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MUSSOLINI

IS

PRIME MINISTER

Summary

Fascist Movement created by Mussolini as a result of his disgust of the current Liberal regime and the Socialist Uprising

Fascists gained most of their support early on from the petty bougeouisie and later on from the middle classes who feared socialism

They took advantage of weakness of opponents / liberals in order to stage the March on Rome before D'Annunzio's anti-fascist march, and Mussolini was granted PM

MUSSOLINI'S PATH TO POWER: MAY 1921-OCTOBER 1922

Political Tactics

Development of Fascism

Abandon Left policies

Appeal to middle classes

Fascist Violence

Increase Mussolini's position

PNF born: October 1921

Had to do it legally

Squadrismo

March on Rome

2.5. MARCH ON ROME

He could take power legally, or by force (coup d'etat)

  • Squads were pushing him to take power by force, but Mussolini wanted the respect of having the King appoint him.
  • The March would allow the Liberals to be intimidated into appointing Mussolini and it was radical enough for the ras.

The King eventually decline allowing Facta to introduce martial law, after saying yes, during the march. So Facta resigned.

Salandra tried to form a coalition quickly, but Mussolini decline a cabinet pot, and waited for the King to offer him a post. Which occured on 29th October

2.4. General Strike

On the day the King reappointed Facta, the Socialists organised a general strike (August 1st 1922)

  • They hoped it would push the government into taking action against the fascists, but it had the opposite effect
  • But it was poorly organized, and poorly timed

It led to the Fascists launching violent attacks against the strikers and therefore exposing the divisions in Facta's government

Fascists stormed into Milan, fought battles against socialist supporters in the streets and burnded down the Avanti building, Socialist newspaper.

They attacked the town hall, and took over the running of the trains to end the strikes by transport workers

This made the government look weak when it comes to dealing with the Socialist threat.

•But the Fascists dealt with it

•This gained Mussolini lots of support, and lots of backing, the government now wanted to include Mussolini in it, but not give him PM

The stage was now set for the March on Rome

2.3. Reassuring Church / Conservatives

2.3.1. Organised the Party: PNF was born October 1921

This made him the undisputed leader

  • Made Conservatives respect them more
  • No longer just a movement, but a party, who were now in the running to govern the country

In November 1921 Mussolini made a direct attempt to win over the Catholics:

  • He prepared to settle the Roman Question on terms acceptable to the Pope

He attempted to appeal to the Conservatives

  • Becoming a right wing party
  • Dropped left wing policies
  • Attacks on Socialism
  • Speeches aimed at support of Conservatives

2.2 Collapse of law & order = FASCIST VIOLENCE

The collapse of law & order resulted in Fascism being able to exploit this through violence.

  • It allowed them to increase the attacks on the Socialists, and with the backing of elites, these attacks would be brutal

Mussolini feared that the violence may become TOO MUCH for the Conservatives to accept (even if it was aimed at Socialism)

  • He couldn't be too violent, because he needed to be trusted as a leader and as a party
  • He renounced a previous pact to stop Socialist violence
  • He encourages the squads to continue the attacks, whilst to the Conservatives he distanced himself from them suggesting that he would have to discipline them (also adding that only he could do that)

He worked with the Conservatives in the dual policy throughout 1922, saying if they could have the Conservatives support then he would ensure Fascism would be constrained.

But violent acts such as burning down the AVANTI newspaper workhouse and streetfighting in Socialist constituencies continued

  • Violence = Support = Made Government look weak = Made Fascists look like they were dealing with what the government couldn't
  • However Mussolini new the police and army could shut down this movemet any time so he had to be careful
  • When Fascists beat up a Socialist deputy in the chambers he thought they may have gone too far.

The Fascists now had the support. Now they had to GAIN POWER, there were several things which allowed Mussolini's party to take steps closer to power:

2.1 GOVERNMENT INSTABILITY

•February - Resignation of Bonomi

•March - Facta appointed PM

•July - Facta's coalition collapses

•August - Facta re-appointed

Governments following the 1921 election were unstable.

  • Giolittis coalition collapsed within a month because the Popolari withdrew its support
  • The following 4 governments also collapsed quickly

Mussolini Fascist: Rise to Power

All of these governments were weak, and resulted in people loosing faith in the system

  • But for people who didn't want Socialism, Fascism was the only alternative!

