Use of Violence as the Main Reason for Mussolini's Consolidation of Power from 1922-1928
Introduction
· Several reasons why Mussolini was able to consolidate his power
between 1922 and 1928, such as Mussolini?s actions and strategy,
co-operation from the elite and the failure of his opposition.
· However, I believe the most significant reason was the use of
violence.
Paragraph 1: Use of Violence
· July 1923: The Chamber, surrounded by Blackshirts, passed the Acerbo
Law. This said that the party gaining the most votes in an election,
provided that they obtained at least 25% of the votes, would take
two-thirds of the seats.
· April 1924: Militia violence during the election. 1 Socialist
candidate killed; meetings were stopped; hostile voters were
intimidated and the Blackshirts stood next to the poling stations to
frighten people into voting for the Fascists. Some Fascist voters were
allowed to vote many times each. The ras had a virtually free hand in
intimidating opponents in the small towns in the provin...
A Study In National Hysteria, 1919-1920. Minnesota: North Central Publishing, 1955. “Reds Plotted Country Wide Strike Arrests Exceeded 5,000, 2,635 Held; 3 Transports Ready For Them” New York Times 4 Jan 1920: 1 Remelgas, Alexandra. A. “News Reporting And Editorial Interpretation Of The Palmer Raids 1919-1920
Lincoln also suppressed free elections and enforced this by the use of military force. Members of legislature who were suspected to having secessionist sympathies were arrested. The Federal government had placed posters at the poll booths to point out any peace activists to soldiers, so that soldiers could arrest those people. Also, ballets were made of different colors, so that soldiers could throw away the votes for the Peace Party. People that were carrying the ballot of the Peace Party were arrested for the charge of polluting the ballot
the Treaty of London, the deal made with B and F was not given to
Many would say that Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini were both awful men and even worse leaders in their countries. But, if you really sat down to think about how they ran their form of government, they were actually two of the most vainglorious leaders in the world at that time. Hitler was able to go from being a soldier in World War I to being the supreme leader of Germany. Benito was able to go from being a brief schoolteacher, to being a 10-year journalist.
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.
time of presidential election, the grous violent acts continued and grew in the form of
Fascism is defined as, “an authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization.” Peter Hyland reports that throughout the 1920s and the 1930s, an economic depression was growing and becoming widespread throughout the world. People were losing faith in their democracies and in capitalism. Leaders who gained power supported powerful militarism, nationalism, and initiated the return of an authoritarian rule. J.R. Oppenheimer says that the rise of fascism and totalitarianism in Europe and Russia instigated a “critical step on the path to war.” 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.
Mussolini’s population policy was a clear effort to exercise his authoritarian control over the people of Italy, regulating the most personal and private details of their lives. In his bid for complete control, he used new laws, propaganda, and sometimes brutal tactics in order for his wishes to be recognized. It is during the 1920’s to the 1940’s that totalitarian control over the state escalated into full dictatorships, with the wills of the people being manipulated into a set of beliefs that would promote the fascist state and “doctrines.”
(2) "The manner in which Mussolini and the Fascist Party gained possession of the government was regarded in most foreign circles as an illegal act of violence." 3. As the nation of Italy began to suffer great debts, Mussolini had been summoned by the King to form a government to aid in the economic needs. This marked the birth of the Fascist Party in Italy.... ...
Exploring the Similarities and Differences Between the Foreign Policies of Mussolini and Hitler Similarities - Both foreign policies geared to achieving great power status o Hitler: lebensraum, wanted to have living space for the expansion of the German race and control over other groups o Mussolini: wanted control over Mara nostrum, Abyssinia, …an empire - fascist states o had anti communist feelings; o both signed anti comintern pact 1937 against USSR o Spanish civil war against communism helping Franco secure power o Signed pact of steel in may 1939, a full military alliance - unhappy with status quo, wanted international prestige o national grievances on Versailles, people wanted to change Versailles o Hitler, product of WW1 who was angry at Versailles and wanted to see Germany achieve great power status o Mussolini; felt that Italy had been treated unfairly at Versailles and also waned to change the status quo o Because of this both built up armies, navies and air forces.. Italian air force to block out the sun + German luftwaffe… - both Hitler and Mussolini, used diplomacy and force as well as aggression to get what they wanted o Mussolini over Greece where it undermined the LofN, used force to take Abyssinia 1935 o Hitler used the threat of force to take Austria and diplomacy as well as force to take Czech and Saarland in 193… - by 1939 both had a common enemy; Britain and France - both were aggressive nationalists and glorified warw - both wanted empires; abysinnia and lebenstraum to distract from problems at home.. Differences - Hitler was more clear in his aims and ideals whereas Mussolini was more vague and opportunistic o Although Hitler did take advantage of opportunities such as Abyssinia crises to remilitarise Rhineland he was more structured in his aims for Lebensraum, unification of all Germans, building up the army and recovering lost territories § Illustrated by Hitler’s success after success ; Rhineland in 36,
Here we see some differences in the way Hitler and Mussolini actually came to power. Mussolini encountered many forms of resistance and had to co-exist with other competitors for power, such as the Italian monarchy and rivals even inside his own party. Hitler proved very strong right from the beginning and he brought his plans very nearly to completion, controlling the party and the country much more thoroughly than Mussolini could.
the power of the Roman Catholic Church in Italy or to work with it. He
Their initial victory was “followed by an ensuing struggle to implement change”. The people had taken to the streets not knowing what they would do if they did manage to take power. Now that they had, because of their different individual aims, they found it hard to compromise. This eventually led to a growing split between moderates and radicals, as well as between social classes, particularly in France. The moderates did not want a government based on universal male suffrage and the middle classes were determined to resist the demands of the lower classes....
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