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
The growth in support for fascism in this period was indeed a key factor in Mussolini’s appointment as prime minister because it helped to put him on the political map. However, the level of this support was simply not large enough to explain Mussolini’s rise on its own. More important was the fear of socialism that gripped much of Italy at this time, along with the need for strong and stable government. Mussolini showed great skill in positioning himself as the answer to these two problems at the same time as convincing the Italian establishment that he would be a responsible prime minister who would respect the constitution and control fascist violence. He may not have had huge popular support, but by 1922 significant numbers of the most influential Italians were prepared to tolerate him as the only acceptable alternative to the status quo.
Growth of support for facism was a reason for Mussolinis appointment as Prime Minister,however there were many other reasons for Mussolinis appointment as PM, but growth of support was very important for him. The war and the mutilated victory, had an affect on Mussolinis appointment as PM. The main reason wad that the nationalists were bitterly disappointed that italy didn’t make any gains during the war. The nationalists claimed that Italy had been betrayed by the Liberal government, this shows that the nationalists might have wanted to overthrow the Liberal government and therefore supported Mussolini before he was appointed. This links into the title point that Mussolini had a wide support base and that it was growing.
Mussolini, one might argue, had more to gain though. The Pact increased his popularity amongst the predominantly Catholic population, as he was now able to portray the Pope as his ally, arguably adding to his legitimacy and giving him another “pillar of support”. Having the Pope as an ally also meant that Catholic political activity lessened, minimising opposition to the regime, however this “partnership” came at a cost – it compromised Mussolini’s totality of power, as it forced the acknowledgment of a rival authority to him. The most important thing the Papacy gained from the Treaty was the formal recognition of the independent Vatican State, which confirmed his massive power and authority, since he was its Head of State. He was also given significant compensation which he could spend on resources (etc) for his new Vatican City, and gained significant religious revival due to Catholic influence in both the primary and secondary education now being secured.
To what extent had the pressing political problems of the 1800s been solved by 1914? After Italy’s unification in 1870 there were immediate political issues facing the new united Italy that needed to be addressed. The government that was formed was incredibly unorganized and not many people knew who was in charge at times, not only this but many of the politicians in power were incredibly corrupt and would happily take bribes, launder money and other underhanded, dishonest actions which would have been frowned upon had people known. The new united Italy was a liberal state which was actually one of the first of its kind, the Liberals had managed to oust the ruling families of each individual state, the old aristocracy and most importantly the pope. However this “liberal” Italy was actually more conservative at heart, the country was a monarchy and not a republic.
However, at the election, Nazis didn't win majority of the votes, therefore a coalition government was formed with the National Party. Hitler was disappointed as he needed two thirds of the seats in order to change the constitution. Although it seems as if the election hadn't really helped Hitler, I think it gave him the incentive to move on to his next step of passing the Enabling Bill, making it a key reason as to why he was able to form this dictatorship. The Enabling Bill was the next big step for Hitler as it allowed him to make laws without
How far was Stalin's consolidation of power by 1934 due to his influence within the Communist Party? Ultimately the Party machine was vital to cementing Stalin's power by 1934, as J.Lee agrees that the ‘Party Base enabled Stalin to outmanoeuvre his rivals at all stages’. Yet it could be said that the party machine was limited in assisting Stalin at all stages, but relied upon other factors on certain occasions when the old Bolshevik presence was greater than Stalin's new allies from the era of the Lenin enrolment. Ultimately, Structuralist historians such as M.Whittock would agree the most significant reason for Stalin's consolidation of power in 1934 was due to the party machine concept, as it put him in a ‘unique position’. In 1922 he became General Secretary of the Party, giving him the opportunity to manipulate the party structure, essentially having access to 26,000 personal files.
And lastly the regency crisis of 1788 meant that Pitt could use this to gain favour with the king and gather support from his own party and draw it away from the opposition. These circumstances proved effective in propelling Pitt’s domination but without his own skill he would not have been able to dominate, for example his financial skill ensured that Britain benefitted from the industrial revolution as was the handling of the regency crisis which completely favoured Pitt but he
The economic policies he had implemented had served their purpose in helping to garner further support for Mussolini and the fascists. Tannenbaum concludes correctly that Mussolini’s early liberal approach to the economy was nothing more than an ‘expedient to gain support where he could get it when he was consolidating his dictatorship.’ The years of 1926 and 1927 saw a marked shift away from the early liberal policies employed by de Stefani and a move towards much greater State intervention and the corporative State of which Mussolini was so proud, the so-called third way. Fascist Corporativism rejected both
Fascism did not rise from one single event; it grew from actions of people and groups over many years. The Unification of Italy through to the post war years of 1919 – 1922 brought constant problems within the economic, social and political levels of society which led to the Fascist regime destroying a political system that had lasted 50 years. Economic, Social and Political problems post WW1 The new state of Italy was to be dominated for the next 50 years by the Liberals. They believed that under the rule of educated, progressive men, such as themselves, Italy would become a “citizenry proud of its nationality and loyal to state. (Robson, 1992)” However, reviewing the economical, social and political issues this was not to be.