Mussolini, 23.4.Notebook April 23, 2012
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mussolini, 23.4.notebook April 23, 2012 ITALY, MUSSOLINI AND THE RISE OF FASCISM • The united nationalstate Italy1861. PROBLEMS; • Division wealthy north/poor south. • Illiteracy • Corruption, bureaucracy, limited confidence in the political system. • The Vatican statepapal ban • Constant violent friction landowners vs. landless peasants. • American emigration. • Cosa nostra (maffia) • Nationalists vs. socialists nov 1718:55 PROBLEMS IN ITALY BEFORE THE GREAT WAR: • The power in the hands of a small elite. • Italian national identity only superficially established in rural areas (especially in the backward South). • Illitteracy, no welfare. • Hostile and powerful Catholic Church. • No popular Press, political corruption. • A giant gap between cities and countryside, between North and South. apr 2319:52 1 mussolini, 23.4.notebook April 23, 2012 THE GREAT WAR • Declaration of neutrality • The popular opinion dividedviolent clashes between nationalists and socialists. Catholics and Socialists opposed it. • Benito Mussolini • Declaration of war, 26.4.1915 (Treaty of London secret promises of land areas). • Massive casualties and suffering nov 1719:17 THE MUTILATED VICTORY • High hopes as Italy was on the winning side. • 600 000 dead, 950 000 wounded • 250 000 crippled for life • National bancrupcy, warinflation • Returning soldiers unemployed • Italy disapointed and humiliated in the peaceconference nov 1719:31 2 mussolini, 23.4.notebook April 23, 2012 Economic disaster: • many firms geared to the demands of war bankrupt. • During 1919 the lira lost 2/3 of its value. • many middleclass savings wiped out. • Strikes, factory occupations, food riots. nov 2719:32 FASCISM • 'Arditi' special forces during the war organised themselves. Mussolini became a leading member. • In 1919 he reorganised his group into the 'Fascio di Combattimento'. • The objective was to fight communism. Violent clashes, landowners and industrialists supported the fascists. nov 1719:45 3 mussolini, 23.4.notebook April 23, 2012 • Fascism was specifically an Italian term in origin. • The 'Fasces' were a bundle of rods which were signs of power from the time of the Etruscians. • Central to Mussolini's view was the idea of the allpowerful state. Each individual should work for the good of the state which would result in strength and glory. • Fascism wasn't conservative, as it favoured radical changes. • Violently antiMarxist. apr 2320:05 apr 2320:14 4 mussolini, 23.4.notebook April 23, 2012 apr 2320:14 apr 2320:15 5 mussolini, 23.4.notebook April 23, 2012 apr 2320:15 apr 2320:18 6 mussolini, 23.4.notebook April 23, 2012 apr 2320:18 apr 2320:19 7 mussolini, 23.4.notebook April 23, 2012 apr 2320:19 apr 2320:19 8 mussolini, 23.4.notebook April 23, 2012 apr 2320:20 apr 2320:21 9 mussolini, 23.4.notebook April 23, 2012 apr 2320:22 apr 2320:22 10 mussolini, 23.4.notebook April 23, 2012 apr 2320:23 D'ANNUNZIO AND FIUME • Annoyed after the war Gabriele D'Annunzio organised a private army and invaded Fiume. He ruled the town as a dictator for more than a year. A pirate state. • The town attracted young italians who enjoyed excitement. • The international opinion finally forced Italy to take action and force D'Annunzio out of Fiume. • Mussolini admired D'Annunzio and became convinced he could make his way to power with direct force. nov 1720:19 11 mussolini, 23.4.notebook April 23, 2012 FASCIST MOBILISATION • The clashes between socialists and fascists escalated 1920. The state was on the edge to civil war. • Landowners, industrialists, bankers but also middle and lowered middle classes rallied behind the fascist party in their fear of communism. • Economic fundament of the movement. • The police usually didn't intervene with fascist violent expeditions. • In the parliamentary elections 1921 the fascists succeeded in getting 35/535 seats. 1900, how to Battle Communism http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMpqzwJkK8Q nov 1721:26 apr 2320:24 12 mussolini, 23.4.notebook April 23, 2012 apr 2320:25 apr 2320:26 13 mussolini, 23.4.notebook April 23, 2012 apr 2320:27 AGRARIAN AND URBAN FASCISM It was the furious escalation of the class war that consolidated the partnership between fascism and property. First in this process was the employment during the winter of 1920 of Fascist paramilitary SQUADRISTI by the big landowners who were determined to break the power of the peasant leagues and cooperatives. This Agrarian fascism differed markedly from the Urban fascism; it was more terroristic and antidemocratic. Fascism the servant of a brutal right. The year 1920 the establishment of a general confederation of industry (Confindustria) whose purpose was to counter