Chapter Info (Click Here)
Book No. – 52 (History)
Book Name – Modern World History (Norman Lowe)
What’s Inside the Chapter? (After Subscription)
1. SUMMARY OF EVENTS
2. WHY WAS MUSSOLINI ABLE TO COME TO POWER?
2.1. Disillusionment and frustration
2.2. There was a wave of strikes in 1919 and 1920
2.3. Mussolini attracted widespread support
2.4. Lack of effective opposition
2.5. The attempted general strike, summer 1922
3. WHAT DID THE TERM FASCISM’ STAND FOR?
4. MUSSOLINI TRIES TO INTRODUCE THE FASCIST STATE
4.1. Only the fascist party was allowed
5. WHAT BENEFITS DID FASCISM BRING FOR THE ITALIAN PEOPLE?
5.1. A promising beginning
5.2. Unsolved problems
6. OPPOSITION AND DOWNFALL
6.1. Why was Mussolini eventually overthrown?
6.2. Verdict on Italian fascism
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LANGUAGE
Italy 1918-45: The First Appearance of Fascism
Chapter – 13
Table of Contents
SUMMARY OF EVENTS
- Unification of Italy completed in 1870, but the new state suffered from economic and political weaknesses.
- The First World War placed a great strain on Italy’s economy, and there was disappointment with its treatment by the Versailles settlement.
- Between 1919 and 1922, there were five different governments, all incapable of decisive action.
- In 1919, Benito Mussolini founded the Italian fascist party, which won 35 seats in the 1921 elections.
- There was a real danger of a left-wing revolution, with strikes and riots, and the fascists staged a ‘march on Rome’.
- The march on Rome led to King Victor Emmanuel inviting Mussolini to form a government (October 1922).
- Mussolini remained in power until July 1943.
- Mussolini gradually took on the powers of a dictator and attempted to control every aspect of Italian life.
- Initially, Mussolini’s authoritarian regime appeared to bring benefits, and his successful foreign policy earned him popularity.
- Mussolini’s fatal mistake was entering Second World War on the side of Germany (June 1940), despite knowing Italy could not afford another war.
- Italy suffered defeats by the British, who captured Italy’s African possessions and occupied Sicily.
- Mussolini was deposed and arrested (July 1943), but rescued by the Germans (September 1943) and set up as a puppet ruler in northern Italy.
- As British and American troops advanced towards Milan in April 1945, Mussolini attempted to escape to Switzerland but was captured and shot by Italian partisans.
- His body was taken to Milan and strung up by the feet in a public square, marking an ignominious end for the man who ruled Italy for 20 years.
WHY WAS MUSSOLINI ABLE TO COME TO POWER?
Disillusionment and frustration
- In summer of 1919, there was a general atmosphere of disillusionment and frustration in Italy caused by several factors.
- Disappointment at Italy’s gains from the Versailles settlement: Italy had been promised Trentino, South Tyrol, Istria, Trieste, part of Dalmatia, Adalia, some Aegean islands, and a protectorate over Albania.
- Italy was only given the first four areas; the rest were awarded to other states, mainly Yugoslavia, and Albania was declared independent.
- Italians felt cheated after their valiant efforts in the war and the loss of nearly 700,000 men.
- Particularly irritating was the failure to get Fiume, which was given to Yugoslavia (though it wasn’t promised to Italy).
- Gabriele d’Annunzio, a famous poet, occupied Fiume with a few hundred supporters before the Yugoslavs could take it.
- Some army units deserted and supported d’Annunzio, providing him with arms, leading him to hope of overthrowing the government.
- In June 1920, Prime Minister Giovanni Giolitti ordered the army to remove d’Annunzio from Fiume after 15 months of occupation, despite d’Annunzio being a national hero.
- D’Annunzio surrendered without a fight, but the government became highly unpopular.
- Economic effects of the war were disastrous for Italy: the government had borrowed heavily, especially from the USA, and debts had to be repaid.
- The lira declined in value from 5 to the dollar in 1914 to 28 to the dollar in 1921, leading to a massive increase in the cost of living (at least five times).
- There was massive unemployment, with 2.5 million ex-servicemen struggling to find jobs as heavy industry cut back its wartime production levels.
- Growing contempt for the parliamentary system: After the 1919 elections, votes for all men and proportional representation were introduced, resulting in a large number of parties in parliament.
- In May 1921, at least nine parties were represented, including liberals, nationalists, socialists, communists, Catholic popular party, and fascists.
- This resulted in difficulties for any one party to gain a majority, leading to coalition governments.
- No consistent policy was possible as five different cabinets with shaky majorities came and went, fueling impatience with a system that seemed designed to prevent decisive government.