This meant that the majority of Catholics in Italy now supported Mussolini too. The reason the elites were important was for the same reason, they gave Mussolini support. But this time, instead of from the religious sector, the support came from the industrialists, known as the Elites. They feared socialism and saw fascism as the best way to combat their enemies. 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.
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. This helped Mussolini consolidate more favor towards him as King V.Emmanuel never stuck to his own convictions and was pushed very easily by the people he worked with and the government. The Fascist tactics also had an impact towards Mussolini being prime minister. During 1920 and 1921 the fascist movement gained many new recruits from central Italy and the rural south. In order to keep control of the movement Mussolini had to take the ‘Fascist revolution’ a step further.
Mussolini used changes in the law to strengthen his grip on Government in Italy. In December the Fascist Grand Council was created.This council was given a lot of power over the government in Italy such as; the power to elect fascist party deputies, the power to elect the heir to the throne and successor of the prime minister. This therefore secured the fascists hold over government, even if Mussolini resigned or was voted out. The black shirts were made into an official militia, giving Mussolini more power to control the streets and therefore the people. The Civil Service of Italy, which ran the country’s affairs, was gradually filled with fascists so there was no obstruction to Mussolini’s policies.
The Matteoti crisis put Mussolini in a very powerful position with a great excuse to keep the opposition out of parliament. Other factors such as the acerbo laws, legge fascitisme, control of the squadristi/ras and the role of the king. The actions of the elites and the Catholic Church contributed greatly to giving Mussolini the opportunity to gain dictatorial powers. The elites are a group in Italian society who had a lot of money and therefore power. For years under the liberal government the elites had benefited from the system of trasformismo.
There were no jobs, poverty was spreading. Moreover, German and Italian nations are considered to be very proud, and the damaged reputation after the war has only increased the instability in those countries. Fascism in Italy has developed earlier than Nazism in Germany, therefore it is often believed that Nazism was to a great extent based on the Italian Fascism. The aim of this essay is to examine the way in which fascism has influenced Nazism by analysing the similarities
The Great Depression left European nations in ruins. The people were in desperate need for a strong leader to rise out of the ashes. Ordinary individuals became extraordinary supreme leaders overnight. Benito Mussolini was one of these people. With Mussolini’s strong beliefs in totalitarianism, militarism, nationalism, and imperialism, he was able to rise to power and carry out his Italian War Plan.
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.
To what extent was fascist control of Italy 1925-1943 the result of the effective use of propaganda? Mussolini used propaganda to expand his control over the Italian people. However, there are other factors to consider, including, Mussolini’s economic policies, his good relationship with the traditional elites and the use of repression. Firstly, Mussolini used The Cult of the Duce as propaganda to gain support, this method of propaganda was at its highest in 1930. Mussolini was often photographed with Lions to show his power and authority, this metaphor helped him to control the Italian population, as they believed that he was their fearless leader.
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.
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.