Benito Mussolini
Mussolini and the intervention crisis
Benito Mussolini was born in Predappio, near Forli, in Romagna, on July 29, 1883. Like his father, Benito became a fervent socialist. He qualified as an elementary schoolmaster in 1901. In 1902 he emigrated to Switzerland. Unable to find a permanent job there and arrested for vagrancy, he was expelled and returned to Italy to do his military service. After further trouble with the police, he joined the staff of a newspaper in the Austrian town of Trento in 1908. Expelled by the Austrians, he became the editor at Forli of a socialist newspaper, La Lotta di Classe (The Class Struggle). His early enthusiasm for Karl Marx was modified by a mixture of ideas from the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche, the revolutionary doctrines of Auguste Blanqui, and the syndicalism of Georges Sorel. In 1910, Mussolini became secretary of the local Socialist party at Forli.When Italy declared war on Turkey in 1911, he was imprisoned for his anti-war propaganda . Appointed editor of the official Socialist newspaper Avanti, he moved to Milan, where he established himself as the most forceful of all the leaders of Italian socialism. At this stage in his life, his political views were anti-militarist and anti-war however throughout the intervention crisis his views altered dramatically and became opposite of what they were before.
On June 28 the Archduke of Austria Franze Ferdinand, Hapsburg heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, was assassinated in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo. The death of the heir was greeted with relief and joy because he once stated publicly that he wanted to declare war on Italy, but also because Italy’s relations with Austria had became increasingly tensed since th...
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...ver, a new bourgeoisie made their appearance which increased Italy’s industrial productivity by 90% . Italy’s economy was showing impressive growth and the war could only precipitate the process. Therefore, the Fascists could only welcome the signs of a new modern Italy and anticipated a better life.
Bibliography:
Bibliography
Di Scala M. Spencer.(1998). Italy: From Revolution to Republic. (Colorado:Westview Press)
Finer Herman, (1964). Mussolini’s Italy. (Connecticut: Archon Books)
Gregor A. James. (1979). Young Mussolini and the Intellectual Origins of Fascism. (Berkley: University of California Press)
Megaro Gaudens, (1976). Mussolini in the making. (New York: Howard Ferting)
Salvemini Gaetano.(1973). The origins of Fascism in Italy. (New York: Harper & Row, Publishers)
Villari Luigi.(1929). Italy. (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons)
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1896. He was a threat to the Black Hand Terrorist group, a group of radical Serbian nationalists. They pledged “to destabilize the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire in order to incorporate their Serb population into a greater Serbia” (CITE) However the Archduke’s goals were “strengthening the Austro-Hungarian Empire” (CITE) which was contrary to the Serbs' desires. They feared that if he came into power, he would continue to persecute the Serbs, henceforth the decision to assassinate him.
Ginsborg P (1990). ‘A History of Contemporary Italy: Society and Politics: 1943-1980’ Published by Penguin; Reprint edition (27 Sep 1990).
Fascism is one of the great political ideology in the 20th century. It is a kind of authoritarian government that, according to Wikipedia, “considers the individual subordinate to the interests of the state, party or society as a whole.” Two of the most successful and to be in the vanguard of fascism government is Italian fascism – led by Benito Mussolini, and Nazi Germany – led by Adolf Hitler. Fascism in Italy and Germany, though in many regards very similar - have the same political ideologies, still have many aspects to them that make them different from each other. Before analysing the similarities and differences between the fascism that emerged in Italy and Germany since the very first of 20th century, it is better to discover - what is fascism.
Benito Mussolini (“II Duce”) was the leader of a fascist Italy, coming into power during 1923 and up till his defeat in the Italian parliament during 1943. In May of 1940, Italy sided with Germany, as Mussolini’s interest were similar to those Hitler had. Later, he was deposed after losing the vote from the Grand Council of Fascism and was to be arrested by the king and partisans in July of 1943 and imprisoned. Soon after he was rescued by an SS raid (“Gran Sasso Raid”) and restored by Hitler. However, in 1945 he was again captured by partisans, when Mussolini realized that defeat was looming and was attempting to flee north. Captured again Mussolini was quickly executed near Lake Como by the Italian partisans. From 1940 to 1945 Mussolini’s actions both globally and locally, had significant and damaging impact on the war efforts of both Nazi Germany and Italy, contributing to the Allied victory in May 1945. [2] [3]
Mussolini, Benito. “The Political and Social Doctrine of Fascism.” The Human Record . By Alfred J. Andrea and James H. Overfield. Vol. 2. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2011. 2 vols. 399-400.
