Development of dictatorship:

1. Development of dictatorship: Italy: 1918 – 43 BestMonkey.com

2. Post-war discontent in Italy

3. Pre-M: Weak government • Proportional representation: coalitions • Politicians all liberal-minded: no party • No policies • Politicians acted independently - no accountability • Trasformissimo – unstable government • Catholics boycotted all elections

4. Italian discontent with Versailles • 1915 Treaty of London: Tyrol, Dalmatia, Istria • June 1919: Italy ignored in negotiations • Sept 1919 Treaty of St. Germain – south Tyrol and Trentino but not Fiume (Yugoslav) • Nationalists: disgrace ‘mutilated victory’ • Occupation Fiume: September 1919 • D’Annunzio led 2000 armed men

5. Discontent over Versailles • Public humiliated and angry • Heavy losses: 650,000 killed, 1m wounded • Unemployment: 2m by 1919 • Wage cuts: 25% down (1915-18) • Inflation (prices): up 400% • Middle class savings wiped out • Armaments industries profiteered from war, • Fiat and Pirelli tyres profit most

6. Growth of Socialism • Socialist Party membership grew: 1914 – 50,000 1919 – 200,000 • Revolutionary strategy (previous reformists) • Dictatorship of the proletariat • Socialist Republic (Bolshevik revolution Russia) • Distribute land and wealth evenly • Nov’ 1919 elections = 156 seats (biggest party)

7. Failure of governments, 1919-22 • Treaties of Versailles & St Germain • Fiume: weak and ineffective response • National debt from 16bn(1914-1919) 85bn lira • Printed money and spending cut back • Industry suffered and went into depression

8. Government failures continued • Socialist threat: remained neutral towards socialist strikes and farm labourers occupation • Giolitti urged industrialists to make concessions to strikers • Land owners to give farm labourers illegally occupied land • Collapse of law and order(due to squadrisimo) attacking the socialist and trade unions • July 1922, general strike by socialists demanding government stop Fasciti violence • Fasciti break up general strike • Oct 27thFasciti march on Rome

9. Growing support for Fascism: 1919 - 22

10. Mussolini and the formation of the Fascist Party • March 1919: first meeting of Fascists • 100 attended, programme agreed • Oct 1921 Fascist Party established (PNF) • Support grew: • Nov. 1919 – 4,000 • End 1921 – 200,000 • Supporters: small farmers, shopkeepers, clerical workers, sharecroppers and students • Younger generation: 25% below voting age

11. PNF: aims and organisation • Authoritarian nationalism • Supports restoration of ‘Italia Irredenta’ • Mussolini as dictator • Totalitarian state: abolish monarchy and government • Electoral: respectable political party • Violence: Squadrisimophysically attacked opposition (mainly socialists) • Party organised and run by fascists loyal to Mussolini from Milan

12. Fascist activities 1919 - 22 • March 1919: First meeting, 100 attended • November 1919: election = 0 seats • November 1920: fascist squadrisimo active, to smash socialist factory occupations • May 1921: election = 35 seats • November 1921: gains Catholic support (anti-divorce) • July 1922: increased violence, crushing general strike • Gains support from conservative industrialists, middle-classes and land owners at crushing socialist strike

13. March on Rome • Ras wanted a Coup d’tat after crushing general strike • Mussolini manages to hold them off • Uses threat of violence as blackmail • October 27th 1922: March on Rome • Facta wanted to fight fascists, but King feared civil war and refused: Facta resigns October 28th • October 29th 1922: King appoints Mussolini as PM

14. The founding of the Fascist state under Mussolini

15. Mussolini consolidates power • Set up coalition government (4/14 Fascists) • November 1922: rule by degree (12 months) • December 1922: Grand Council of Fascism • January 1923: Fascist squads national militia • July 1923: Acerbo law, majority votes = 2/3 seats • April 1924: election – Fascist majority • June 1924: Murder of Matteotti  dictatorship • July 1924: Press censorship introduced

16. Consolidation of power c’td • 1925 Fascist Party Congress • December 1925: Vidoni Palace Pact - opposition parties and free T.U. banned • January 1926: Mussolini make laws at will • Parliament no longer debate laws • Press censorship tightened: opponents newspapers suppressed • Cult of personality • Fascist Party appointments made in Rome HQ

