Benito Mussolini was able to capitalize on the state the country found itself in. Mussolini and his fascist ideals were able to overthrow Italy and turn it into a dictatorship and lead it into the second World War behind Hitler’s Germany. Mussolini was able to successfully turn Italy into a dictatorship under a fascist regime because of the country’s internally divided war-torn society as well as the weak state of Italy’s minority governments which could not unite to oppose fascism and finally because of his ability to appeal to this country through a false sense of security and nationalism. In the troubled postwar period Mussolini organized his followers in the Fasci di combattimento, which advocated aggressive nationalism as well as violently opposed the communists and socialists. Amid strikes, social unrest, and parliamentary breakdown, Mussolini preached forcible restoration of order and practised terrorism with armed groups.
"Fascism is reaction," said Benito Mussolini, author of The Doctrine of Fascism, but reaction to what? Mussolini forged Fascism in post-World War I in Europe. The national aspirations of many European peoples nations without states, peoples arbitrarily assigned to political entities with little regard for custom or culture had been crushed after World War I. The humiliation imposed by the victors in the Great War, coupled with the hardship of the economic Depression, created bitterness and anger. That anger frequently found its outlet in an ideology that asserted not just the importance of the nation, but its unquestionable superiority and predestined role in history.
Fascism is a form of counter-revolutionary politics that first arose in the early part of the twentieth-century in Europe. It was a response to the rapid social and political changes brought about by the devastation of World War I and the spread of socialism and communism. The name fascism originated in Italy. The term comes from the Italian word fascio, which referred to the names of radical new social and political organizations. “Fascism is a philosophy or a system of government that advocates or exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with an ideology of aggressive nationalism”(Baradat pg.850).
German Nazism vs. Italian Fascism Fascism and Nazism were two different political groups taken place in two different locations. Nazism was evolved in Germany which were the people that mainly were against Judaism. As for fascism, it took place in Italy and focused mainly on a system of government that was under a dictator, or a ruler who had absolute power. Both these groups had similariteis as well as differences in which will soon be understood. Benito Mussolini which was born in 1883 and died in 1945.
The two most recognized names that go along with Fascism is Italy's Benito Mussolini and Germany's Adolf Hitler. The philosophy of Fascism can be traced to the philosophers who argue that the will is prior to and superior to the intellect or reason. George Sorel, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Georg Hegal are main philosophers who's beliefs and ideologies greatly influenced the shaping of Fascist theory. Sorel (1847-1922) was a French social philosopher who had a major influence on Mussolini. Sorel believed that societies naturally became decadent and disorganized.
One of the problems was economic distress. Italy was a poor nation. She could only sup... ... middle of paper ... ... Fascism would gain control with the help of both the people and the leaders, this came due to various circumstances, of which both fear of communism and the economic problems. Since Victor Emmanuel elected Mussolini, Prime Minister he could easily be blamed for fascism rising to power. However what has been shown in this essay is that fascism was already popular with the people of Italy.
In regards to socialism Benito Mussolini said, We declare war against socialism, not because it is socialism, but because it has opposed nationalism. This is a major part of fascism because through nationalism is how the country will become powerful both economically but also militarily. *** Along with Mussolini, Germany during the same time period went under a great change to fascism. This change was instituted by the Nazi’s and their leader Hitler. Germany’s change to fascism was similar to Italy as it was done following ... ... middle of paper ... ...the government owning the corporations completely.
Benito Mussolini’s ousting brought civil war to Italy. Italy was known as the soft underside of Europe by the Allies. With Italy being one of Germany’s main allies, the weak link was very close to the strongest. Although the Italians won battles, they were quickly overthrown. This was not unfathomable because most of Italy’s citizens no longer agreed with Mussolini’s ways.
Fascism rejects liberal ideas of freedom and individual rights, it often presses for the destruction of elections, legislatures and other elements of democracy. Despite fascism’s idealistic goals, attempts to build fascist societies have led to wars and persecutions that have caused millions of deaths (notably WWII and the Holocaust). As a result, fascism is strongly associated with right-wing fanaticism, racism, totalitarianism and violence. Fascist movements oppose such doctrines as liberalism, individualism, materialism, communism and conservatism. In general, fascists stand against all scientific, economic, religious, academic, cultural and leisure activities that do not serve their vision of a national political life.
Block wardens were placed in nearly every apartment to spy on normal people and report anything remotely suspicious to a Nazi official and thus this created confusion and mistrust in society as well as many broken societal bonds. This put the people of Germany into a panicked state and thus the chaotic people turned to the only thing the remained constant: the government. It was by means of terror-inflicting military groups, propaganda and new laws in regards to women and children’s education the Nazis implemented a fascist regime upon Germany. The nostalgia for the past female roles, propaganda in education, use of terror to control society, removal of enemies of the state, nationalism and ignoring of personal freedoms serve as huge indications of Germany being a fascist state.