CYBER QUICKTEXT

The speed at which Italian fascism triumphed in Italy was astounding. The fascist movement began in 1919 without a cohesive organization or ideology. In 1921 it became a formal political party. By October of 1922, Benito Mussolini, the Fascist leader, had become premier of Italy and within a few years he had created a totalitarian state. A multitude of problems that affected Italy in the immediate postwar period contributed greatly to this remarkable success story.

In the aftermath of World War I, Italy had gained little save for 500,000 dead and a growing sense of dissatisfaction with the democratic government. Not only did the government fail to gain promised territory during peace negotiations, they provided no solutions to persistent economic problems, and failed to adopt land reforms that would have helped the country’s peasants. As a result of these failed reforms, many peasants took matters into their own hands and seized land from large landlords. Unfulfilled promises of reforms for the working classes led to strikes in cities.

The peasant revolts coupled with a series of strikes, inspired by the Socialist Party, convinced many property owning Italians that the government was going to fall to Socialism. It was against this chaotic background that Benito Mussolini rose to power. Mussolini was a former Socialist who was thrown out of the party during WWI because he supported Italian entry into the war. He joined the army and was wounded during the war after being hit with grenade fragments.

After returning home, Mussolini organized groups of disgruntled veterans and Italian nationalists who were disillusioned with the government for failing to gain anything from post-war negotiations. These people formed the core of the Fascist Party. Mussolini took his party’s name from the fasces, a symbol of authority during the Roman Empire, consisting of a bundle of rods surrounding an ax. These groups were eventually organized into the Black Shirts, a paramilitary force that was used to intimidate opponents.

Initially the Fascist Party was only adept at fighting Socialists and not winning elections; capturing no parliamentary seats in 1919 and only 35 in 1921. As they became more ambitious, they became bolder. The Black Shirts, using violence, forced many Socialists out of local governments. Although illegal, the Italian government refused to take action because they saw Fascists as a bulwark against a socialist takeover. Considerable support for the Fascists also existed in both the army and in the court of King Victor Emmanuel III. The lack of government response and outside support convinced Mussolini to send his Black Shirts to march on Rome in October 1922. The government resigned and the king asked Mussolini to become premier to avoid a civil war and because Mussolini said he would support the continuation of the monarchy.

Technically, Mussolini came to power constitutionally, but the threat of force paved the way for his appointment. Once in power, he slowly and cautiously turned Italy into a totalitarian state. He agreed to preside over a coalition government of various political parties in exchange for full government powers for a year. During this year he appointed Fascists to key local and national administrative positions and turned the Black Shirts into a national militia. He used this national militia to intimidate voters in the 1924 elections and all the candidates backed by Mussolini won 65 percent of the vote.

Now armed with a massive two-thirds majority, the Fascists applied pressure to other political parties and the press. After murdering an outspoken critic of Fascism, many members of the parliament walked out in protest. They hoped their action might force the king to dismiss Mussolini, but he took no action. This protest actually benefited Mussolini because now he faced no opposition in government.

1925 and 1926, he forced non-Fascists out of government, dissolved all other parties, and imposed tight censorship on the press. He banned trade unions and secured his total control over local governments. To enforce his one party dictatorship, he created a secret police to remove any enemies of the state. To ensure his power, he rigged elections and used intimidation and violence to inspire fear. He also took to calling himself “il Duce,” or the Leader. The Italian people were constantly bombarded with slogans glorifying Mussolini. On the surface, little had changed about the Italian government; the parliament was still functional and the King Emmanuel was technically superior to Mussolini, but in reality they followed Mussolini’s orders.

The Fascist Party philosophy remained unchanged throughout its tenure. They denounced democracy as inefficient and pacifism as a cowardly doctrine. They emphasized discipline, sacrifice, nationalism, militarism, and a return to the former glory of the Roman Empire.
By the 1930’s, Mussolini’s government gained general acceptance. The emphasis on order and discipline was a welcome relief from the previous government’s instability. Despite being a new dictatorship, much of the old order was preserved. The monarchy, Catholic Church, and large landowners enjoyed certain measures of independence.