FASCIST ITALY

1922 - 1945

FASCIST ITALY

Constitutional Monarchy.

WWI: Huge losses (3rd after Russia and France).

End of WWI: Left with a poor economy and many social issues.

- High unemployment rates- National debt- Inflation

Didn’t obtain all the territory they had been promised in the Treaty of London.

Italy Before Fascism

1920 Factory Occupations

Assembly of 600,000 workers in a Fiat factory in an attempt to overthrow the capitalist regime.

Childhood

Early Political Beliefs

Italian Fascist Party

Benito Mussolini: Background

Economic Factors

Political actors

Social Factors

Mussolini’s rise to Power

1922: The March in Rome

Benito Mussolini in 1938

How Mussolini’s regime workedBelief in the superiority of

the nation’s people. Absolute power of the

state. Corporatism: state controls

labor and factory owners.Extreme patriotism: glory

of the nation, fear of outside threats.

Militarism and imperialism: other “weaker” nations were supposed to be conquered. Poster announcing the 10th

anniversary of the coup d’état which brought Mussolini to power.

Cult of the leader: known as “Il Duce”, the duke. Became a sort of national legend.

Repression of anti-fascists was less violent that in Germany.

A sort of secret police, “the Black shirts”, who put into line those who opposed Mussolini by using violence and intimidation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJpp3ipxKzU Link to one of Mussolini’s speeches.

Propaganda poster from Mussolini’s regime, it reads: “One for all, one for the Duce.”

Italy under MussoliniExtreme nationalism: build up the prestige and greatness

of nation.Total obedience to authority: “Believe, Obey, Fight!”Autarky: government directed the economic life of the

nation.Attempt to end class warfare by promoting co-operation

between employers and workers: “The Corporative State”.Military strength and violence: “Peace is absurd: fascism

does not believe in it” – Mussolini.Censorship: a strict press censorship was enforced.Education: closely supervised.Religion: The Lateran treaty of 1929.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1540784

25 April, 1945: Liberation Day.27 April : Mussolini & his mistress attempt to

flee Italy but get caught by Italian partisans.28 April : Mussolini is shot.

The Fall of Fascism

US news coverage of

Mussolini’s execution

Article from the Anti-Fascist party on the day of Mussolini’s

death.