These governments coldn't introduce the decisive measures to cope with the collapse of law and order

Fascist growth from 1919-21

Challenges to Liberals

Weakness of Liberals

1.5. Electoral Breakthrough: May 1921

Socialist Threat

Catholic Popolari

Failure to maintain law and order

Liberal disunity

Land seizures

Occupation of the Factories

UNSTABLE GOVERNMENTS

Middle Class / Conservative Fear

Giolitti saw Fascism as another party they could absorb into the system

  • So he offered Mussolini an electoral alliance that would produce an anti-Socialist governing coalition
  • Mussolini accepted, but allowed his party to go on a violent rampage, killing around 100 Socialists during the election campaign
  • FASCIST PARTY = 35 seats

Mussolini and his party now had influence within the political system, Giolitti wanted Mussolini to accept a cabinet post. He declined

  • Mussolini wanted to become the Prime Minister!

Fascist Squadrismo

1.4. Mussolini Himself

Hadn't been the driving force behind the squads

  • But when he realised their potential, he strove to put himself at the forefront
  • Established himself as the undisputed leader of Fascism

His leadership allowed Fascism to be presented as a national vision

He portrayed fascist violence as a painful necessary to prevent a Bolshevik revolution and people believed him.

His speech in Bologna April 1921 reinforced this

Government was weak. Mussolini offered a STRONG alternative. = More support

1.3 Fascist Supporters

1.3.2. New wave of Supporters other than the Petty Bourgeosie

1.3.1 Left -> Right wing

EARLY SUPPORT:

  • Middle class students
  • Demobilised soliders
  • Petty bourgeosie

SINCE THEY SWITCHED FROM LEFT - RIGHT WING AND WERE DEALING WITH THE SOCIALISTS they gained support from...

  • Small farmers
  • Farm managers
  • Sharecroppers
  • Middle-classes
  • Even some elites would fund them to help deal with socialism

IN ORDER TO GET INTO POWER, THEY HAD TO CONVINCE THE CONSERVATIVES / CATHOLICS THAT THEY WEREN'T TOO RADICAL

By the summer 1920, the industrial and rural elite were very worried about the danger of socialism

Because of the fascists burning down the avanti workshop

They saw fascism as a way of dealing with socialism

So they gave them money to fight off the Socialists.

Mussolini saw this as an opportunity to gain support from elites, so he moved the party into a right wing, anti-socialist party.

He saw a gap in the political spectrum, and he filled it.

So because they were the party dealing with Socialism, they switched to RIGHT wing.

1.2. Rise of Socialism = Worried Italians = Fascism becoming the "Anti-Socialist Party"

Scale of Socialist Rise:

  • Largest Party
  • 26/69 local governments
  • Trade union membership 250,000 - 2million from 1918-20
  • Controlled 80% of local councils in Emilia

ELITES FEARED A BOLSHEVIK TYPE OF REVOLUTION

"Occupation of the Factories"

Giolitti refused to intervene in September 1920s when there were over 400,000 participating in strikes.

  • This enraged employers

They were striking because of a dispute over wages during the time of inflation

  • Both employees and employers were becoming poorer = SOCIALIST UPRISE, which employers would fear.

Fascist = Anti-Socialist Party

  • Landowners / Conservatives felt they were being ignored by the government
  • In Emilia, landowners and middle classes turned to FASCIST SQUADS to attack the Socialist councils (e.g. Bologna riot 1920)

They destroyed 80 trade union offices through 1921

  • The government simply allowed this to happen!

FASCIST PARTY = GAINING SUPPORT OF LANDOWNERS / MIDDLE CLASSES

1.1. Liberal Problems

Only had 180/508 seats and they lacked cohesion

  • The Socialists had more seats (156) and even the Catholics had 100

The previous government under Nitti had been labelled "a catastrophic disaster" because of the Fiume affair

Socialists and Catholics were now in the new Coalition headed by Giolitti.

  • The liberal regime would neither grant major reform or crush protest
  • Leaving a gap for Fascists to fill

Less support for Liberal = More of a chance for Fascism

Rise to POWER 1919-22

Section 1: Gaining Support 1919-21:

Section 2: Gaining Power 1921-22

Why did Mussolini set up this Fascist Movement?

2.1. Government Instability = An opportunity

2.2. Collapse of Law / Order = FASCIST VIOLENCE

2.3. Reasurring Church / Conservatives that they weren't too radical

2.4. Weakness of Opponnets = Allowing Fascism to capitalize

2.5. General Strike

2.6. March on Rome

1.1. Liberal Problems = Fasicst Support

1.2. Socialist Fears = Gap in the market for an "Anti-Socialist Party"

1.3. Change in people the party attracts (Left-Right wing switch)

1.4. Control over Fascist Squads / Mussolini at the top

1.5. Electoral Breakthrough

1. Switch from Left-Right Wing

The Birth of the Fascist Party

He believed the current government were weak and the people controlled them and He believed the existing regime was open to newer fresher ideas.

