Booklet 5: Consent And Control In The Fascist Dictatorship

Question 1

Religious changes to the school curriculum

Answer 1

Compulsory RE in elementary schools 1923, secondary 1929
Takes support away from PPI

Question 2

Cult of Mussolini changes to curriculum

Answer 2

Portrait of M in every classroom
All pupils given notebook with M on cover, free copy of a biography
School began with raising flag, sang songs about M

Question 3

Government intervention in curriculum

Answer 3

1926 101 history books banned
1928 one textbook introduced
All dialects banned

Question 4

Extreme gov intervention in schooling

Answer 4

1935 military education in secondary school
1936 lessons in fascism culture in elementary
1938 anti-semitism taught in schools

Question 5

Control over teachers

Answer 5

1929 teachers took oath of loyalty
1933 all new teachers had to be fascist party members
1934 teachers to wear fascist uniform
1938 racial laws

Question 6

Fascism in university

Answer 6

Generally left alone
By late 1930s students most likely to be fascist

Question 7

What values did fascists want young people to have?

Answer 7

Blind obedience, discipline, patriotism

Question 8

GIL

Answer 8

Fascist youth
From age 1 to 18
Combines with ONB

Question 9

Bailla

Answer 9

8-14
Physical training and encourage fascist beliefs
Prepare for military life
People were motivated by the social aspects

Question 10

14+ youth

Answer 10

Training for military life
18+ royal army or blackshirts
Access to jobs
Girls were less likely to go to school

Question 11

OND

Answer 11

Provided workers with social, sports opportunities
Worked as welfare organisation providing relief in times of need
1939 over 4 mil members
One of the most popular aspects of fascism

Question 12

Imagery of cult of Il Duce

Answer 12

Viewed as god like, julias ceased comparisons
Can do and be everything
Everyman

Question 13

Purpose of the cult

Answer 13

Portray him as a leader with immense ability
Leading Italy to greatness
Contained contradictions to appeal to different grouos

Question 14

Weaknesses of his style of leadership

Answer 14

Image was more popular than ideologies
The image would be hard to maintain without mussolini

Question 15

How were newspapers used by fascism

Answer 15

Encouraged positive images of mussolini
Could confiscate any newspapers

Question 16

Successes of newspaper censoring

Answer 16

Shut down all left wing newspapers
Independent newspapers were allowed under strict supervision

Question 17

How did fascism use art

Answer 17

Art wasn’t subjected to censorship
Mussolini linked to heir of Augustus, rebuilding Italy
Lots of debate, no consensus

Question 18

Cinema used by fascism

Answer 18

American films were popular
Ministry of popular culture was never very sophisticated and had difficulty with films
All films began with 20min news reel about M

Question 19

Architecture used by fascism

Answer 19

Modelled on neo-classical roman style
Promoting the idea of ancient Rome into Italian society

Question 20

How did Mussolini control economic interest groups?

Answer 20

Licensing system to protect small shop owners from large supermarkets
Pallazo vidoni pact protected businesses from strikes and banned other trade unions
Fascist syndicalists were in favour of policies that gained support from working classes

Question 21

Rocco law 1926

Answer 21

Trade unions banned
New law court set up to deal with political offences

Question 22

How did mussolini control the PNF

Answer 22

Farinacci purged the fascists
Turati ensured the PNF became nothing more than a means to fulfil Mussolini’s personal policies
Replaced party members with 800,000 new fascists

Question 23

How did the PNF restrict Mussolini’s power

Answer 23

The violence was concerning to M, hindered his ability to stay in power
Overall, they supported his views

Question 24

How did mussolini control the monarchy and elites?

Answer 24

Let existing elites become Podestas
M granted himself the same military powers as the king
Invasion of Ethiopia and Albania gave the king more land

Question 25

What powers did the fascist grand council give themselves? 1928

Answer 25

Took kings ability to elect future PMs, self granted Power to advise monarch as well as fix monarchy line

Question 26

How did mussolini control central and local gov?

Answer 26

Parliament was made up of 400 fascists M appointed top PNF leaders to create laws to be debated by FGC

Question 27

What restrictions did the FGC have for Mussolini?

Answer 27

Everything had to be discussed and approved by them 1932, 148 senators were not members of PNF

Question 28

What were the problems Mussolini faced after the peak of his popularity?

