the rise of fascism in italy benito mussolini 1923-1943
TRANSCRIPT
The Rise of Fascism in Italy
Benito Mussolini
1923-1943
Goals of Fascism:
• Attack and destroy Liberalism – to undo the legacy of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution and eradicate the growing threat of Marxism
• Create a new era in history – a new civilization not based on individual rights or collective humanity, but “recognizing the bond of blood that would unite and regenerate a nation.”
Compare Liberal democracy with Fascism:
• Liberalism and the spirit of the Enlightenment promoted…
Use of reason & logic
Intelligent discussion
Critical analysis
• Fascism praised…
Feeling, emotion, instinct, desire and will
• Fascism glorified action; praised brutal and primitive impulses
The “duplicity” of Fascism- dictatorship of the Right
• Drew support from the lower & middle classes – all those frightened by Marxism
• Real power was from the ruling elites- property owners who wanted no interference with their private property.
- post-war unrest in Italy
• Humiliated by the Paris Peace Treaty
• On the verge of economic collapse
• Widespread unemployment
• Treasury was empty• Food shortages• Inflation• Labor war-strikes and
lockouts
Fascism was born amid crisis
• Italian govt was weak and divided
• Veterans seized land• Workers took over
factories• Tenant-peasants did
not pay their rents• Marxists & Socialists
were gaining in popularity
Mussolini presented himself as an answer
• March 1919- organized jobless veterans into terror squads of black-shirted “Fascisti” –
• beat up striking workers and their liberal supporters,
• destroyed union headquarters,
• disrupted meetings, planted bombs and harassed socialist officials
- Mussolini’s failure:
• As dictator, he never established the totalitarian state like Stalin or Hitler…
• To his credit, he hesitated to use the ruthless methods of the Nazis and Soviets
Biographical sketch: 1883-1945
• Trouble-maker in school, but ranked 1st on final exams in four subjects
• 1901-Elementary school teacher
• 1902- Editor of Socialist newspaper - Switzerland to avoid military service
• 1911-1915 arrested & jailed 11 times
• 1915 Joins the army• 1919- Organized the
Fascist Party
-October 1922: “The March on Rome”
• Socialist & Unionists called for a General Strike• King Emanuel III appointed Mussolini premier and gave
him emergency powers
Nationalism gone wild
• Propaganda urged the restoration of the Roman Empire
• Idealized life without crime, poverty or social turmoil
• Slogan: Believe! Obey! Fight!
-The Corporate State
• The Fascist way of dealing with the tension between and ownership worker :
• Abolished labor unions, prohibited strikes and allowed the corporation to work for the best solutions
The Axis powers:
• Nov 1, 1936, The Rome-Berlin Axis
• June 10, 1940, Mussolini joined with Nazi Germany declaring war on Britain and France
• Neither man survived the conflict they started
Mussolini’s inglorious end…
Any Questions?