During the summer of 1941, Chancellor Adolf Hitler initialized “The Final Solution'; to the “Jewish Question';. Hitler started this program because he wanted to create a highly centralized state and one for the master race, Germans. Exterminating Jews was, for Hitler, the only way to create a perfect Germany because it would eliminate the ‘malignant tumors’, the race that caused Germany to lose World War One. Hitler’s decision to start exterminating Jews changed the course of history. In the end, over 6,000,000 Jews were killed and a Jewish state known as Israel, evolved.
(hint: Who did Mussolini favor, peasants or factory owners? Also, what was the appeal of fascism to the people of Italy?)We usually use the term fascism to describe any underlying ideology of any centralized, authoritarian government system that is not communist. It is rooted in extreme nationalism. Fascists believe in violence, discipline, and blind loyalty to the state. They praise warfare and are anti-democratic.
In 1922, Benito Mussolini held leadership in Italy, promising a proficient and militaristic nationalistic state. During his control as prime minister, he gained a large group of followers, banned the disparagement of government, and used extreme violence against his enemies within the parliament. According to Oppenheimer, Adolf Hitler idolized Mussolini’s rise and respected his tactics to gain power. Hitler was a violent leader who brought For example, “corporatism” largely contributed to later policies that we still practice today.
Benito Mussolini’s major problem was that he was twisted in the mind. Mussolini really thought he could change Italy by using violence, which was wrong thinking. I do not personally think it is all Mussolini’s fault because it was the way he grew up. Do not get me wrong he was raised in a household were abuse was going on but his father did not show him any type of affection. I believe that if Benito’s father would have showed him love and told him be a wise person he would have been better off in my opinion. However, since that did not happen Benito had to put this façade on for the public to mask his insecurities, and his darkest thoughts. I think that Benito would have been able to fix this if he would have had good men friends to teach him the ways of being a powerful figure without beating people over the head to make his point.
Benito Mussolini was born on July 29, 1883 outside the village of Dovia di Predappio in the Northeastern Italian province of Forli. He had one sister and one brother. They always fought and argued over little petty things with each other. His sister name was Edvige and his brother’s name was Armaldo. His mother Rosa Malteni was a well respect and appreciated schoolteacher. His father Allesandro Mussolini was both a blacksmith and a committee socialist. He received his name "Benito" from the Mexican Revolutionary Juarez. Benito grew up as a delinquent, disobedient, and did not have any manners. He was a bully to the other children around him. He would get into numerous of fights with other children.
In response to the democratic backlash after World War I, in response to the Treaty of Versailles and the economic failure after the war, countries turned to a totalitarian, fascist government, regulating every facet of life of the people it ruled. Fascist Italy was no exception—over the years 1921-1943, Italy instituted a population policy, controlling it and causing it to rise. Italy’s population policy consisted of the regulation of family size, often exercising Mussolini’s bid for control in extreme manners. The reactions consisted of an economic counterpoint of family size, and disapproval of this new regime.
Fascism needed a war-torn country in distress in order to succeed. People cannot expect a form of government that thrives on devastation and violence to be suitable for their country and to have an honest leader. The instability left behind after the collapse of socialism at the end of World War I, left so many people unrepresented in Parliament. People of widely varying class status and geographic location all began to agree on the basic fascist ideals simply because it was not socialism. Mussolini never expected that many people to accept and support fascism, especially in the more rural and politically stable areas, but once the fascist support system was in place, Mussolini ignored exactly what fascism was based on, and led Italy as he pleased because the people supported him regardless of his
It is true that the Italian dictatorship was more conservative in its application than that of Hitler’s reign of terror. But, both the fascist ideas and rulings of these two leaders proved to have some similarities worth mentioning. Both leaders left their countries with an economic and social debt to the Allies, which is still strong in the minds of many older members of the community.
The allied powers promised Italy land in exchange for joining them against the central powers during WWI. But, Italy was mostly ignored during the Treaty of Versailles and received very little land. This can be seen as one of the reasons Mussolini aligned with the Axis powers in WWII. He knew that the allies did not treated Italy fairly so he went against them in the next war. He also began invading countries in Africa such as Ethiopia so that Italy could establish itself as the rightful leading power of the Mediterranean. While the invasion of other countries may seem bad, Mussolini did it to increase the power of his own country. He fought for Italy first, proving himself a true nationalist. Another example of this can be found when Hitler came to power and it became apparent to Mussolini that Austria was threatened. He wanted Italy to have influence in Austria, so he threatened to go to war with Germany in the event of an invasion of
After years of hostility and aggression between the European superpowers and large states, the balance of power began to be challenged. The Serbians in 1914 assassinated the Arch-duke, Franz Ferdinand, of Austria-Hungary. The country counteracted and “issued an ultimatum to Serbia, which would bring the assassins to justice. And with that action Serbia’s sovereignty was nullified” (Duffy Michael, 2009). Since Serbia did not succumb to the harsh demands of Austria-Hungary, “preventative” war was declared on Serbia on July 28,...