Fascism in Italy
Chapter 13
Section 3
Italy
Italy After World War I
After WWI, Italian nationalists were outraged when
Italy received just some of the territories promised by
the Allies
Italian nationalists argued that the Allies betrayed
Italy after World War I
Chaos ensued as peasants seized land, workers went
on strike, veterans faced unemployment, trade
declined, and taxes rose
The government could not end the economic crises
plaguing Italy
Benito Mussolini
Into this turmoil stepped Benito
Mussolini, the organizer of the
Fascist Party
Mussolini was an intense
nationalist
Mussolini’s supporters, the
Black Shirts, rejected
democratic methods and
favored violence for solving
problems
Black Shirts used terror tactics
to scare the opposition
Benito Mussolini
Fascist Blackshirts
Mussolini Speaking to His
People
March on Rome
In the 1922 March on Rome,
tens of thousands of Fascists
swarmed the capital
Protestors demanded the
government make changes to
the economy and society
Fearing civil war, the king,
under intense pressure, asked
Mussolini to form a
government with Mussolini as
prime minister
Mussolini had legally assumed
power in Italy because King
Emmanuel II appointed him!
Mussolini’s Fascist Leadership
Mussolini takes on the title Il Duce (the
Leader)
Mussolini soon suppressed rival parties,
censored the press, rigged elections, and
replaced elected officials with Fascists
Critics were thrown into prison, forced into
exile, or murdered
Secret police and propaganda
strengthened the regime
In 1929, Mussolini also received support
from Pope Pius XI in return for recognizing
Vatican City as an independent state
Pope, though, disagreed, with some of
Mussolini’s goals
Vatican
The smallest
independent state in
the world.
Pius XI
What type of government was
leading Italy?
Italy was still a
parliamentary monarchy –
technically
But Italy was now ruled by
a terrorizing, fascist
dictator – Benito
Mussolini
Italy evolved into an evil
dictatorship
Italian Economy
Mussolini brought the economy under state control,
but basically preserved capitalism
Representatives of business, labor, government, and
Fascist party leaders controlled industry, agriculture
and trade
Mussolini’s system of government favored the upper
classes and industry leaders
Workers were not allowed to strike, and their wages
were kept low
Loyalty
In Mussolini’s new system, loyalty to the state
replaced conflicting individual goals
Italians owed loyalty/allegiance to the state first
before personal goals
State was all-important
Individual rights were secondary to the goals of the
state
Obedience to the State
“Believe! Obey! Fight” loudspeakers blared
and posters proclaimed
Fascist youth groups marched in parades
chanting slogans
Men were ruthless, selfless warriors fighting
for Italian glory
Mussolini awarded women for having 14 or
more children (it was a women’s duty to bear
children to serve the Italian state)
Influencing Young Italians
Young children were taught loyalty and
obedience to Italy
Fascist youth groups emerged
Tough discipline was taught to youngsters
“Mussolini is always right”, people chanted in
song
Mussolini was developing the Italian people
for an expansion of Mussolini’s dream of an
expanded Italian empire
Totalitarianism
Mussolini built the first modern totalitarian state
In this form of government, a one-party dictatorship
attempts to control every aspect of the lives of its
citizens
Today, we usually use the term fascism to describe
the underlying ideology of any centralized,
authoritarian government system that is not
communist
Fascism is rooted in extreme nationalism
Fascists believe in action, violence, discipline, and
blind loyalty to the state
Fascism
They praise warfare
Fascists are anti-democratic, rejecting equality and
liberty
Fascists oppose communists on important issues
Communists favored spreading communism
internationally and the creation of a classless society
Unlike communism, fascists were most concerned
with strengthening their own nation
Fascism
Fascists are nationalists who support a society with
defined classes (upper, middle, poor)
Both base their power on blind devotion to a leader
(e.g., Mussolini) or the state – individuals do not
matter under Fascism
Both flourish during economic hard times
Fascism appealed to Italians because it restored
national pride, provided stability, and ended the
political feuding that had paralyzed democracy in
Italy
Powerpoint Questions
1. What angered Italian nationalists after World War
I?
2. Who were the party militants who rejected the
democratic process in favor of violent action?
3. After the March of Rome, what did the king feel
pressured to do?
4. Under Mussolini’s leadership, what groups
controlled industry, agriculture, and trade?
5. Explain a totalitarian state.
6. How do you define fascism?
Powerpoint Questions
7. Why did fascism appeal to many Italians?
8. How does fascism differ from communism? Explain
9. What is fascism rooted in?
10. What four elements do fascists believe in? (four
points)
11. What slogan did the fascists play on
loudspeakers?
12. What did the Fascist Party teach young children?
The End