FASCIST ITALY: Origins and Rise of the Fascist Movement

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FASCIST ITALY Origins and Rise of the Fascist
Movement
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Aims

• Place fascism in its Italian context
• Set out the origins of Mussolinis rise to power
• What did Mussolini do?
• What did others do/fail to do?
• Explore the complexity of fascism as historical
  and political phenomenon
• Critically address the ideological ambiguity of
  Italian fascism

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Mussolini the Young Leftist Radical
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Mussolini the Dictator
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Mussolini the Innovator
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Mussolini the Man of the People
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Mussolini the Statesman
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Mussolini the Joke
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Mussolini the Dead Dictator
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Origins of Fascism

• Grievances from WWI
• Structural social weaknesses
• Structural political weaknesses
• Weakness of the Left

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Grievances from WWI

• The least of the great powers (R. Bosworth)
• Great War 1915-1918
• Versailles
• Fiume (Rijeka) and Dalmatia
• Veterans
• Last War of Independence First National War

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Structural social weaknesses

• Regionalism
• A National Identity?
• Economy
• Slow and uneven growth
• The Southern Question
• Mafia an alternative State

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Structural political weaknesses

• Legacy of 1861
• Trasformismo
• The political spectrum
• An inept Centre
• A new Right
• A divided Left

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The Left

• The PCI-PSI split
• Interpreting international events
• Interpreting the Italian context

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PART TWO MUSSOLINIS RISE TO POWER
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The Fascist Movement(s)

• The Fascio
• Ancient Roman Republican symbol
• FascioBundle or Group
• A variety of organisations
• Rooted in WWI
• Membership
• Students Ex-servicemen Urban Middle-Classes

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The Fasci di Combattimento

• Benito Mussolini
• Ideological path of a self-promoter
• From Anarchism to Fascism
• via Socialism
• The power of the Media
• From LAvanti to Il Popolo dItalia
• via WWI

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The 1919 Manifesto

• Universal Suffrage (from age 18)
• Abolition of the Senate
• 40-hour week and Minimum Wage
• Trade Unions representation in firm management
• Land for peasants

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Manifesto cont.

• A progressive tax on capital
• Active redistribution of wealth
• Seizure of religious property
• A National Militia
• Nationalizing the weapons industry
• Seizure of 85 of war profits from contractors

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Rise to power

• 1920-1925 from 2 to absolute power
• External events
• Passive Liberal governments
• Proportional representation
• Strikes and Land Occupation
• The financial problem
• Squadrismo
• Fascism as a paramilitary force
• The Popolo dItalia

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Early Fascism, an oxymoron?

• Revolutionary Fascism
• Anti-establishment
• Syndicalist
• Anti-clerical
• Republican
• Urban

• v. Reactionary Fascism
• Pro-establishment
• Ensuring Law and Order
• Catholic
• Monarchic
• Rural

Are there any points of contact?
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Mussolini

• Mussolini as synthesis of opposing trends
• M. needed the squadrismo
• To threaten stability
• To show strength
• But M. needed equally to deplore squadrismo
• To promise stability
• To appear reliable
• A masterfully ambiguous position.

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Rise to power

• May 1921 elections
• New Partito Nazionale Fascista gains 36 seats
• 28 October 1922
• March on Rome
• 30 October 1922
• King Vittorio Emanuele III invites Mussolini to
  form the government

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Some questions on Fascisms seizure of power?

• Why did Liberal politicians not use force against
  the fascist squads?
• Why did the King ask Mussolini to become PM?
• Why was the Left incapable to stop him?
• An attempt to tame Fascism by bringing it into
  the mainstream political fold.

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ConclusionFascisms mobilising themes

• Conservative social values
• Familism
• Catholicism
• Rhetoric of history, power and conquest
• Nationalism as the pursuit of National identity

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Conclusion cont.

• Fascism 1919-1925
• Long-term origins of Fascism
• Fascisms rise aided by
• The States mistakes, inability, unwillingness to
  act
• Tacit military support
• Bourgeoisies desire for Law and Order
• Failings of a bitterly divided Left
• From revolutionary movement to authoritarian
  regime in defence of the social status quo

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NAMES
GABRIELE DANNUNZIO GIUSEPPE GIOLITTI AMEDEO
BORDIGA ANTONIO GRAMSCI FILIPPO MARINETTI
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