The Rise of Italian Fascism:
from red shirts to black
J. Marshall, 2011
Part One: Italian Unification
Bringing the Pieces Together
Pre-Unification:
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3 obstacles to unification:
Giuseppi Mazzini:
Patriot - use of secret societies
(Young Italy, 1831) to spread
nationalism and republicanism.
Count Camillo Cavour:
(Piedmont) “Let’s expel A/H and
then slowly annex the South.”
Gets help from France’s Napoleon
II - together they beat A/H, 1859.
The NORTH is unified.
Mazzini’s essay: The Duties of Man
Liberty alone will not improve the lot of the working
class
As citizens of the state, one must labour to benefit all
Merely demanding more rights won’t achieve
anything
Government, operated by the common consent of the
people, will bring about equality and social
improvement
HOW CAN THIS ESSAY BE USED TO UNDERSTAND
MUSSOLINI AND FASCIST ITALY?
Giuseppe Garibaldi:
Revolutionary
In 1860, 1000 strong,
the Red Shirts land in
Sicily and then move
north towards ROME.
1861 Unification after elections
Cavour is the first P.M.
Victor Emmanuel II is king
1870 Rome joins Italy and becomes
the capital in 1871
Part Two: Mussolini
the chameleon changes stripes
(This is the material for which you are responsible)
References:
pp 38-39
pp 35-38
pp 67-79
pp 47-52
A Map History
Global Forces
DeMarco
Falk workbook
Recall Orlando’s dissatisfaction with the Paris
Peace Treaty talks (little land) and look at the
poet D’Annunzio’s exploits in Fiume, 1919
Desire for strong government to “slap back.”
The First World War
•
Post war Italy:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Stricken with unemployment
500+% inflation, 1914-21
Plagued by strikes and lockouts
Unhappy over poor Treaty gains
Nearing economic collapse
Peasants taking land
Courting social REVOLUTION
Socialist, ex-soldier, pacifist, internationalist,
journalist, war hawk, anarchist, statist, bully, but
mostly an opportunistic PRAGMATIST!
Many blame democracy (since 1912) for Italy’s postwar problems (little experience).
Workers strike (Socialists warn of revolution)
Owners fear loss of property and power.
April, 1919, Fasci Combattimento (Black Shirts) start
their “brawls.”
then…
At first, a socialist - not wanted - okay,
Next, anti-socialist (plus, anti-liberal,
anti-democracy and anti-free speech).
Race for Power: Fast and Violent
1920: 88 Fascist groups / 20,615 members
1921: 834 groups / 250,000+ members
* In the first 4 months: 207 deaths, 800 people wounded.
* Police/Army sympathized so no punishment.
* Liberals thought they could control Mussolini and were intimidated by
threats.
May 1921: Fascists win 35 of 535 seats in Chamber of Deputies,
but…
Oct 1922: March
on Rome
Oct 1922 : “Either the government is
handed over or we take it by attack on
Rome.”
Result:
King Victor
Emmanuel III asks
Mussolini to be P.M.
on 29 Oct, 1922.
=
dictatorial power for
1 year to get control
THEN:
the 26,000 fascists
made their march by train?
Okay, some walked.
Fascist
Steps to total control:
Non-Fascist
Lateran Accords: a most unholy pact
Reichskonkordat, 1933
3 Phases:
1. 1922 - 1925 a state seeking an ideology
2. 1925 - 1938 - first state operation strong
modern nation-state
capitalism
syndicalism
e
t
a
r
o Encourage monopolies: more productivity =
p
r
o
C
stronger state. At this point 400 deputies are
still being approved by the people
State
BUT
In 1928 the election is gone: Il Duce has
total power and doesn’t have to hide it.
3. After 1938, Mussolini is Hitler’s puppet
Corporate State = law and order?
“Mussolini is always right”
Climate of fear
In theory, management and
workers run business together
In reality, it was a means to enact
a centralized economy that
eliminated workers’ rights – unions
outlawed. Terror became
commonplace
Mare Nostrum:
the glories that
were once Rome
Libya, 1912
Eritrea, 1886
Italian Somaliland, 1889
Abyssinia 1936
= Italian East Africa, 1938
And did appeasement work?
1. Remember Sykes-Picot
2. The Spanish Civil War
allowed Italians to test
equipment & tactics, and
3. Learn to coordinate with
the Germans on the
battlefield.
4. Albania…
“The claw of Italian invaders will enslave us”
King Z
og falls
1939
All that was left to do was
solidify…
THE
PACT
1
939
OF
STEEL
Cult of Personality!
Chronology Review:
don’t yell out the answers or I’ll sick the OVRA on you
A) 1922
B) 1923
C) 1928
D) 1929
E) 1939
___1. The Pope and Mussolini sign the
Lateran Accord.
___2. The Acerbo Law will give a winner
with 25%, 2/3 of the seats.
___3. Mussolini rides to Rome ahead of the
marchers demanding power and WINS.
___4. Albania’s King Zog is exiled.
___5. Italy’s voters can’t vote any more.
Chronology Review:
don’t yell out the answers or I’ll sick the OVRA on you
A) 1922
B) 1923
C) 1928
D) 1929
E) 1939
_D_1. The Pope and Mussolini sign the
Lateran Accord.
_B_2. The Acerbo Law will give a winner
with 25%, 2/3 of the seats.
_A_3. Mussolini rides to Rome ahead of the
marchers demanding power and WINS.
_E_4. Albania’s King Zog is exiled.
_C_5. Italy’s voters can’t vote any more.
end