Answer 28

Economic issues, concern about relationship with Germany Mussolini’s inability to fulfil his promises

Question 29

What were the features of the anti-Semitic decrees?

Answer 29

Forbade Jewish people from marrying ‘pure’ Italians Couldn’t own more than 50 hectares of land Couldn’t run businesses with more than 100 employees

Question 30

What influenced Mussolini in establishing the decrees?

Answer 30

Nazis were pursuing a harder line on German Jews No evidence Hitler pressures Mussolini Anti-Semitic policies may have influenced italy

Question 31

What was the reform of customs?

Answer 31

Ideological campaign that forced all civil servants to wear uniforms, and army to adopt goose step

Question 32

How did Italians respond to anti semitic decrees?

Answer 32

Reform of customs was ridiculed by Italian people, believed they were simply copying Germany

Question 33

Relationship with church after anti semitic decrees

Answer 33

Church publicly opposed some of the policies Pope was concerned about the ban on marriage, however he died before properly condemning the decrees

Question 34

Relationship with other countries after anti semitic decrees

Answer 34

Britain and France were concerned about Italys clear strengthening relationship with Germany and change in ideology

Question 35

Mussolini and the fascist party after anti semitic decrees

Answer 35

Mussolini’s Jewish mistress was deported Much of the fascist officials were not persecuted by the decrees

Question 36

Radicalisation in fascist Italy after the anti semitic decrees

Answer 36

PNF appeared to be Pershing a more radical policy that was pushing Italy in a dangerous and concerning direction

Question 37

Key aspects of Lateran Pacts 1929

Answer 37

Giving the pope the Vatican City Provided the pope with 750 million lire and 1,000 million in state bonds as compensation for lost territories Catholic action allowed to continue Catholicism recognised as sole religion in Italy

Question 38

Who gained the most from Lateran Pacts?

Answer 38

The church- money, youth group, bonds, estate, a country Mussolini- solved Roman question, gained a lot of support

Question 39

Plebiscite 1929

Answer 39

90% of voters attended 98% voted in favour of M Impact of Lateran

Question 40

Impact of Lateran on Mussolini

Answer 40

Political support from church Popular overseas Support in rural areas

Question 41

Impact of Lateran on church

Answer 41

Involved in everyday life of fascism Own newspaper (l’osservatore romano)

Question 42

Dispute over catholic action 1931

Answer 42

CA had 250,000 members Allowed to continue as long as no political activities or sport Concession from M

Question 43

Salvemini

Answer 43

Spoke out against Matteotti murder Criticised fascist regime Prison for 1 month

Question 44

Gramsci

Answer 44

Head of PCI, sent to 20 years in prison Released in 1934 for health reasons Died 3 years later

Question 45

Gobotti and amendola

Answer 45

Anti-fascist journalists Died in France in 1926 from back shirt attack

Question 46

Rosselli brothers

Answer 46

Anti fascists who set up a volunteer army in France Organised anti fascist soldiers during Spanish civil war Murdered by French fascists

Question 47

Anti-fascists in exile

Answer 47

Many politicians left Italy Published books of the horrors of fascism Literature smuggled into Italy

Question 48

Anti fascist propaganda

Answer 48

Underground printing of propaganda Secret press had success in the north

Question 49

Anti-fascist Strikes and demonstrations

Answer 49

Turin march 1943, major strike quickly gained concessions Bologna 1930 protests about closing soup kitchens Trieste 1933 protest about food shortages

Question 50

Anti fascist ethnic minorities

Answer 50

Protests against imposition of Italian language and culture on German and Slav minorities

Question 51

Anti fascist expression of criticism

Answer 51

Growing public criticism of fascist violence Intellectual criticism

Question 52

The communist party

Answer 52

Some success in the north, infiltration of factories and trade unions to form strikes and demonstrations

Question 53

OVRA

Answer 53

Around 5,000 informers operating in Italy Successful in stopping antifascist groups Infiltrated fascist unions

Question 54

Confino

Answer 54

Around 10,000 Italians sent into confino and hundreds of arrests every week for anti fascist activity

Question 55

What could anti fascism result in?

Answer 55

Loss of benefits, unemployment, lack of progression for children at school

Question 56

Why was opposition limited?

Answer 56

Italian people used fascism in a way that it would work for them, resistance wasn’t popular and it was tolerable for the general population.

Question 57

Political police

Answer 57

Broke up antifascist organisations Organised assassination of rosselli brothers