17. Domestic policies and life in Fascist Italy

18. Lateran pact • Mussolini realised Catholics were too powerful to abolish • Lateran Pact to secure the Pope’s support • The Lateran Pact • State pay clergy wages • State recognised pope ownership of Vatican city • State pay 30 million in compensation for lost land • Pope accept government control of ‘Kingdom of Italy’ • Recognise Mussolini as ‘Duce’ • Catholic teaching compulsory in all schools • Clergy’s were not allowed to join any political party • Divorce and birth control made illegal

19. Economic policies • Corporate states • Fascist control of each aspect of industry • Battle for lira • Italy’s economic boom near end, 150 lira = £1, Mussolini changes it back to original 90 lira = £1 • Battle for Grain (Autarky) • To make Italy self-sufficient in a war, to help produce more food for the soldiers and public at home • Land Reclamation • Marshlands were drained and used for farming • Helped kill mosquitoes and boost public morale

20. Corporate State - Theory • The corporate state • Would control every aspect of industry • Each branch of industry would have a separate corporation • Fascist trade unions for the workers • Each corporation organise pay, production and working conditions • Employer and employee not agree, go to labourer court • Fascist regime claimed, workers employers cooperating, maximum efficiency • No disputes or strikes, harmony in instead • Entrepreneurs to help businesses off the ground

21. Corporate State - Reality • Ministry of Corporations • 20 corporations in all, covering all areas by 1934 • Confindustriaemployers organisation • Disliked trade unions • Workers • Sick pay and paid national holidays • Employers allowed to change working hours without consulting the worker • Fascist trade unions tended to favour the employer’s best interest not the employee’s • 1939 Chamber of Fasces and Corporations • Replaced parliament, just as powerless

22. Battle for Grain • Launched in 1925 • Mussolini’s aim was to make Italy self-sufficient, ‘Autarky’ • Farmers given state grants to: • Buy modern machinery • Improve framing techniques • Buy mores seeds to produce more grains • Successful pre-war • Grain harvest rose from 5 million to 7.5 million tons • Grain imports decreased by 75%

23. Battle for Grain - failures • During WW2 • The farms chosen to produce grain instead of original produces, had climates not suited for grain • Farmers suffered heavy wage cuts, compared to industrial workers • Grain harvest decreased because the farm labourers had been conscripted into the army • Ended in total disaster as hunger gripped Italy • Government refused to ration food supplies, shopkeepers raised their prices • This meant that only the middle-class could afford food

24. Battle for Lira • Economic boom 1922 -25 • De Stefano appointed Treasury Minister • Vidoni Palace Pact 1925, banning of trade unions • Limited government spending, helped to limit inflation • Privatised the telephone network • Cancelled post war taxes on industries • Cars textiles and agriculture exports doubled • Economic boom coming to an end in Italy • D’stefano sacked • 150 Lira = £1 • Exports decrease and import decrease • Mussolini atificialy restored the value of lira 90 lira = £1 • Result, exports more expensive (causing exporters depress) • 1926-28 unemployment trebled • High tariffs on many imports

25. Wall Street crash-Italy impact • Many companies collapsed • Car production fell by 50% • Unemployed half million 1928 – 2 million in 1933 • Government didn’t aid failing industries • Government introduced work schemes • Unemployed improve infrastructure, roads buildings • Helped to circulated money to boost economy, created jobs • Fascist governments bailed out the banks in debt to investors • IRI created Jan 1933, took control of banks shares in companies • This meant state became largest shareholder in Italy • Also took over lending from banks • The IRI and work schemes meant that Italy was hardly affected by the Wall street crash, Roosevelt copied Mussolini ‘New plan’

26. Land Reclamation • Marsh lands were drained and made suitable for farming • This provided more grain • The mosquitoes that lived in marshes died • Boosted public morale • Pontine marches 50 kilo metres south of Rome, were centre of press • These farms were owned by ex-servicemen

27. Domestic policies • Education • Male youths taught how to fight • Female youths taught how to mother • Female and male write essay how they love the ‘Duce’ • Health • GUF - set up to control student leisure time • How to fight, strategy and fitness • ONB - Fascist youth, to control youth leisure time • How to fight (toy guns), strategy and fitness • Labour scheme • unemployed would build roads and buildings to help Italy’s infrastructure • helped the unemployed back into the employment • Boosted economy, more lira circulating

