Mussolini

__** Background: **__
 * Liberal Italy (1870 - 1922) **
 * King retained much power, including control of the military and influence over foreign policy; also appointed PM, royal decrees were law, and the Senate was appointed by the King.
 * Majority of the populace were illiterate peasants
 * To "make" Italians, had to increase literacy and unite the disparate economies:
 * 1870-1914: commissioned topographical studies; adopted standard weights and measures; unified currency and legal procedures; expansion of railway network; administrative integration and construction of beureaucracy.
 * BUT economic expansion didn't happen quickly enough to ensure adequate standard of living for most people; therefore Italy remained an essentially backward, poor, agricultural economy.
 * Italian defeat at the Battle of Caporetto (1917) highlighted fractures in Italian society; upset peasants and created potential climate for revolution (as there had been in Russia - comparitive study). Italian government just managed to recover and to rally Italians behind behind the ideas of national defence, national self-determination and renewal of Italy itself. BUT failed to honour its debt to the people post-war, couldn't capitalise on the victory or protect the values and interests of the veterans (see Paris Peace Conference) which contributed to the rise of fascism.

**Mussolini**
 * __ Overview of rise to power: __**
 * Capitalised on the crisis and used his newspaper to generate enthusiasm for the war and raise his profile.
 * Moved from socialist sympathies to nationalistic support of sldiers and workers - against the 'parasites' who could (importantly) belong to **any** group in society.
 * Post-WWI attacked Orlando for failing to achieve Italy's objectives at Versailles, and organised the disparate right-wing groups into the Fascist Party to enter parliament.
 * 1922 - Appointed PM by King Victor Emmanuel III who wanted to prevent a communist uprising after a series of riots (was supported by Vittorio Orlando who had resigned in 1920)
 * 1924 - Giacomo Matteotti (leader of the Italian Socialists) assassinated, Orlando resigns from parliament in protest
 * By 1929 Italy was a one-party state.
 * Created jobs with a large-scale public works programme and became very popular due to the decline in unemployment.

**6/15/2011**
 * __ Mussolini's Foreign Policy: __**

When Musolini came to power, he viewed himself as a modern day Caesar that would **bring Italy back to it’s glory days** through conquest, unification, and self sufficiency. His foreign aims were to __acquire terrirory rich in resources__, __cultivate and unify the land currently owned__, and do this all by __maintaining an extremely powerful military__. Though large funds were directed towards the military, Italy was still unsuccessful in both the invasion of Ethiopia and Adowa. Italy therefore held no African territories and in 1935 when they attempted to control Abyssinia, they again failed. This created a situation because without land to acquire resources, Italy could not afford to trade for materials to create their armies, also causing them to not be self sufficient. This Catch 22 was compounded by the fact that the British controlled the Mediterranean (the easiest trade route for Italy.) Fascism upset the people as well because all European states surrounding Italy were democratic at the time.

Although originally Mussolini distanced himself from Hitler due to untimely assasionations, however, in 1936, during both Italy and Germany’s support of Franco in the Spanish Civil War, the two leaders became closer. A year later, Mussolini and Hitler signed the Anti-comintern pact which allied Italy, Germany, and Japan against Communism. Mussolini and Hitler became close, sharing intelligence and providing aid to one another such that when Hitler did invade Austria in 1938, Italy held no objections. A year later, Italy and Germany signed the Pact of Steel, a military alliance during WW2.

The lower classes supported Mussolini’s right winged policies for the beginning of his term in power, however, this support plummetted during the war. Mussolini relied on a secret police and massive propoganda campaigns to maintain his time in office.



**Mussolini's Domestic policy**

In order to make Italian life in general more efficient and organized Mussolini decided that his position as prime minister was not sufficient enough to enforce his will through a coalition parliament. To consolidate his power he moderated the government and kept all the important posts to himself, such as home affairs, and therefore monopolized executive powers. This constituted his power basis and by appointing every minister of the council the government rendered inactive. The peoples reaction to this was distorted since the police was entirely replaced by the fascist and thus under Mussolini’s direct control. Political opponents did not have the chance to publish their concerns about this development as they were effectively suppressed by getting arrested, jailed and beaten. Opposition members were quickly expelled from the parliament and he therefore centralized the fascist party into a hierarchy, administrated and headed by Mussolini. Italy has become a one party state and he further launched multiple public construction programs to combat economic setbacks and the current unemployment level.

Mussolini attempted to build up the Italian economy through many public works programmes, such as draining the pontine marshes which allowed for the construction of many more farms, and his “Battle for land” reclaimed various land for agricultural use. Both of these projects did provide some jobs, and an improvement in agriculture, but the Pontine marshland was lost during WW2 and many of the land reclamation projects were ineffective and inefficient. As a result it was abandoned in 1940. The “Gold for the Fatherland” initiative gathered voluntarily donated gold from citizens. Gold was turned into bars for the national banks. Mussolini also undertook a project of nationalization, and the state took over the economy. Corporations, businesses and banks became nationalized and put under state control and all foreign stocks were handed to the Bank of Italy.
 * __Economy__**