Case Study in the Rise of Fascism: Mussolini. Overview The disintegration of order in Italian...
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Transcript of Case Study in the Rise of Fascism: Mussolini. Overview The disintegration of order in Italian...
Case Study in the Rise of Fascism: Mussolini
Overview
• The disintegration of order in Italian society made possible the rise of the fascist party.
• These conditions were similar to those conditions present in Germany, Portugal, Greece and Spain during the rise of their respective dictatorial movements– Italy: Mussolini– Germany: Hitler– Spain: Franco– Greece: Metaxas– Portugal: Salazar
Economic Backdrop• Large-scale post-war inflation• Post-war land seizure by
peasants and agricultural reorganization
• Agricultural prices rose from rural confusion and drop in production
• War debts encouraged government to devalue lire
• Prices rose for industrial products, but wages remained unchanged
• Strikes in industry and transportation
– 1914: 300,000 strikers in Italy– 1919: 1,500,000 strikers in Italy
Rise of Italian Socialism• Success of Bolshevik Revolution• The “Communist International"
unified European radical socialists• Italian Socialist Party (PSI) offered
industrial working class hope and power
– 1914: 50,000 PSI members– 1919: 200,000 PSI members– 1919: PSI controlled 26/69 provinces
• PSI controlled 156 seats in parliament
• Largest political party in Italy
• Socialist rise frightened upper classes
• Socialist rise frightened conservative middle and lower class members
• Socialist party seen as encouraging strikes
Public Disillusionment with WW1
• Italy failed to receive all of expected land from WWI, especially Fiume on Adriatic
• Sense of betrayal of Treaty of London (secret 1915 treaty: Italy to join Allies in exchange for land)
• Massive war debt incurred
• Large war death toll
Class Antagonism
• Blue-collar wage stagnation bred hatred of upper class
• Upper-class feared national paralysis from strikes
• Unemployed youths blamed situation on upper classes and socialists
Weak Government
• Government unable to curtail strikes through politics
• Government unable to maintain stable currency
• Government unable to curtail independent political groups
– 1919: D'Annunzio occupation of Fiume (and actually declared an independent Fiume!)
– 1919-1922: Mussolini's organization of Black Shirts
Rise of Mussolini• Originally a socialist
newspaper writer, he switched to oppose socialists
• Offered stability and order to those who feared chaos
• Offered "approved" outlet for discontented youths: “The Black Shirts” paramilitary organization
• Offered working class alternative to economic collapse (scapegoat: socialists and weak government)
• Offered upper classes an alternative to socialism (scapegoat: strikers and socialists)
Rise of Mussolini• Victor Emmanuel III had power
to name prime minister• Mussolini offered solution to
chaos (and threatened to take power by force)
• Offered nation direction for growth in self-worth: return to glory of ancient Rome
• Used Black Shirts to gain power "leverage“ through intimidation, murder
• Used social disapproval of socialists to excuse brutal attacks upon his opposition
• October 1922 “March on Rome” led VE to name Mussolini prime minister