Italian Economy 1924-1936
Mussolini had inherited an Italy with limited resources. The
industrialisation of the north and modernisation of agriculture left
the south behind with its mass poverty and lack of education.
Mussolini believed in will power as a driving force in society. The
battle for the lira, grain and marshes were used to mobilise the
Italian people who struggled to achieve these targets.
In 1926 Mussolini engaged in the Battle for the Lira. In October 1922,
the lira was fixed at 90 to the pound and had been falling rapidly
since. In 1927 the quota of 90 was achieved by returning to the gold
standard. The economy was deflated to drive up the value of the lira,
however this drove up the price of Italian exports seriously harming
the economy. Small firms were taken over by larger ones. This serious
deflation caused government imposed wage cuts of 20%. The battles'
good intention of returning economic stability was a lost cause that
forced the government to devalue the lira in 1936.
The battle for grain in 1925 aimed to promote economic growth with
autarky to reduce the need for grain imports and make Italy more
independent. To make this possible high tariffs were imposed on
imported grain and government grants were made available to farmers
for machinery and fertiliser. Although cereal production doubled other
forms of agriculture were hard hit, which raised the need for imports
of meat and eggs. Italy became almost self-sufficient in grain but not
fertiliser so cereal production fell during the war due to the
restrictions on fertilisers.
The corporate state was created as a third way between communism and
capitalism. It presented Italy as a unified nation, both workers and
employers worked together in harmony to create a fairer society and
increase national production. Corporations were organisations of all
workers and employers in a particular area of production. These
corporations were self governed and represented at the National
Council of Corporations. However the representation was unbalanced
employers represented themselves, but members of the fascist party
The end of the Civil War brought a whole new era of economy, political control, and Presidential intervention. The economy emerged from its agriculturally based economy into a flourishing big business dominated world and eventually in 1929 came crashing down. I agree only partially with the quote " The Civil War saw the beginning of an 80-year decline of real individual economic opportunity; nonetheless, the vast majority of Americans continued to profess their belief in individualism as evidenced by the Presidents they elected. Thus, between 1865 and 1939, the majority of Americans accepted big business dominance and rejected all forms of government interference and regulation contrary to individualism."
Ginsborg P (1990). ‘A History of Contemporary Italy: Society and Politics: 1943-1980’ Published by Penguin; Reprint edition (27 Sep 1990).
Multiple historians have touched on the change in government during Fascist Italy’s reign in World War II. In Italian Fascism: Its Origins and Development, Alexander De Grand clarifies the many promises Benito Mussolini fabricated for the Italian people in order to get them to join his cause such as the improvement on poverty with the rise of a new Roman Empire. De Grand also gives an opposite view, with some citizens seeing Fascism as a “model of efficiency.” In Melton S. Davis’ Who Defends Rome?, t...
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. Actually, there is no clearly define about what is fascism, but it could be considered as militant political movement that emphasized loyalty to the state and obedience to the leader. It based on the principles of Authoritarianism – government tried to organize and control with strong discipline as much as possible in people's lives. About political, fascism is kind of extreme nationalism with only one-party state, which means no way for democracy to exist. About economic, government claimed to control all the industrialists by putting all the economic activities under the corporate state. Society under fascism was encouraged by the military, industrialists, and middle class. About culture, to keep people under control, they threatened, censored them to have to support only Fascism policies. All above is some representative characters of fascism.
To begin with, this is determined by Italy's weak and foreign expansion policy. In 1871, the long-torn apartness of Italy achieved unity, providing favorable conditions for the development of capitalism. But the reunification is completed from top to bottom, retaining a large number of feudal remnants, which seriously hindered the further development of the Italian economy, resulting in the backwardness of Italy, mainly in three aspects: First, backward agriculture, food production is extremely
By the end of the year exports had regained their pre-war level along with this. There was little unemployment and retail prices remained fairly stable. The sand is stable. All this contrasted strongly with the situation in France. Germany and Italy.
