Mussolini Rises to Power in Italy

The new state of Italy was far from being a great success in the years before 1914; the tension of the First World War on her economy and the disappointment at her treatment by the Versailles Treaty caused growing discontent. Between 1919 and 1922 there were five different governments, all of which were incapable of taking decisive action that the situation demanded. In 1919 Benito Mussolini founded the Fascist party which won 35 seats in the 1921 elections. At the same time there seemed to be a real danger of a left-wing seizure of power, in a time of strikes, the fascists staged a 'March on Rome' which culminated in King Emmanuel III giving Mussolini the opportunity to form a government in October 1922. Mussolini remained in effective power until July 1943.

• All parties except the fascists were suppressed: Opponents of the regime were exiled or murdered. Socialist leaders Giacomo Matteotti and Giovanni Amendola were both beaten to death by the fascists. After 1926, when Mussolini felt secure in power the violence was greatly reduced.
• A strict press censorship was enforced in which anti-fascist newspapers were suppressed or their editors replaced by fascist supporters. Radio, films and the theatre were similarly controlled.
• Education in schools and universities was supervised, teachers had to wear uniforms, new textbooks were written to glorify the fascist system. Children and young people were forced to join the government youth organizations which indoctrinated them with the brilliance of the Duce and the glories of war.
• Corporate State: The government tried to promote co-operation between employers and workers and to end class warfare in what was known as the Corporate State. Fascist controlled unions had the sole right to negotiate for the workers and both unions and employers' associations were organized into corporations and were expected to co-operate to settle disputes over pay and working.
• Catholic Church: Mussolini left religion outside the control of the government. He had his children baptized and married their mother in the church. He passed laws to make swearing in public a crime and allowed crosses to be hung in public buildings. He made religious education compulsory in Italy. In 1929 he signed a treaty with Gasparri.

Successes

• Industry: gave government subsidies where necessary so that iron and steel production doubled by 1930 and artificial silk production tenfold.
• Battle of Wheat: encourages farmers to concentrate on wheat production in a drive for self-sufficiency; by 1935 the wheat imports had been cut by 75 per cent.
• Land Reclamation: a program was started and the Pontine Marshes around Rome were drained and reclaimed.
• Public Works Program: this was designed to reduce unemployment. It included the building of motorways, bridges, blocks of flats, railway stations, sports stadiums, schools and new towns on reclaimed land.