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Fascism and Italy FASCISM AND ITALY Unit 7: Interwar Period FASCISM Demagogue: a leader who gains popularity in a democracy by exploiting prejudice and ignorance among the common people, whipping up the passions of the crowd, and shutting down reasoned discussion; often overturns established norms of political conduct ORIGIN AND DEFINITION “Fascism” comes from the Roman “fasces” Symbol for power and authority Fascism tends to include a belief in the supremacy of one national or ethnic group, a contempt for democracy, an insistence on obedience to a powerful leader, and a strong demagogic approach WHAT IS FASCISM AGAINST? Communism Class struggle Internationalism Multi-party system Liberal democracy Pacifism Authoritarianism Militarism Fascism Social Darwinism Nationalism Social Unity NATIONALISM Using the nation-state’s culture and history as a unifying force Desire to remove foreign influences Belief in superiority over other nation-states MILITARISM Political violence and war to as a means to renew society Violence necessary for progress Paramilitary organizations SOCIAL DARWINISM Belief that races and nations have evolved as superior to others “Survival of the fittest” SOCIAL UNITY Opposes class-based divisions in society Promotes collective national society AUTHORITARIANISM Fascist Italy’s government was an extreme form of authoritarian called totalitarian Totalitarianism •All aspects of individual lives are controlled by the state •No division of powers •Persecution of the opposition POLITICAL SPECTRUM Monarchism True Soviet communism American Nazism socialism socialism American Republicans Fascism American Democrats Left Wing Right Wing Center ITALY IMPACT OF WWI Italy joined the Allies after being promised land and funding Italy suffered terrible losses against Austria ~600,000 dead ~1,000,000 wounded Italian people accused its gov’t of mismanaging the war BENITO MUSSOLINI Mussolini served as a soldier in WWI until injured Founded the National Fascist Party (PNF) Led the Blackshirts, the paramilitary arm of PNF Mussolini was a nationalist demagogue Preyed on Italian pride, fear of communism BENITO MUSSOLINI – IN HIS OWN WORDS “It is better to live one day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep.” “Democracy is talking itself to death. The people do not know what they want; they do not know what is the best for them. There is too much foolishness, too much lost motion. I have stopped the talk and the nonsense. I am a man of action. Democracy is beautiful in theory; in practice it is a fallacy.” “All within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state.” “Blood alone moves the wheels of history.” “Obedience, not discussion.” GOVERNMENT WEAKENS Italian gov’t weakened by: “Mutilated victory” in WW1 Prime Minister failed to gain promised territory in Treaty of Versailles Hugely embarrassing; public disgusted; PM resigns Gov’t failing strengthened PNF PNF had wide appeal (no clear doctrine) Demanded strict law and order Appeared more respectable than the current party INCREASED SUPPORT OF FASCISM Mussolini seen as a defender against rising threat of communism Communists, socialists painted by PNF as violent radicals threatening the very fabric of society Blackshirts violently attacked PNF opponents PNF gained support of Catholics The pope and Mussolini made a deal: Church gains its own country (Vatican City) in return for official support of the PNF MARCH ON ROME 1922, Mussolini and Blackshirts march on Rome Demanded king give up power to Mussolini King Victory Emmanuel peacefully transfers power to Mussolini Mussolini rules as totalitarian leader through WWII …Mussolini’s style and methods were quite different from those of his predecessors. Ignoring Italy’s economic and military weaknesses, he was impulsive, inconsistent and erratic. He valued prestige more than anything else and was never satisfied unless he was in the limelight playing a leading role. He was to become increasingly fond of making grandiloquent statements such as “better to live one day as a lion than a thousand years as a lamb,” and declaring that war was not only inevitable but also desirable, adding “the character of the Italian people must be molded by fighting.” With a “tendency to view European diplomacy through the eyes of a newspaper editor,” he aimed at spectacular gestures without much thought for consequences, resulting in a foreign policy that has been described as “by turn ambivalent, futile and malignant.” Patricia Knight, 2003, Mussolini and Fascism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zizi3rS85f8.
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