28. Battle of Births 1927 • Battle for births • Women encouraged to have 5 babies each • 12 children per family rough ideal • Women discouraged from doing work • Women represent 36% of work force • factories, hospitals, schools, civil service encouraged to hire unemployed fathers, fire all females • Women encouraged to stay at home (house wife) • Cooking, mothering, house cleaning • Increase the Italian population from 40 million to 60 million by 1950 • Wanted to reduce workforce to 2% • Female cleaners and waitresses exempt from sacking • Failures • By 1939 the population had only increased from 40 million to 47.5 million, instead of planned 55 million by that year • Mussolini calculated 15 divisions lost, he blamed the women for a ‘lack of patriotic Italian mothers’ • Only 3% decrease of women in work force, now 33% by 1939

29. Fascist Teachers association • Fascist teachers association (to control teachers) • Teach • How Mussolini was the saviour of Italy, how he is a genius and a god • How they should all love the ‘Duce’ (students had to write essay every day) • Made to • Swear allegiance to Fascism and The ‘Duce’ • Hang a picture of the ‘Duce’ on every classroom • Reasons for firing • If suspected of teaching anti fascist, would be kicked out of FTO and not allowed to teach again in any other school

30. Control of the youth • Opera Nazionale Balilla (ONB) created 1926 • Organise youth movements • 1930’s membership made compulsory from age 8 • 1937, 7 million members • Activities • Military training • Military fitness • Fascist ideoligy • Sport • Parades • Summer camps • Girls: sewing, singing, childcare • GUF (university) • Fascist ideas, sport and military training

31. Controlling the public • Dopolavoro (leisure activities for workers) • Created in 1925 • Controlled in 1930’s • All soccer clubs, 1350 theatres, 2000 drama societies, 3000 brass bands, 8000 libraries • Membership • 4 million members in 1939 at its peak • Many joined without need to persuade • Very little Fascist propaganda • 1937 fascist salute replaces handshake • 1938 ‘lei’ replaced by formal ‘voi’ • Fashion, make up and trousers condemned for women

32. Foreign policy • Key concern for Mussolini: Great power • 1923 Corfu incident • 1924 Pact of Rome • 1925 Locarno Treaties • 1926 Treaty of Friendship • 1933-4 Austrian conflict • 1935 Ethiopian invasion • 1936 troops  Spain to support Franco • 1936 Rome-Berlin Axis formed • 1939 Italian invasion of Albania • 1939 Pact of Steel • 1940 June Italy enter WW2

33. The impact of the second world war on Italy

34. Italy in WW2 • Mussolini knew that Italy was not ready for ww2 • Sent two letters to Hitler requesting 3 more years and Italy would be ready, one in 1938, and the other in 1939 • Italy had spent 11.8 billion lira on rearmament • Most was spent on outdated weapons • The other half spent on officers quarters (lavished) • 1500 armoured cars and tanks • This was very little compared to Germany • Commanders weren’t properly trained • Lead to many defeats • Autarky failed • The two campaigns failed in Greece and Northern Italy • Italy were pushed back and requested aid from Germany • This embarrassed Mussolini

35. Effects of war on home front • Italian morale was low prices soared • petrol, food clothing to a point when they were unobtainable • Military defeats shattered dream of quick cheap victory • Political parties started to regroup and emerge • Not fully organised • Fascist support decreased • Industries went out of business • Strikes took place • Further reduced pay and longer working hours

36. Growth of opposition • The socialist and communist parties began to re-emerge in 1942 • They weren’t as organised as before • Anti-fascist newspapers were reproduced ‘Down with the War, Down with Mussolini’ • Fascist politicians now turned against Mussolini • Opened negotiations with the allies behind Mussolini’s back

37. German occupation • Mussolini sacked by king • Power restored to government • Mussolini imprisoned • German paratroopers rescue Mussolini • Italian Social Republic, puppet of Germany • Mussolini made dictator • German forces occupy northern Italy • Local partisans use guerrilla tactics to attack German occupiers

38. Puppet ruler • Mussolini now the puppet dictator of ISR • 7100 Italian Jews sent to concentration camps • Anti-Semitic German policies now carried out • Mussolini ruled by Hitler’s orders • Had no support from public in ISR • Italy was close to complete annexation • Allies would not accept Mussolini as ruler

39. The end of Mussolini • Mussolini flees with his SS bodyguard • Claims he still has 8,000 Blackshirts ready to continue fight against allies • Only 8 • Mussolini and family don German uniforms and flee with German convoy • Is stopped by Italian partisans, recognised Mussolini • Take to a local barnyard • A partisan drives him 1 mile stops the car and shoots Mussolini and his family • They are later hung by their feet in the centre of Rome for all to mock