Fascism in Italy. Totalitarianism By 1939 every major European state was dictatorial except...
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Transcript of Fascism in Italy. Totalitarianism By 1939 every major European state was dictatorial except...
Fascism in Italy
TotalitarianismTotalitarianism By 1939 every major
European state was dictatorial except Britain, France
Totalitarian state: govt controls the political, economic, social, intellectual and cultural lives of its citizens
Greatly expands the powers of the state
Aim to conquer the minds and hearts of the masses
Extensive use of propaganda and censorship
Uses modern technology to impose tight control on citizens
Ruled by a single leader/party
Rejects ideals of limited government and democracy
Individual freedom is subordinate to the will/interests of the collective
The leader determines the collective will
All citizens must be devoted to the cause of the state
Benito MussoliniBenito Mussolini Born in Milan in 1883 Originally attracted to
Marxism Editor of Socialist Party
newspaper Avanti before WW1
Broke with Socialists by advocating Italy’s involvement in the war
Briefly fought against Austria and was wounded
Became disgusted with socialism’s pacifism and with the Bolsheviks in Russia
Rise of FascismRise of Fascism Italy faced severe
economic problems after WW1
High inflation & unemployment
Rampant industrial strikes and riots
Socialists advocated revolution
Middle class feared Bolshevik-style revolution
Nationalists outraged that Italy didn’t receive more in the Versailles Treaty
The FascistsThe Fascists 1919: Mussolini established
the Fascio di Combattimento (League of Combat) Mostly war veterans
frustrated with the Versailles Treaty and with the weakness of the govt
Gangs of fascists called Blackshirts attacked socialist offices and newspapers
Quickly gained popularity among veterans, middle class, and industrialists
Evolved into a political party
1921: included in the govt coalition
March on RomeMarch on Rome October 1922: Mussolini
threatens to march his Blackshirts to Rome and overthrow the govt
25,000 Blackshirts stage demonstrations in Rome
King Victor Emmanuel III appoints Mussolini Prime Minister
Mussolini imposes heavy press censorship
Mussolini given power to make laws by decree
Police given unlimited powers of arrest and interrogation
Blackshirts engage in widespread political violence
Mussolini with members of the Fascist Party after the March on Rome (October 28, 1922)
What is Fascism?What is Fascism? Latin word fasces Ancient Roman
fasces was a bundle of rods tied tightly together around an axe
Symbol of unity and strength
What is Fascism?What is Fascism? The State not only is authority which
governs and molds individual will with laws and values of spiritual life, but it is also power which makes its will prevail abroad….For the Fascist, everything is within the State and…neither individuals nor groups are outside the State...For Fascism, the State is an absolute, before which individuals or groups are only relative….Liberalism denied the State in the name of the individual; Fascism reasserts the rights of the State as expressing the real essence of the individual. -- Enciclopedia Italiana, 1932
What is Fascism?What is Fascism? Extreme right-wing ideology Celebrates nation or race as
transcending all other loyalties Constant use of patriotic symbols to
create nationalism All aspects of society must be
subordinate to the state Glorifies violence and militarism Intensely anti-democratic and anti-
communist Individual has no significance Calls for revolution against moral
decay, individualism, materialism, and all alien forces
Enforces strict gender roles and strong families
What is Fascism?What is Fascism? Rallies the nation against enemies
(foreign states, communists, racial minorities)
Disregards human rights and individual freedoms
Uses religious rhetoric to gain popularity
Hostile toward intellectuals and modern trends in art and music
Rampant cronyism Democratic procedures are
manipulated and abused Exerts thorough control over and
effective use of mass media Suppresses the power of labor and
protects the power of business
The Fascist StateThe Fascist State 1926: Fascists outlaw all
other political parties and labor unions
Create secret police (OVRA) to monitor and jail all opponents
Mussolini calls himself Il Duce (The Leader)
Propaganda used extensively to mold Italians into devoted fascists
Pro-fascist youth groups created to reinforce military skills and fascist values
The Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church Popularity of Catholicism
forced Mussolini to compromise with the Catholic Church
Lateran Accords (1929): Mussolini recognized the Church’s sovereignty over the Vatican and the Pope recognized the legitimacy of Fascist Italy
Mussolini subsidized the Church and recognized Catholicism as the “sole religion of the state”
Church urged Catholics to support the regime
Social PoliciesSocial Policies Encouraged large
families Schooling
emphasized Italy’s glorious past and her destiny of imperial greatness
Every day students would salute the flag and recite “Hail Italy! Hail Mussolini!”
Strong emphasis on physical fitness
Mussolini visits a youth camp near Rome in 1935
Foreign PolicyForeign Policy Mussolini dreamed of creating a
new Roman Empire around the Mediterranean
1935: invaded Ethiopia League of Nations responded
with weak sanctions 1936: signed Rome-Berlin Axis with
Hitler 1936: Italy and Germany sent many
troops and weapons to the Spanish Civil War to help the Nationalist leader Franco
1936: joined the Anti-Comintern Pact directed against the Soviet Union
1938: Gave Hitler the green light to annex Austria
Italian troops fighting in Ethiopia (1935)
Hitler visits Rome to cement the Rome-Berlin Axis (1936)
Jewish PolicyJewish Policy Fascist regime was officially
anti-Semitic Jews criticized for championing
avant garde intellectual and artistic movements
Accused of disloyalty to Italy and fascism and loyalty to Zionism
1938 legislation Excluded foreign Jews Excluded Jews from teaching,
civil service and military Mussolini resisted Hitler’s
extermination policy and left most Jews alone 75% of Italian Jews survived the
Holocaust
Italian FascismItalian Fascism Italian Fascism was much less
violent and repressive than the Nazi variety
The state’s power over the lives of most Italians was not extensive
Mussolini was not successful in reshaping the attitudes and ideas of most Italians
Much of industry, the army, the Church, and the bureaucracy was not thoroughly “taken over” by the Fascists
Nonetheless, Hitler was inspired by Mussolini’s example, methods and successes