Consent and Control 1 Flashcards
(35 cards)
1
Q
What were fascist aims pertaining to the indoctrination of youth and education?
A
To create a loyal generation of Italian fascists
2
Q
What happened to other youth movements?
A
all other youth movements were initially banned apart from those of the RCC
3
Q
When were fascist youth organisations first formed?
A
- Dec 1921, Fascist Youth Front formed; boys 14-17
- March 1923, GUF formed; university student wing
- 1923, ONB (Balilla) formed; 8-14
–> not well structured, had to compete with other parties’ youth organisations
4
Q
What changes were made to the ONB?
A
- April 1926, ONB created by formal decree
- 1934, ONB restructured;
Sons of the she wolf 6-8, Balilla 8-14, Avanguardisti 14-17
Daughters of the she wolf 6-8, Piccole Italiane 8-13, Young Italian Women 14-17 - 1937, became compulsory for all children aged 6-11
- 1939, membership became compulsory beyond 11
5
Q
What was the Ministry of National Education?
A
- formed in 1929 to oversee the education + physical training of Italian youth
- controlled all fascist youth organisations
- aimed to create new, loyal, strong generation of fascists
6
Q
Membership of fascist youth clubs statistics
A
1924, 3,000 children formally involved with fascist youth organisations
1937, (before membership became compulsory) 7 million members
7
Q
Was being a member of a fascist youth club advantageous (beyond the compulsory age)?
A
Yes
- non-members found it more difficult to enrol in further education, could not work in the civil service, their families were suspected of being antifascists and could even lose their right to welfare benefits
- members had access to jobs and special scholarships
8
Q
What were children taught at fascist youth organisations?
A
- boys; 8-14 moral and spiritual defence of country, 14+ gymnastic and sporting programmes to prepare for military life (marching, wrestling, shooting, bomb throwing etc.)
- girls; gymnastics to ensure they could be fit mothers + bear children, educated on love of Italy + Mussolini
–> 1937 survey by PNF in Rome found that girls were more interested in sporting activities provided to boys than becoming mothers
9
Q
What changes were made to the education system?
A
- 1920s, antifascist teachers removed
- 1926, policy introduced banning textbooks that lacked suitable patriotic content; 101/317 history textbooks banned
- 1929, Giovanni Gentile replaced as Minister for Education; he aimed to improve literacy rates, but gov. wanted focus on indoctrination + obediance
- 1931, teachers had to swear an oath to the fascist regime and could only be employed if they recieved a diploma after 1923
- 1933, became compulsory for teachers to belong to the PNF
10
Q
What changes were made to the education system?
A
- 1920s, antifascist teachers removed
- 1926, policy introduced banning textbooks that lacked suitable patriotic content; 101/317 history textbooks banned
- 1929, Giovanni Gentile replaced as Minister for Education; he aimed to improve literacy rates, but gov. wanted focus on indoctrination + obediance
- 1931, teachers had to swear an oath to the fascist regime and could only be employed if they recieved a diploma after 1923
- 1933, became compulsory for teachers to belong to the PNF
11
Q
What did the GUF do?
A
less focus on formal fascist education or military training
- mainly ran the ‘Littoriali’; national student games involving cultural and debate competitions on fascist themes 1934-1940
- members given free access to sports facilities, half-price admission to entertainement, part exemption from military service, enchanced career prospects
12
Q
How successful was fascist indoctrination of youth and education?
A
- membership was desirable; not because of a belief in fascism but social/sporting activities and social benefits
- less successful in south; less ONB members older than 11 because of nature of agricultural work
- less successful amongst girls; less likely to continue schooling or be ONB members after age of 11 as made to do duller activities = les enjoyment
- loyal fascists?; many dedicated Italian soliders in WW2 yet antifascist forced largely made up of young people too
13
Q
When was the OND formed?
A
Opera Nazionale Dopolavoro
- formed in April 1925 after Mussolini agreed to demands made by fascist trade unions
- ‘National Afterwork Club’ or ‘Italian Fascist Leisure and Recreational Organisation for Adults’
- 1925, Mario Giani in charge
- –> April 1927, Augusto Turati took charge and turned it into an auxiliary of the party
- –> 1930s, Achille Starace became leader and the OND became primarily recreational
14
Q
What were the aims of the OND?
A
- replace socialist organisations for workers welfare + recreation (closed shortly after fascists came to power)
- increase involvement of the masses within the fascist party
- increase workers’ support for fascism
- create a state of loyal fascists who felt they chose fascism and were not indoctrinated
15
Q
What was the OND?
A
- provided workers with social events and establishments (eg. bars, billiard halls, cycling groups, radio, plays, concerts, film showings, libraries, sports teams etc.)
- each section had a clubhouse and a recreational ground
- membership benefits; discounted railway travel,some social insurance, subsidised holidays
- no direct promotion of fascist beliefs and ideology
16
Q
OND membership statistics
A
- 1926, 300,000 members
- 1935, 2.4 million members
- 1939, over 4 million members; 80% of state and private sector workers & 40% of industrial workers
17
Q
What was the OND partially credited for?
A
Italy’s sporting successes;
- 1932 LA olympics; 12 gold medals
- won football world cup in 1934 + 1938
- 1933-1935, Primo Carnera was the World Boxing Champion
18
Q
How successful was the OND?
A
- one of the most popular aspects of the fascist regime
- did not promote fascist beliefs = many just joined for the free benefits
19
Q
What were the aims of fascist press control and censorship?
A
- Italy to be seen as a country with no social problems
- appear as if there were no flaws in Mussolini’s fascist regime
- to control what the Italian people were exposed to; control their thoughts and eliminate chances of opposition
20
Q
How was press controlled?
