1921 Elections

Question 1

The elections of May 1921 were the opportunity Mussolini had been awaiting:

Answer 1

-Fascists gained 35 seats + 7% of the popular vote, Mussolini now a deputy – progress.
-Before election: Mussolini negotiated with Giolitti to form an electoral alliance (act as an anti-Socialist coalition)
-Mussolini convinced Giolitti that Fascists were just fireworks – ‘making a great deal of noise, but only leaving smoke behind’.
-Saw Fascism as a political force which could be absorbed into Liberal system.

Question 2

Negatives regarding the 1921 election

Answer 2

-Over 100 people killed during election campaign- police ignored.

-The Socialists remained the largest party (123 seats), followed by Popolari (107 seats).

Question 3

Post Election Direction

Answer 3

-Following the elections, Mussolini decided not to support Giolitti’s government. INSTEAD HE SAW AN AVENUE TO GAIN POWER, even though he lacked a specific strategy (need to demonstrate that Liberalism was finished)

-Needed to convince industrialists, landowners, and the middle classes by making the movement more respectable, less radical, and the only movement strong enough to successfully challenge Socialism.