Originally he didn't set out for it to be a political party

  • He wanted a movement that was appealing to all Italians
  • He wanted to bring Socialism and Nationalism together under a strong leader!

At the time of 1919 they were still seen as more of a left wing movement seen

  • They declaired war on the Socialists! because they were against fascism
  • Linking in to Mussolini's earlier beliefs of a need for violence

Low confidence in current Government.

  • Failed on the Economy
  • Failed on Foreign Policy / Territorial Gains (1896 invasion of Ethiopia embarrassing)
  • Failed on Religion (Pope still didn't recognize the state)
  • North / South gap WIDENED
  • Were seen as weak / indecisive

Birth of Fascism - 1919

  • Mussolini was the editior of "Il Popolo d'Italia
  • He shared D'Annunzios hatred of Liberalism / Socialism

But in the beginning it was just a tiny grouping of radicals (republicans and anarchists, and ex-soldiers, 100 turning up at Mussolini's first speech)

WASNT A THREAT TO THE GOVERNMENT AT ALL

  • But Mussolini was saved by the government's inability o convince conservative Italians that it could deal with the Socialist threat
  • What the Government didn't do, the Fascists did.

1. Creating the Fascist Party

2. Party Gaining Support

3. Mussolini's Path to being elected

Mutilated Victory

The SOCIALIST THREAT

This is the idea that despite winning the war, Italy were DENIED of the territorial gains they were promised in the Treaty of London.

  • Nationalists blamed the government that they didn't get Fiume (which wasn't promised in the treaty, but Italians saw it as their rightful land. Britain and USA demanded it went to Yugoslavia, and it did.

THIS RESULTED IN THE OCCUPATION OF FIUME

OCCUPATION OF FIUME

As the economy worsened, the governments popularity worsened.

  • SOCIALISM RISE!!!
  • Had already won 20% of the vote in 1913
  • 1919 won 32.4% of the vote - 156 seats (THE LARGEST PARTY!!!)

Many middle classes were terrified... Who could be their saviour?

  • Mussolini's Fascist Party, whom at this point are yet to be created??

People feared a "Bolshevik" type of revolution, and people were disgusted that the government were doing nothing to prevent it

In 1919, D'Annunzio got around 2,000 armed men and invaded Italy claiming it was in the interests of the Italian people.

  • The Government did NOTHING!!!
  • This showed that the government were weak and opened the door for violence from the Fascists and Socialists
  • D'Annunzio proved to overrule this poor government, ACTION spoke louder than WORDS
  • He gained huge popularity from this, and he became a political force

Italy forced him to leave, but only after being pressured by other countries to do so

  • This inspired Mussolini to invade Fiume in 1923

Economic Legacy of the War

INFLATION

  • Prices quadrupled throughout the war years
  • Savings were destroyed (hitting the middle class)
  • Purchasing power of wages fell 25%

UNEMPLOYMENT

  • Soldiers returning from the war had no job to go to
  • Industries profits were falling, so jobs were being lost rather than created
  • Rose above 2million in 1919

SUMMARY

  • 650,000 died, 1million injured.
  • National debt increased from 16billion lira to 85billion lira from 1914-1918
  • But these borrowings weren't enough, so the government had to print money
  • Printing money - INFLATION

POST WAR ECONOMIC SITUATION = CRISIS

INDUSTRIALISTS

  • Industry did well during the war as trade increased, (Pirelli tyres + Fiat)
  • But the government could no longer afford to hand out lucrative contracts after the war
  • CUTS in government spend = Hard times ahead for industrialists

THIS resulted in many strikes in the years to come

  • 1million + participating
  • Socialist Trade Union membership from 250,000 in 1918 to 2million in 1920

Italy at War

The people didn't want to go to war in the beginning.

  • But as the war went on, the Government new they had to intervene
  • The ENTENTE side offered Italy land that they thought was theres and Austrian Lands (such as Istria) and they joined this side on May 1915 as the Italians believed victory would help them dominate the Adriatic Sea.

Soldiers were mainly from the SOUTH fighting for the interests of the NORTH and were on LOW PAY.

  • Although they won the war, there were HUGE consequences for them.
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