The first World War left the entire world in a state of chaos, suffrage as well as separation; this was all mainly centred in Europe. The European countries were most effected by this war because it was so close to home. Italy, being such a new country saw these effects in an extreme way. The already regionalised country became more and more separated and saw all the crippling societal results of this war. 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. In 1921 he was elected to parliament and the National Fascist party was officially organized. Backed by nationalists and propertied interests, in October 1922, Mussolini sent the Fascists to March on Rome . King Victor Emmanuel III permitted them to enter the city and called on Mussolini to form a cabinet. This created the fascist regime under Mussolini. The fascist regime turned society into individuals who would just obey and distrust reason as well as understand violence as an essential tool to order. Ideally the country would transform into a totalitarian state; where the government would have total control over the lives of individuals and this would mean that anything is justified if it serves the states ands. Fascism emphasized victory, glorified war, is cruel to the weak, and is irrational and intolerant. Mussolini used the condition of the country to his advantage in his journey to becoming the dictator of Italy.
Italian fascism had at least four principal phases. Until 1925, it was political action seeking an ideolog...
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...inent invasion by the Allies of the Italian mainland at last caused a rebellion within the Fascist party. In July, 1943, the Fascist grand council refused to support his policy-dictated by Hitler- and the king dismissed him and had him placed under arrest. He was freed two months later by a daring German rescue party and became head of the Fascist puppet government set up in Northern Italy by Hitler.
Italy unlike the rest of Europe was greatly affected by the first World War and the state that the country was left in made it vulnerable to the extremist view of Mussolini and was easily transformed into a dictatorship and lead into a fateful alliance with Germany. 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.
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.”
Benito Mussolini wanted to try and delay a major war in Europe until at least 1942, but Germany invaded Poland in 1939. This means declarations of war by France and the UK and the start of WWII. Mussolini created the Fascist Party in Italy in 1919. He eventually made himself dictator after World War
To understand why Fascism gained such popularity after WWI, it is essential to find a working definition of what Fascism actually is. According to Benito Mussolini and his document What is Fascism, Fascism is “the conception of the state, its character, its duty, and its aim.” It is concerned primarily and totally with the affairs of state rather than those of the individual. The chief duty of a man in a Fascist nation is to do what he can to elevate the state to higher power or assist the state in whatever means necessary in its goals. As is evident to anyone studying this period in history, Fascism “repudiates the doctrine of Pacifism…” meaning that it is most certainly not afraid to use force or war to accomplish its objectives. A Fascist, especially a male Fascist, aspires to be a hero to his country and an ally to the state or nation of which he is a part. A woman ...
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...
"Italy 1900-1939, Benito Mussolini." History Learning Site. N.p., 8 Oct. 2000. Web. 8 Apr. 2014.
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.
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 allied himself to Hitler, trusting him to prop his leadership. Benito Mussolini rose into power in the wake of World War I and became Prime Minister of Italy in 1922. Mussolini’s destiny was to rule Italy as a modern Caesar and to re-create the Roman Empire which means that he also wants to gain control not only in his own country, but in other countries as well by waging wars over other countries like Libya, Ethiopia, Albania, and Somalia. He wanted to gain the Mediterranean-African empire through was against French. On April 28, 1945, Mussolini was assassinated. Insurgents captured him while he was on a run because, the German surrender made Mussolini to take off, and then shot him.
These arguably great dictators were not handed their title, but rather had to rise up to it. The death of previous leaders helped each Mussolini, Hitler, and Stalin. The death of socialist leader Giacomo Matteotti made Italy a one-party state. Liberals
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.
After being wounded in the trenches during World War I, he was sent home because of an injury only to become editor of his own newspaper. It was called Il Popolo d'Italia or The People of Italy. This represented his changing of his pacifist views, he used his paper to spread his new ideas and gain support. Mussolini also organized a pro-war group called Fasci d'Azione Rivoluzionaria. After the war he joined a different group called the Arditi Association, which was a military assembly composed of WWI veterans. Both of the associations contributed to the beginning of fascism. In 1919, Mussolini founded the Fasci de Combattimento, which was the skeletal structure for what was to become the political movement of Fascism. This attracted the attention of the lower-middle class with its nationalistic, anti-liberal ideas.
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
"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. In the beginning of his rise to the top, Mussolini was popular amongst his people. His popularity was high, and people began to trust in his judgment and ideas. (4) He was, in essence, saving the people from the turmoil that had ensued the nat...
Hitler and Mussolini looked upon the new form of government, which was Totalitarianism. This form of government means there is only one leader to make decisions and thus they killed or jailed all opponents. Mussolini and Hitler used this form of government after World War One to make their countries into world powers.
In the early years of the twentieth century, Italy has created a new system of government, however suffered social and economic conditions. Improvements were made however, poverty and literacy were still problems that have not been solved well. While entering World War I, the nation was neutral up until joining the British and French in exchange for certain advantages. However, it was unsuccessful as Italy failed to take control of the territories that it claimed at the Versailles Peace Conference,and suffered significant losses. The ideology of fascism occurred when the power of Italy was shrinking and the idea of being a pacifist became weak. Benito Mussolini created a group of fascists to represent a means to stop the socialists and the communists coming into his nation.