workingclass agitation by force if necessary. nov 2410:19 14 mussolini, 23.4.notebook April 23, 2012 Italy's capitalists expected Fascism to speed up modernization by authoritarian means and a violent suppression of the left. The deliberate stimulation of anarchy served to keep propertied interests in a state of alarm. With the government unable or unwilling to intervene, Fascism seemed the only safeguard; in effect, it acquired a monopoly of antibolshevism. nov 2413:13 THE ELECTION OF 1921 Because his party offered action Mussolini gained from the weakness of the shifting governments and from the unrest in the country. Giolitti (p.m.) was searching for allies against the socialists in 1921 and he decided to use the fascists. He believed he could easily dominate Mussolini. He made a sad mistake and he must be held responsible for giving Mussolini another chance. To bring the fascists into Giolitti's parliamentary coalition, it was first necessary to include them in the national list of governmentbacked candidates. During the 1921 election the government used Fascist support to unseat Socialists deputies. The Fascists beat up opponents. The police remained neutral or actively aided them. 35 fascists out of a total of 535 seats were elected. nov 2413:15 15 mussolini, 23.4.notebook April 23, 2012 apr 2320:27 1921 22 Giolitti failed to hold his coalition together (Mussolini did his best to break up the government. The fascists immediately took their seats with the Nationalists on the extreme right of the chamber in opposition to Giolitti). Giolitti was replaced by Bonorni and he, in his turn, with Facta. None of them were able to build up a stable government. At the same time local fascist leaders did their best to cause unrest in the country. nov 2413:17 16 mussolini, 23.4.notebook April 23, 2012 apr 2320:28 Aristocratic nationalists provided an entry for Fascism into court circles. This was also helped by the fact that Mussolini declared being a monarchist that same year. The aristocracy and the upperbourgeoise tolerated fascism as long as it performed certain tasks for them. It was a dangerous game to play. The new pope Pius XI (1922) and Mussolini were on good terms. Liberals turned an blind eye to Fascist brutalities. Liberal journals saw fascist assault on the most elementary rights as justified as the only alternative to anarchy. 'Fascism would grew tamer as times went by'. Numerous italian intellectuals thought the same way, Fascism could be made lawabiding. The army was loyal to king Victor Emmanuel III who feared a civil war. As a result he made no effort to cooperate with the government against the growing Fascistmovement. A movement which was supported by many property owners who feared disorder and Communism. The bulk of Fascism's popular support came from the petty bourgeoise or lower middleclass (small shopkeepers, clerical workers, teachers). These were the ones who were not very poor but who didn't escape harm in the postwar slump. The ones who dreamed of climbing up the ladder and at the same time were terrified by the thought of workers reaching the same hierarchial status as themselves. nov 2413:21 17 mussolini, 23.4.notebook April 23, 2012 MUSSOLINIS WAY TO POWER The more the Fascists enjoyed the confidence of the power structure, the less they needed a violent coup to obtain power. Eager to create the impression of fascism as a revolutionary movement, Fascist propaganda later asserted that power was taken by force in 1922. The truth was somewhat different. On 12 May 1922 the Fascists (63.000) took over the town of Ferrara and didn't leave before the government promised to carry out a scheme of public works there. Mussolini was constantly terrified by the thought the government would use arms against fascist massactions, but they didn't. On 1 August 1922 the Socialists proclaimed a general strike as a protest against fascist actions in Romagna. This played into Mussolinis hands for he could offer to break the strike when the government did nothing. He could appear as the man to restore order while making use of his disorderly supporters. It provided an excuse for further Fascist lawlessness. The strike collapsed after a day and Mussolini and his Fascists gained increasing support. People began to feel that the Fascists might bring a return to order. On August 3, the fascist Squadristi invaded the city hall of Milan and expelled its socialist administration. Now it was only a matter of time before an attack on the legal capital, Rome. nov 2413:24 THE MARCH ON ROME 1922 The Italian government had virtually broken down by October 1922. P.M. Facta suggested that the entire cabinet should resign and when this idea was turn down by his colleagues he began to think in terms of a coalition with the fascists.