Mussolini

Fascism and Benito Mussolini.

• Fascism takes its name from the Italian "Fascisti," a movement led by Benito Mussolini.

• A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.

• In 1922, when Mussolini came to power in Italy, he became the first Fascist dictator in Europe.

Fascism Italy

• Italy was a poor country by European standards. She lost more than 600,000 men in World War I.

• At Versailles, many of her territorial claims went unfulfilled.

• After WWI it suffered economic depression and mass unemployment Social unrest spread.

• In the cities, strikes broke out in heavy industries. In the countryside. peasants burned crops and destroyed livestock.

Fascism

• Meanwhile, armed bands of discontented young men. many of them ex-soldiers, roamed the streets, brawling with Communists and other workers, with the tacit support of the police.

• Most prominent among these street bands were the Fascists, who adopted the black shirt as their emblem.

Mussolini

• In the 1924 elections, the Fascists used intimidation and strong-arm methods to suppress opposition.

• From 1925 on, Mussolini consciously set out to establish a totalitarian state, giving the Fascist Party complete domination over all facets of Italian life. Clip

In October 1922, Mussolini mobilized his Blackshirts for a March on Rome. Mussolini's forces converged on the capital, while he remained at a safe distance in Milan. e

Il Duce

Mussolini was declared Premier.

The Fascists had come to power legally.

Mussolini: Political Career

† Radical Revolutionary

Radical Revolutionary

† 1912 Leader 1912 Leader of a socialist of a socialist party: quickly party: quickly rose to the rose to the top.top.† Opportunist 1922: left Opportunist 1922: left

the socialist (traitor) the socialist (traitor) party to lead the party to lead the fascist party (Black fascist party (Black Shirts)Shirts)

† 1924 becomes “ll 1924 becomes “ll Duce”Duce”

† 1932-36 middle class 1932-36 middle class suffer with global suffer with global depression: Mussolini depression: Mussolini invades Ethiopia as a invades Ethiopia as a distraction-”Italian Empire.distraction-”Italian Empire.

† 1936 Mussolini and 1936 Mussolini and Hitler become allies Hitler become allies “Rome-Berlin axis”“Rome-Berlin axis”

Italy under Mussolini• Italy became a corporate state; gov’t

controlled all aspects of manufacturing, agriculture, transportation, commerce.– Each had a government representative,

The theory worked for a time. Required a strong military and police

force, allowed for private ownership of the land.

Goals: Wanted to make Italy a world power. To carve out his

own empire in the Mediterranean. To make the

Mediterranean Sea into an “Italian Lake”. Clip

1936 1936 MussoliMussolini and ni and Hitler Hitler

become become allies allies

“Rome-“Rome-Berlin Berlin Axis”Axis”

Mussolini (1883 - 1945) and Clara Petacci's body hung up and

exposed for insult in Milan, with those of other fascists, Favolini and Teruzzi. They were caught by Italians at Donga, on Lake

Como, and were tried and shot.

Benito Mussolini

• Controlled Italy as a fascist dictator

• Joined Hitler in WWII• When the war was over he fled