(7)
A
- 1923 + 1925, PNF introduced decrees restraining the freedom of press –> formalised into official laws by the end of 1926
- Dec 1925, The Press Law was passed; only journalists on a fascist controlled register could be publish
- prefects could confiscate newspapers that contained anti-fascist content
- editors could be replaced and newspapers shut down (eg. ‘Avanti’, ‘L’Unita’, and ‘Partito Popolare’ all shut down)
- journalists were put into a fascist union that controlled jobs and promotions
- Mussolini had a personal press officer who sent out intructions on how he should be presented in the news
- Journalists were instructed not to print stories on crime, suicide, or traffic incidents
21
Q
How was radio controlled?
(5)
A
- 1933, ERR (Rural Radio Agency) set up, led by PNF secretary, with goal to make radio more accesible/relevant for rural areas (high illiteracy rates)
- all radios had 2hrs of daily official broadcasts
- Mussolini’s major speeches were played over the radio
- fascist radios were played in everywhere; public squares/buildings, schools, factories, markets, military facilities
- Davanzati (senator on Grand Council of Fascism) hosted a programme called ‘Chronicles of the Regime’; interviewed PNF and gov. members
22
Q
radio statistics
A
- 1932, there were 300,000 registered radio sets
- 1938, over 1 million registered radio sets
23
Q
How was film controlled?
(5)
A
- cinema wasn’t used entirely for fascist purposes until WW2
- filmmakers could not criticise the fascist regime, but otherwise had creative freedom
- 1934, DCG (General Directorate for Cinema) set up under the control of the Ministry of Press & Propaganda; it was responsible for regulating cinema and ensuring it was in line with fascist ideology
- 1935, Experimental Centre of Cinematography built in Rome; trained 100 students per year, not used entirely for fascist purposes until WW2
- Newsreels playing at the cinema aired propaganda (successes of the regime etc.)
24
Q
Examples of films produced as propaganda
A
- ‘Pilota’ (1938) by Luciano Sera; and Italian pilot during the Abyssinian War
- ‘The Siege of Alcazar’ (1940) by Augusto Genina; about early fascists fighting socialists in Spain
25
What was the Minculpop?
The Ministry of Popular Culture
- founded in 1935 as and until 1937 called the Ministry of Press and Propaganda
- controlled censorship (newspapers, radio, film, theatre, foreign publications)
26
How successful was censorship?
- newspaper editors were scared into submission; articles criticising fascism/Mussolini were not published
- the integrity and safety of the party were guaranteed
- Italy was portrayed as a strong nation in the international press
- Mussolini could control the minds of the population
27
What were the aims of propaganda?
- to be a means for fascism/fascist policies to gain support
- to create 'true fascists'
- to link Mussolini's image with Caesar's
- to create unity and patriotism amongst the Italian people
28
How was Propaganda used?
| (5)
- cult of Ancient Rome created to remind people they were the 'heirs' to the Roman Empire
- Medieval buildings in Rome were destroyed so that classical buildings could be seen better
- 1937, a celebration held in Rome to celebrate the 2000th anniversary of Augustus Caesar; 1 million people visited exhibition of Roman history
- used media (newspaper, radio, cinema, posters, rallies, sport) to link his image to that of Augustus Caesar; both rebuilt Italy from the ruins of war
- sporting victories used to as evidence of the glory of the regime
29
How successful was the use of propaganda?
| (5)
- Mussolini was able to heavily influence/control the minds of the people
- made fascism seem more attractive and it therefore became more popular
- the notion of restoring the glory of Rome was particularly popular amongst Italians
- sporting successes showed the success of the regime
- BUT the lack of mass media in the south of Itlay = propaganda had a minimal effect there
30
What were the aims of fascist culture?
| (4)
- to be used as a means ofr propaganda
- to create a new modern Italian culture based on that of Italy's glorious past (Ancient Rome)
- to distance the fascist regime from liberal culture
- to create a good external image of fascism and gain admiration
31
How was architecture used?
imposing neo-classical/ futuristic buildings adorned with sculptures constructed
- 1935, EUR began to be built; extension to Rome, designed to combine housing appartments, monuments, gov. buildings (not finished)
- 1928-1938, Foro Mussolini was contructed; sports complex based on the design of Ancient Roman imperial forums
- 1942, 2% of the walls of most buildings were used to display some fascist art
32
How was art used?
| (5)
state permitted diversity of art as long as it didn't promote opposition to fascism
- neo-classical art; looked to Ancient Rome for inspiration
- modernism; used clean lines, goemetric shapes, was often abstract
- strong rural or industrial workers and virile women were often portrayed = very nationalistic
- artists were made to join the 'Syndicat of of Professionals and Artists' and profess their loyalty to the regime
- regime organised competitions and exhibitions; celebrate regime and increase familiarity with art
33
How were other aspects of culture used?
| (5)
- 1926, the National Fascist Cultural Institute was founded
- cultural autarky pursued = foreign influences were rejected
- theatre was a minor fascist pursuit
- musicians had to join the Fascist Union of Musicians
- writers had freedom as long as they did not publish anything antifascist, intellectuals were not encouraged
34
How successful was Mussolini's control of culture?
| (4)
- the organisation of artists and intellectuals was successful in controlling what was produced
- boosted support for Mussolini and the PNF
- art/culture was never coordinated under a key message that resonated with the Italian people
- whether it had any transformative effect on the population is debateable
35
What happened to other youth movements?
all other youth movements were initially banned
--> BUT those of the RCC were reinstated in 1931
