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Mussolini - Coggle Diagram
Mussolini
Causes of Mussolini's Rise to Power
Post War Italy
Great Dissatisfaction in Italy at end of First World War
Lost Dalmatia and Fiume
600,000 men lost- "mutilated peace"
D'Annunzio and Fiume
Italian economy depressed, with unemployment and inflation
Social and Political Discontent
widespread discontent because of economic depression
large scale strikes and workers occupied factories
workers inspired by socialist and communist leadership
peasants took over land in the countryside
industrialists and landlords feared spread of communism, so organised groups to stop lawlessness when government failed
Weak Government
Two largest parties, socialist party and catholic popular party, failed to agree
Italy ruled by five different coalition governments between 1919 and 1922
governments shown to be weak; failed to control the lawlessness and stop the political economic and social problems
democracy in Italy was failing and people looked for a strong leader
Mussolini's Fascist Movement
in 1919, Mussolini founded his first combat group in Milan, the Blackshirts.
started off socialist but soon changed policy after getting only 2% of the vote in the November 1919 Milan Elections
Milan socialists mocked Mussolini and he even thought of emigrating
after Mussolini changed his policies to support the monarchy and dropped anti-clericalism he gained support, also from supporting D'Annunzio in Fiume
with a more conservative and nationalist policy, Mussolini's fascist movement grew quickly,
industrialists and landlords got the help of the fascist groups to put down the workers and the peasants
By 1922 the fascists had over 3,000 groups and 250,000 members.
Mussolini's Role
Mussolini changed his policies to be more popular.
he believed that fascism was not a set of unchanging beliefs but a path to political power
he made use of the discontent of soldiers after the war
he was a clever propagandist and able speaker
when offered a place in government he refused, knowing there was no alternative to making him Prime Minister
March on Rome
in may 1921 Mussolini's fascists gained 35 seats in parliament and later that year he formed the Fascist Party out of his combat groups
Mussolini's next success was crushing the socialist-led strikes in august 1922. it appeared as if Mussolini and the Fascist squads had saved the country from the red threat while the government was helpless
this encouraged him and his fellow leaders to organise a March on Rome in October 1922
25,000 Blackshirts approached Rome from different directions, as the Italian government was divided on what to do
some ministers wanted to resist the march and declare a state of emergency, others believed the fascists should be given a share in government
The army could have easily scattered the Fascists but King Victor Emmanuel III was tired of all the changes in government and feared a civil war
He refused to use the army against the fascists and Prime Minister Facta resigned.
the King was left with no choice but to appoint Mussolini as Prime Minister
two days after Mussolini's appointment the march on Rome went ahead. it was more a victory parade, but Mussolini gave the impression of a coup d'etat. the march's success was owed to the conservative groups who believed Mussolini should be given a chance to rule
Establishing Dictatorship
Parliament
He passed the Acerbo Law in 1923. This proposed that the party with the greatest number of votes in the next election would get two thirds of the seats
he argued that this would provide political stability and parliament agreed
the following year Mussolini used his fascist groups to ensure the fascist party got the greatest number of votes .
he enrolled his Blackshirts into a volunteer militia and made their violence legal
he got Fiume from Yugoslavia
the Fascists won 65% of the vote
Matteoti's Murder and the Aventine Session
one of Mussolini's fiercest critics was Giacomo Matteoti, a socialist member of parliament
he was kidnapped by a group of fascists and brutally murdered
there was widespread anger and Mussolini's position as Prime Minister looked to be in danger
but firstly the socialists pulled out of parliament in protest in what became known as the aventine session
Secondly the King continued to support Mussolini
four years later a new electoral law stated that the fascist Grand Council, headed by Mussolini would nominate members of Parliament
the council drew up a list of 400 people who the electorate would vote on as a group. Mussolini had eliminated the power of the democratic parliament
Dictatorship
over the next few years further steps were taken to establish dictatorship, there were constant house to house searches, the free press was stopped, there was harrasssment of political opponents, political parties were banned, and the secret police OVRA was set up
Mussolini got power to rule by decree in 1926, and over the next 17 years signed over 100,000 decrees
Mussolini was encouraged by his own survival after Matteoti's murder and even claimed that he had done nothing wrong
Totalitarianism
as Mussolini's new government had only four Fascist ministers Italian nationalists hoped to tame him, but over the next few years he became a totalitarian dictator. How?