The king at the time of Mussolini’s coming to power was King Victor Emmanuel III. He was an unremarkable ruler who achieved very little. He was the one who gave into the terms and conditions of the people of Italy, due to factors, which got to him, such as fear of a civil war, socialism and his sense of insecurity. Only the king had the power to appoint the Prime Minister, so it was in Mussolini’s favor to force it upon him. By the autumn of 1922, Mussolini was in contact with most major politicians of the formation of a new government that would include the fascists.
To what extent had the liberal government created a united Italy by 1900? The liberal government of Italy, founded in 1871 after the unification that made the nation, adopted the task of creating a ‘united’ Italy. The government made certain prosperous changes such as the vast improvements in education and steel production; however there were several matters they had to overcome along the way, including the strong influence from the Pope and the strong North South divide, as well as the fact that the new liberal government was corrupt, these all contributed to Italy being by no means united by 1900. The new Government were condemned from their beginning as The Roman Catholic church had ordered Italians not to vote for the government as it had lost a lot of land during unification; also the Pope refused to recognise the legitimacy of the kingdom of Italy and instructed Italian Catholics to boycott Italian politics. This proved a problem for the newly formed government as Italy was a predominantly Catholic country and many Italians were devoted to the Pope.
Mazzini gave tremendous support to Italian Nationalism and he spent most of his time convincing Italians to support the creation of a democratic, self-governing state of Italy. His complex ideas such as ‘The Brotherhood of people’ meant that he had limited appeal to upper classes, and his radical views also did not appeal to the middle classes and liberals who opposed violence. The revolutions in support for national unity in the years 1848-9 meant that for 18 months the Italian peninsula was in turmoil until the gains won by liberals were reversed and the revolutions that had taken place were suppressed. To a large extent I agree that Mazzini’s limited appeal contributed to slow progress, however I think that there are other over-riding factors such as the influence of the Church and lack of foreign support that would have also contributed. It could be argued that Mazzini’s ideas were the main reason for the slow progress of national unity in Italy in the years 1815-48.
At the beginning of 1922, Italy was in a state of permanent political instability. Fascist violence was increasing in intensity. Parliamentary government could only function through patched-up coalition government by political parties who were incapable of united action. The First World War was mostly fought in the North East against Austria. Italy was defeated at Caporetto in 1917 but rallied to win the battle of Vittorio Veneto in 1918.
Although he wanted a democratic unified government, many of his ideas were very radical and idealistic. Mazzini’s ideas were clearly portrayed in the motto of the Roman Republic,”Dio et il popolo” (God and the People) and that Italy should be unified ‘from below’. He wanted the people of Italy to rise up from their high-powered oppressors and stressed that they should be unified by their ‘own efforts’ for fear that one domination would be replaced by another outside influence, Mazzini’s key idea of Nationalism would mean a ‘violent insurrection’ was needed. Some Liberals opposed this idea of violence and instead wanted to work with rulers to gain Constitutions instead. Therefore he had limited appeal and lacked progress and so is a reason for the slow progress of the unification of Italy.
What debt, if any, did German Nazism owe to Italian Fascism? Analyse the similarities and differences between the two regimes. The First World War has resulted in revolutionary movements across the whole of Europe. The unstable situation did not omit Italy and Germany. In both countries the aftermaths of the war led to frustration amongst the society, economic and political crisis and as a result, to revolution.
They were able to do this because they had considerable influence over those who worked for them and could get them to vote for fascism instead of socialism. These two different sources of support for Mussolini helped to consolidate his power in 1922-1924. Another reason for Mussolini being able to consolidate his power in 1922-1924 was the actions of his opposition. Throughout Mussolini’s entire rise to power, and his decisions in parliament once he reached it, his opponents were constantly divided. This meant that while the socialists and liberals
This provided an opportunity for the revolutionary nationalist movements that offered action-based means to rebuilding nations. This essay will address the Fascist ideology in comparison to the other popular political movements of the time. Focusing on Italy and Germany, it will identify and discuss the post-war crisis events that led European societies away from democracy and towards the one-party state. Fascism was a “response to the problems of national development and individual identity that appeared in the wake of military defeat, political frustration, demobilization, class struggle and economic depression”. The Fascist ideology, as first outlined by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, varied greatly from one Fascist party to another.
In 1932 Hitler won 230 seats in the Reichstag, making the Nazi party the largest in the Reichstag automatically making Hitler Chancellor. But it wouldn’t work like that. President Hindenburg, Franz von Papen and General von Schleicher all hated and distrusted Hitler so it was not going to be easy for Hitler to become Chancellor. Hindenburg could however see that Hitler and the Nazis could prove helpful so he appointed von Papen as Chancellor. Von Papen had no support in the Reichstag but he hoped that he could ‘get in’ with the Nazis and other right-wing parties.
Historians have many different reasons why Mussolini came in to power in 1922; some believe that the events such as World War I and the problems with the Italian government caused a shift in the way Italians’ thought. However it cannot be forgotten the talents and abilities that Mussolini showed, that allowed him to gain the government leader. Talents are defined by a marked innate ability to accomplish a specific task. To rise through the political ranks and become Prime Minister, Mussolini must have shown glimpses of his talents to allow him to gain such a high ranked role. Abilities show the quality of being able to achieve something especially with mental power.