The Rise of Mussolini
Things you’ll want to know for your study guide/test
• Why the Italians were bitter toward the allies after WWI
•Mussolini (his followers/what he did/etc)
•Fascism and its goals (3)
•Differences between Fascism and Communism
•The Constitutional monarch of Italy who appointed a
new prime minister during the economic crisis of 1923
•“IL DUCE”
•Why people supported Mussolini
Fascism in Italy
After WWI Italy was bitter because
they fought alongside the Allies and
were not given what they felt they
were owed
Further, the Italian economy
suffered after WWI: WHY?
Lack of _____________________
Germany and Austria:
____________________
Mussolini and Fascism
•
came from a working class
background and was
extremely nationalist
•
Founded Fascist party in
1919
FASCISM
1) Advocates glorification of
state
2) Is a single party system
with a strong ruler
3) Advocates Totalitarianism
4) Is a “corporate run state”
Fascism
VS.
Communism
• Like Communism, it was totalitarian (supreme power of the
gov’t), but unlike communism it defends ______________
______________ and supports the _________
____________
• Nation must be advanced at all costs: War and conquest are
a means to reach national goals
Major Problems Facing Italy
1) Declining value of the Lira (Italian Money)
2) Rising food prices
3) Coal shortage hampering industry
- Dissatisfied workers conducted strikes and commandeered
factories
-Mussolini supported the workers
- Peasants seized wealthy landowners’ estates- upper class
now feared a communist revolution
Mussolini’s Promises
-For landowners: End the unrest and protect private property
rights
- For workers: Employment and Benefits
-For nationalists: A promise to restore Italy to its former greatness
The Blackshirts
-Followers of Mussolini
-Verbally and physically attacked political opponents, forcing
them from office
-In 1922 they marched on Rome, though Mussolini stayed away
and measured the situation
The March on Rome
“Either the government shall be given to us, or we
shall seize it by marching on Rome”- Mussolini
How Fascism came to be in Italy:
• Fearing a fascist takeover, the cabinet
encouraged King Victor Emmanuel III to
declare a martial state (military rule)
• He refused, the cabinet resigned, and the
king named Mussolini the prime minister
Victor Emmanuel III
• Democracy in Italy disappeared- in the
election of 1924 a majority of Fascist party
members were elected- mostly thanks to
bullying tactics
IL DUCE
-With control of parliament, Mussolini was given vast powernamed himself “Il Duce”- the leader
-Consolidation of power was achieved through reorganizing
government into a corporate state
- Multiparty system disassembled because it caused political
turmoil
Syndicates
-Syndicates- corporations of workers and employees- goal is
to coordinate workers/employees in each industry
-Each syndicate was represented in the legislature, which
set standards for wages, production, and distribution
More Mussolini!
-Dissenters (those who spoke against fascism) were quickly
silenced through arrest, assault, or murder
- Mussolini felt that obedience took precedence over the truth
- Despite this, many supported his regime because he was
credited with preventing a communist revolution
- His militarism did solve unemployment and the feelings of
patriotism and nationalism are rekindled as he’d promised
“But at least the trains run on
time”