In the aftermath of the First World War the initial moments of triumph gave away to the rise of totalitarian states in Europe. New forms of dictatorship on both left and right emerged as increasing number of people after the war grew pessimistic about the promises of both liberalism and democracy. Russia, Germany and Italy might be regarded as mean totalitarian states. Within these states, the individuals had no right of free speech, free publications and free associations. The individuals had no right to form political parties. There was only one governmental party which imposed its dictatorial rule on the people. This one-party regime was concerned with the ‘total’ activities of its people - their work, their leisure, their religion, even their private lives.
Mussolini’s Rise to Power
Mussolini took years to consolidate his political power into a dictatorship. He first taste of power came after the March of Rome in 1922 when he was appointed Prime Minister of Italy. But he did not have complete authority in his government as it contained men of different political beliefs. Mussolini attempted to strengthen his position by buying support from both the working class and the industrial bosses. The workers were promised an eight hour day while an enquiry into the profits made by the industrialists during World War I was not pursued. To get support from the Roman Catholic Church, religious education was made compulsory in all elementary schools.
To purge his government of liberals, he introduced a Fascist Grand Council which had the power to decide policy for Italy without consulting the non-fascists in the government first. In February Mussolini introduced the Acerbo Law which stated that if one party got just 25 per cent votes cast in an election, they would control 66 per cent of the seats in parliament. Fascist thugs were used to prevent politicians from speaking up against the law on the day the Italian Parliament voted on it. In the March election that followed the passing of the Acerbo Law, the Fascist Party won 65 per cent of the votes casted and, thereby, came to control two-thirds of the parliamentary seats.
Mussolini took years to consolidate his political power into a dictatorship. He first taste of power came after the March of Rome in 1922 when he was appointed Prime Minister of Italy. But he did not have complete authority in his government as it contained men of different political beliefs. Mussolini attempted to strengthen his position by buying support from both the working class and the industrial bosses. The workers were promised an eight hour day while an enquiry into the profits made by the industrialists during World War I was not pursued. To get support from the Roman Catholic Church, religious education was made compulsory in all elementary schools.
To purge his government of liberals, he introduced a Fascist Grand Council which had the power to decide policy for Italy without consulting the non-fascists in the government first. In February Mussolini introduced the Acerbo Law which stated that if one party got just 25 per cent votes cast in an election, they would control 66 per cent of the seats in parliament. Fascist thugs were used to prevent politicians from speaking up against the law on the day the Italian Parliament voted on it. In the March election that followed the passing of the Acerbo Law, the Fascist Party won 65 per cent of the votes casted and, thereby, came to control two-thirds of the parliamentary seats.
Challenging the strong-arm tactics of the fascists, the socialist politician Giacomo Matteoti publicly condemned Mussolini. A leading socialist Member of Parliament, Matteotti was murdered which led to massive public outrage with a number of non-fascist politicians walking out of Parliament. Mussolini, however, took up this opportunity to get rid of opposition members. When the protestors appealed to King Victor Emmanuel to dismiss Mussolini, he took no action. The king’s dislike for the republican protestors was greater than that of Mussolini’s.
As Mussolini rode over the Matteotti affair, he gradually introduced the classic features of a dictatorship. In November 1926, all rival political parties and opposition newspapers were banned in Italy. The death penalty was reintroduced for “serious political offences”. Mussolini worked towards putting loyal supporters all the way from the Grand Council at the top to the local level; magistrates replaced powerful mayors of the past and parliament was abolished in 1939.
As Mussolini rode over the Matteotti affair, he gradually introduced the classic features of a dictatorship. In November 1926, all rival political parties and opposition newspapers were banned in Italy. The death penalty was reintroduced for “serious political offences”. Mussolini worked towards putting loyal supporters all the way from the Grand Council at the top to the local level; magistrates replaced powerful mayors of the past and parliament was abolished in 1939.
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What is Fascism?
Fascism is an extreme right-wing ideology that distinguished itself from contemporary political ideologies, such as socialism, liberalism and democratic ideas. The key features that make up the fascist doctrine include: first, militant nationalism that emphasized the power and importance of the Italian state and its people. Fascists considered the state as an absolute and, unlike liberal democracy, considered political role played by individuals to be insignificant. For a fascist the state had a consciousness, will, and personality, making it an “ethnic” state which is very different from the way communist defined the state as a principal economic force. The Fascist state organizes the nation while the supreme leader embodied the will of the people.
Second, Fascism believes neither in the possibility nor in the utility of perpetual peace. It thus repudiates the doctrine of Pacifism. It believed that war alone made all humans noble and rejected pacifism as cowardice. Third, Fascists celebrates masculinity and youth while emphasizing that a nation or a race undergoes rebirth after a period of decline or destruction.
Fascism is an extreme right-wing ideology that distinguished itself from contemporary political ideologies, such as socialism, liberalism and democratic ideas. The key features that make up the fascist doctrine include: first, militant nationalism that emphasized the power and importance of the Italian state and its people. Fascists considered the state as an absolute and, unlike liberal democracy, considered political role played by individuals to be insignificant. For a fascist the state had a consciousness, will, and personality, making it an “ethnic” state which is very different from the way communist defined the state as a principal economic force. The Fascist state organizes the nation while the supreme leader embodied the will of the people.
Second, Fascism believes neither in the possibility nor in the utility of perpetual peace. It thus repudiates the doctrine of Pacifism. It believed that war alone made all humans noble and rejected pacifism as cowardice. Third, Fascists celebrates masculinity and youth while emphasizing that a nation or a race undergoes rebirth after a period of decline or destruction.
In order to establish the totalitarian state he envisaged under Fascism, Mussolini assigned a great deal of importance to the role of propaganda and mass organization. To this end, he made use of technology, such as radio and film. It used mass organization as a system of integrating the people and also to control them. Fascism’s vision of a “new order” clashes with the tradition-based institutions and hierarchies, yet fascism often romanticizes the past, particularly the Roman Empire, as inspiration for national rebirth. As a result, Fascists freely adopted the symbols and styles of the Roman Empire, including the Roman salute, the imperial eagle, and the fasces or bound cylindrical bundle of wooden rods that gave the movement its name.