Italy January 2009 How far do you agree that the limited appeal of Mazzini’s ideas was the main reason for the slow progress of national unity in Italy in the years 1815–48? How significant was Cavour in determining the outcome of Italian unification? June 2009 How far do you agree that the Catholic Church significantly hindered Italian unity in the years to 1870? How far was foreign influence and intervention responsible for shaping Italian unification in the years 1858–70? January 2010 How accurate is it to suggest that supporters of closer unity in Italy had made no progress by 1849?
Long running weaknesses within the original political system aided in developing support for Mussolini, along with his ability to change the party’s policies to accommodate all members of society. Although the war was important in allowing this rise in support for the PNF, it was not the only factor which played a part. After the land promised to Italy in the Treaty of London did not materialise, many Italians felt that their victory was one which had been ‘mutilated’. Orlando, Italy’s Prime Minister had failed to fight for the promised land during the signing of the Treaty of Versailles at the Paris Peace Conference, leaving Italy bitter towards its own government. Prominent socialist at the time D’Annunzio led some 2000 soldiers into the city of Fiume in defiance of the Italian Government.
When Italy intervened into ww1 it was divided there were two camps. Giolitti who opposed Italy joining the war and Salandra who was prime minister during 1914-1916 and he lead the campaign for Italy to go to war. In the end Salandra won the campaign only because he got the approval of the king. Normally a country goes into war undivided then as the war goes on becomes divided however Italy went into the war divided which lead to further instability and weakness in the liberal state. During the war Italy lost a decisive battle at Caporetto at this battle 300,000 men were captured and they lost 160km.
How effectively did Mussolini consolidate his power in Italy after 1922? Mussolini used many techniques and methods to consolidate and secure his power after his appointment of prime minister in 1922. Some of the ways Mussolini tried to consolidate his power was by the use of propaganda and the cult of the Duce, through the media and architecture or through repression and intense terror and controlling the state and power within it. All of these factors had both effective aspects and limited aspects in regards to achieving the consolidation of Mussolini’s power. Although, in my opinion I do not believe that Mussolini effectively consolidated his power in Italy after 1922 as although he had much success ultimately there were still aspects within Italy that were a danger to Mussolini’s power.
“"Fascism" was the ideology of the movement that, under the leadership of Benito Mussolini, seized power in Italy in 1922 and held power until the Allied invasion of Italy in World War II” 18. “An attempt to provide fascism with a fully articulated theory was made by an Italian neo-Hegelian philosopher of some distinction, Giovanni Gentile, who was converted to fascism after Mussolini's coup.” 19. “But fascism equally opposed socialism, which preached class war and trade unionism and thus served only to divide the nation” 20. “Revolutionized society in such a way that the socialist critique was no longer relevant” 21. “Fascism's debts to the more extreme and fanatic elements of the nineteenth-century left wing” 22.
In addition Napoleon with great diplomatic skills made sure that Venitia would be ceded to France even if Austria won and then passed on to Italy. Moving on a war broke out between France and Prussia in 1870, as a result Napoleon III wanted to bring his army up to strength and so withdrew his troops from Rome. Victor Emmanuel suggested an agreement to pope which was rejected and an army of 6000 troops was sent to occupy Rome. Moreover Napoleon III had many motives that influenced his actions in Italy. The fact that he belonged in the Carbonaris in his youth believed it was his destiny to do something for Italy.
In fact, unemployment in Italy rose and economic situation worsened. Many of his economic policies failed because of the regime that was inefficient and corrupt. Although Mussolini failed in many aspects of his rule, he was more successful than Hitler with his religious policy after his agreement with the Pope in 1929. Mussolini was aware of the influence that the Church had on people. So with the Lateran Treaty in 1929 Italy recognized Vatican as a sovereign state, accepted the Catholicism as the official state religion and in return Pope recognized the kingdom of Italy.In Italy, monarchy still remained and though Mussolini ignored king Emmanuel, the king played a role in Mussolini's fall, when he was able to announce Mussolini's dismissal and order his arrest.
After the end of the First World War Mussolini had come to the conclusion that, a socialist government as a doctrine had been a complete failure and if Italy was to continue to needed a much more fitting form of government. Mussolini believed that a new form of government that relied on a single man "ruthless and energetic enough to make a clean
To what extent was liberal Italy untitled in the years 1891-1914? To an extent liberal Italy was not united in the years 1891-1914. However to a certain extent there were some reasons that meant Italy was more united. There were vast amounts of reasons that lead to a un united Italy, whether it was financial weakness or social or political, in these years Italy was a very up united country. Italy's political system was similar to Britain's.
The role of the king was the most important reason why Mussolini was appointed prime minister. There is no single reason why Mussolini became Prime Minister of Italy in October 1922; there is a network of reasons. However, the ultimate decision as to who was appointed Prime Minister was the King's, so his role was the most important in appointing Mussolini at that particular time. His decision was based around the fear of the civil war if he had not signed Prime Minister Facta's decree for martial law two days before Mussolini's planned “March on Rome”. This was due to Mussolini and the Ras controlling much of Italy, emphasised by the huge mobilisation of squads in socialist areas at the end of July 1922 when the Alliance of Labour called a strike which had little support and lasted just 4 days.