Corporatism was essential to the economic totalitarianism that was practiced by Mussolini and Hitler. It was adopted by Italy and Germany and eventually became a model for policy makers in Europe and the United States. Leaders in the United States instead used the term “planned capitalism” over “fascism.” British intellectuals may be the fondest of anyone who sees the positives in fascism. They too mirrored Mussolini’s ideals and felt that he was a responsible ruler who takes
During the late 1800's Italy became one of the most overcrowded countries in Europe. Many Italians began to consider the possibility of leaving Italy to escape the new low wages and high taxes. For centuries the entire Italian peninsula was divided into quarreling states, with foreign powers often controlling several states. In this chaotic situation, the feudal system ruled above the economic system, leaving money only in the hands of a select few (Wikepedia.com, 2007).
The key issues over which the Italian Wars were fought were primarily financial incentives for Charles VIII of France. He declared that he intended to use Naples as a base to drive the Ottomans out of Europe and liberate Constantinople. In actual truth his main motivation was self-glory and the mouth-watering prospect of acquiring some exquisite prizes of war. On the way he would acquire rich cities and portable pieces of art. It seems that this invasion had been planned for two years prior since Charles had already bought off potential rivals like Henry VII of England, Ferdinand and Macsimilion. He had also enlisted the support of Genoa and Milan, both within Italy. The regent of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, needed allies and his invitation in 1594 seemed to Charles’ plans perfectly. He accepted and the Italian wars began. Also, the Cardinal of Genoa resented the current Pope, Alexander VI. He invited Charles to come in, depose him and spark off the eagerly awaited church reform.
The beginning of the 1920s was a period of prosperity for most Americans. “The years between 1920 and 1929 are sometimes known as the “Roaring Twenties” or the “Jazz Age” (Bingham 6). World War I had ended and Americans were looking at an economic boom. “When World War I ended, American soldiers expected to reap the benefits of the productivity and prosperity the war had brought to the United States. But the sudden decrease in demand for the exported food and wartime goods brought on by the war’s end did not result in a corresponding reduction in production levels” (George 14). Americans were buying cars and new products, for example vacuum cleaners and refrigerators that were rolling off the assembly lines. This period in time was also called the “Coolidge Prosperity”, named after President Coolidge who was the U.S. President from 1923 to 1929. There were problems starting to occur during this time but most of the Americans
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.
The positive effects of Benito Mussolini’s reign in Italy benefitted the country greatly. By putting Cesare Mori in charge of eliminating the mafia, he caused 11,000 of Italy’s criminals to be arrested, which caused the country’s crime rates to plummet. The nearly absolute end of the mafia brought peace and order to Italy, which the country’s citizens desperately needed. He also defended his country’s interests by going against the allies for not giving Italy the land that was promised to them if they joined them in the first world war. Mussolini also upgraded infrastructure in Italy and improved the Italian economy.
Mussolini came into power in 1922 and sought to make Fascism the only party in Italy, because he believed it was superior to all other parties. Both Mussolini and Hitler wanted to create a better economy for their countries, and had big plans to change the way their countries viewed things. Mussolini abolished democracy, and would not listen and shunned any ideas or citizens who opposed his political views. Although the men were quite similar in the ways they set goals for their countries, Hitler was extreme in his plans for future Germany. According to the lecture, Hitler’s plans were to make it known the Germans were the superior race, Jews and Gypsies were subhuman, Hitler promised to take back the land taken from the after the war, and Lebensraum. Both men had their countries became a part of the Axis powers, and along with Japan became Fascist nations. Mussolini’s rise to power came through his influence on the fascists people. According to the lecture it was fascists that marched to Rome in October 1922, and the people demanded that the king put Mussolini in charge of the government. It was through fear that Mussolini gained his power. Hitler on the other hand was
Italian Unification The Internet definition of Risorgimento is the “Italian unification or Risorgimento is a political and social process that brought to the unification of the Italian peninsula into a single nation, between 19th and the beginning of 20th century” During the early years, secret societies, such as the Carbonari, appeared and carried on revolutionary activities. The Italians shared a common and language and history due to the Roman Empire and many Italians still had memories of the ancient unity and glory which they once enjoyed. There were also nationalistic and liberal feelings which rose when Napoleon unified Italy under his rule. Carbonari This was one of the most influential revolutionary groups during the Risorgimento. It was formed in the southern Italy in the 19th Century.
" The real meaning of the New Economic policy is that we have met a