
What concerns did the urban middle class have regarding Socialism?
They were worried about potential local tax increases benefitting the wealthy
What were the shopkeepers concerned about in the 1920 elections
- the potential competition from the spread of Socialist-sponsored co-operatives:
- designed to offer fair prices, but also allow the shop workers a say in the running of the business and a share of the profits
What began to happen by the end of 1920 in northern and central Italy?
Right-wingers started to fight back against Socialism with violence, which seemed justified in the face of revolution
What actions did frightened landowners and townsfolk take?
In Emilia & Tuscany, they turned to local Fascist groups that shared their hatred of Socialism
What was one of the first examples of Fascist violence?
- In November 1920, violence erupted during a meeting of a new Socialist council in Bologna
- OR Christmas Day 1920 Italian troops bombarded d’Annunzio’s headquarters. Within days he left Fiume without putting up any resistance
What methods were used by Fascists against Socialists?
- violence against Socialist offices
- trade unions
- the drinking of castor oil
What was the extent of violence during winter and spring 2021?
- 80 trade union offices were destroyed, with 200 dead and 800 wounded
- 100 socialist sympathisers were killed in the lead up to the election
Where were the strongholds of the Fascist squads by spring 1921?
Emilia and Tuscany were strongholds of the squadrismo
How did opposition to the fascists lessen in January 1921
- The more radical members of the PSI left to form the PCI supported by Russia
- The Fascists’ most critical opponents were weakened as a result of this split
What was the outcome of Giolitti’s mishandling of the election in May 1921
- Giolitti allowed the fascist on his electoral roll –> hoping this would gain the liberals more votes
- but it just enabled Mussolini to gain respectability and a foothold in parliament
- & that violence and intimidation did not deter the voters with the Fascists winning 35 seats
How did Mussolini view his own presitige in 1921
- success of the squadrismo –> Mussolini reasserted his claim to be the sole leader of the movement
- With him as leader Fascism could be presented as a national movement
- Mussolini continued to build the myth that the failure of the left was due to the Fascists and that he “saved Italy”
How did Mussolini maintain support July 1921
Mussolini called for an end of violence to keep the middle class and industrialist support.
What did Mussolini sign in Augsust 1921
The Pact of Pacification with the socialist trade union and the PSI
To the public, why did it appear that Mussolini signed the Pact of Pacification
In public he said this was to bring peace to Italy
In reality, why did Mussolini sign the Pact of Pacification
Mussolini was hoping the liberals and Catholics within parliament would come to a deal to stop him working with the socialists
How did Mussolini manipulate the Pact of Pacification
- When the ras bosses withdraw their support for Mussolini he resigned
- At the PNF conference in November Fascist delegates overwhelmingly voted to support Mussolini as their leader and it became an official party
- Mussolini had cemented his position as leader through political manoeuvring
- He then dropped the Pact of Pacification
What did Mussolini do in November 1921
- Mussolini made a direct attempt to appease Catholics;
- the Fascists now opposed divorce, were in agreement with the Popolari that the peasants deserved a better deal and were willing to settle the Roman question on terms acceptable to the Pope
How did the political situation encourage Mussolini’s explosion of violence in 1922
- Mussolini was helped by the inadequate response of the liberal government.
Ivanoe Bonomi’s govt collapsed in Feb –> replaced by uigi Facta - Fascist violence surged –> ras Italo Balbo leading squads along the east coast of Ifaly, destroying all houses and offices where the socialists and communists held meetings –> govt do nothing
