Rise of Mussolini

liberal italy

• strikes and widespread chaos due to WW1 disillusionment

• 1870 → 1922: 29 changes of prime minister

• 1921: Italy's external public debt was over five times its annual export trade

• November 1919 → April 1920: lira was 85.3% against the pound sterling

• 1913 → 1918: Italy's total GDP dropped by 2.7%, while per capita GDP fell by 4.6%

WW1

• wasn't given all the land promised in the treaty of London

• PM orlando walked out of peace negotiations in protest

• 600,000 soldiers died and a cost of living crisis

policies

• 1920: shift away from radical policies → abandonment of republicanism in 1922

• increased emphasis on nationalism

• “enough of politics, time for action”

who supported fascism

• petty bourgeoise

• many were ex-soldiers

• middle and working classes who felt a collective sense of insecurity and were prone to turn to radical groups

• rural lower-middle classes → believed socialism threatened their landholdings

• industrialists and the agrarian (landowners) supported on the grounds of opposing socialism

• young people and students embittered by lack of prospects

• as the fascists smashed socialist and catholic unions, workers had to join fascist syndicates to get employment

what did fascism offer?

• presented as a movement and party committed to restoring Italian power and prestige

• to develop an economy by increasing productivity

• abolish harmful state controls

• re-establish strong leadership and law and order by curbing left-wing subversives

• emphasis placed on nationalism

how strong a contender for power was fascism in 1922?

• ½ a million members

• ¼ million black shirts

• only 7%b of parliament → 35/508 seats

• offered italy firm leadership and an end to class conflict

• violence helped smash socialism

• liberal government offered no form leadership in the face of economic and political problems

• socialists had peaked in 1920 and were weakened by growing unemployment and the fascist attack

the march on Rome

• 24th October 1922: fascist congress held in Naples

• 10,000 of the planned 50,000 squadristi began to assemble at three pints about 20 miles from Rome

• night of 27th: local fascists tried to seize control of government and public buildings in town in north and central italy

• many squads failed to meet at their assembly points for the march as trains were stopped by sabotage of the lines

• those that did meet were in bad shape, poorly armed, drenched by rain with sinking morale

• Prime Minister Facta’s government resigned by he was asked to stay on and requested the king declare martial law so the army could crush the revolt

• King Victor Emmanuel initially agreed and 8 hrs later refused → his mother and cousin were fascist sympathisers

• Facta resigned and the king persuaded ex-pm Salandra to lead a government with Mussolini, Salandra failed to gain support and Mussolini refused

• 30 October: Mussolini arrived in Rome and Emmanuel appointed him PM