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
Overall, all these policies somewhat increased political unity, albeit temporarily, as they widened the electorate and allowed the Italian masses the chance to vote in a majority government. However, despite this, Italy still remained largely politically divided. The Libyan invasion of 1911 divided both the right wing/nationalist interventionists (who became more
In order to keep control of the movement Mussolini had to take the ‘Fascist revolution’ a step further. Many of the Ras thought Mussolini would sell out the squadristi by doing deals with other politicians. The March on Rome was organized partly in order to convince them otherwise, and keep control of the Fascist party. The fascist party congress, on the 24th October was to be the rocket starter for Mussolini’s bid for power. On the 16th October, the fascist leaders made their plans for the March on Rome to take place on the 28th October.
As the sailors were heroes of the 1917 revolution against the PG, their uprising came as a shock to the Bolsheviks, especially to Lenin. Nevertheless, Trotsky ordered the Red Guard to put down the uprising and Marshal Tukhachevshy rounded up the sailors, who shot them without a trial. Lenin realised that the peasants and some measure of economic liberalisation were essential for the regime to survive. Discontent could no longer be suppressed. Lenin said that the Kronstadt revolt was “the flash that lit up reality more than anything else”.
The new regime headed by Prince Max, attempted some reforms but ultimately this was ineffective due to the discontent and anger within the population of the failed war. Under extreme pressure of a full-scale revolution breaking out, Prince Max announced the former Kings abdication and stepped down from his position, giving the chancellorship to the socialist leader Friedrich Ebert. (J Hite & C Hinton. 2000) A republic was then proclaimed by Phillip Schneidemann to cheering crowds, the first point of business for the new government was to sign the armistice with the Allies. This was
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.
Nationalism is a belief that nation states should be formed by people with a shared identity and culture. In Italy in 1815, there were few nationalists; however the amount of nationalists grew throughout the 19th century. Nationalism spread across Italy due to influential people like Gioberti, Mazzini and Balbo, other factors such as a new pope and Verdi also contributed to the spread of nationalist ideas. Young Italy was founded in 1831 by Giuseppe Mazzini, a nationalist who believed in the equality of humans. The organisation was accompanied by a journal called ‘Young Italy’.
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.
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.