FASCIST ITALY: Origins and Rise of the Fascist Movement

Aims

1. Place fascism in its Italian context

2. Set out the origins of Mussolini’s rise to power:What did Mussolini do?

What did others do/fail to do?

3. Explore the complexity of fascism as historical and political phenomenon

4. Critically address the ideological ambiguity of Italian fascism

Mussolini the Young Leftist Radical

Mussolini the Dictator

Mussolini the Innovator

Mussolini the Man of the People

Mussolini the Statesman

Mussolini the Joke

Mussolini theDead Dictator

Origins of Fascism

• Grievances from WWI

• Structural social weaknesses

• Structural political weaknesses

• Weakness of the Left

Grievances from WWI

• ‘The least of the great powers’ (R. Bosworth)

– Great War: 1915-1918

• Versailles– Fiume (Rijeka) and Dalmatia

• Veterans

• Last War of Independence; First National War

Structural social weaknesses

• Regionalism– A National Identity?

• Economy– Slow and uneven growth

• The ‘Southern Question’– Mafia: an alternative State

Structural political weaknesses

• Legacy of 1861– Trasformismo

• The political spectrum– An inept Centre– A new Right– A divided Left

The Left

• The PCI-PSI split

• Interpreting international events

• Interpreting the Italian context

PART TWO: MUSSOLINI’S RISE TO POWER

The Fascist Movement(s)

• The Fascio:– Ancient Roman Republican symbol– Fascio=Bundle or Group

• A variety of organisations• Rooted in WWI• Membership:

– Students; Ex-servicemen; Urban Middle-Classes;

The Fasci di Combattimento

• Benito Mussolini– Ideological path of a self-promoter

• From Anarchism to Fascism

via Socialism

– The power of the Media• From L’Avanti to Il Popolo d’Italia

via WWI

The 1919 Manifesto

• Universal Suffrage (from age 18)

• Abolition of the Senate

• 40-hour week and Minimum Wage

• Trade Unions representation in firm management

• Land for peasants

Manifesto cont.

• A progressive tax on capital

• Active redistribution of wealth

• Seizure of religious property

• A National Militia

• Nationalizing the weapons industry

• Seizure of 85% of war profits from contractors

Rise to power

• 1920-1925: from 2% to absolute power• External events:

– Passive Liberal governments– Proportional representation – Strikes and Land Occupation

• The financial problem • Squadrismo:

– Fascism as a paramilitary force

• The Popolo d’Italia

Early Fascism, an oxymoron?

Revolutionary Fascism:Anti-establishment

Syndicalist

Anti-clerical

Republican

Urban

v. Reactionary Fascism:Pro-establishment

Ensuring Law and Order

Catholic

Monarchic

Rural

Are there any points of contact?

Mussolini

• Mussolini as synthesis of opposing trends– M. needed the squadrismo

• To threaten stability

• To show strength

– But M. needed equally to deplore squadrismo • To promise stability

• To appear reliable

A masterfully ambiguous position.

Rise to power

• May 1921 elections– New Partito Nazionale Fascista gains 36 seats

• 28 October 1922– ‘March on Rome’

• 30 October 1922– King Vittorio Emanuele III invites Mussolini to

form the government

Some questions on Fascism’s seizure of power?

• Why did Liberal politicians not use force against the fascist squads?

• Why did the King ask Mussolini to become PM?

• Why was the Left incapable to stop him?

• An attempt to tame Fascism by bringing it into the mainstream political fold.

ConclusionFascism’s mobilising “themes”

• Conservative social values– Familism– Catholicism

• Rhetoric of history, power and conquest

• Nationalism as the pursuit of National identity

Conclusion cont.

• Fascism 1919-1925– Long-term origins of Fascism– Fascism’s rise aided by:

• The State’s mistakes, inability, unwillingness to act• Tacit military support • Bourgeoisie’s desire for Law and Order• Failings of a bitterly divided Left

– From revolutionary movement to authoritarian regime in defence of the social status quo

NAMES

GABRIELE D’ANNUNZIOGIUSEPPE GIOLITTIAMEDEO BORDIGAANTONIO GRAMSCIFILIPPO MARINETTI