Establishment of dictatorship Flashcards
(19 cards)
By November 1924 what was Mussolini still under pressure by?
The Matteoti crisis
What did the army order Mussolini do?
- Ordered the PNF to cease all forms of violence
- remove any members that refused to follow his orders
- made officers of the MVSN swear an oath of loyalty to the king, as well as Mussolini
- confirmed that the MVSN officers would be ex-army regulators
What was the response of the Ras to Mussolini’s actions?
They were angered, the saw this as Mussolini giving in.
- Ras became worried they would loose control over their squads
Who did Mussolini meet with in Dec 1924 and what did they want?
- Met with squad leaders
- Demanded that Mussolini should act to defend the fascist revolution or be removed as the leader of PNF
What happened two days before Mussolini met with the squad leader?
- Salandra had declared his opposition to Mussolini (liberal opposition)
- Mussolini became worried that Salandra could influence the king
- Salandra and his liberals were on the point of leaving the coalition which would have a dramatic effect on opinion in the court as well as the country
What did Mussolini announce on 3rd Jan 1925?
- Made a key speech to parliament
- Announces the establishment of the fascist dictatorship, a personal rule under Mussolini
What did Mussolini create in 12 Jan 1925?
- A new cabinet
- this time w/o liberals
- took on role of PM + minister of foreign affairs, navy and aviation
Who did Mussolini appoint as PNF secretary?
- Farinacci
- given the job to purge radicals who wouldn’t accept Mussolini’s political direction
What did the Fascist grand council approve in October 1925?
- approve the motion to disband the Ras and squads to enlist in milita
How did Mussolini gain military support?
- Increased pay
- Appoint conservative monarchist, Badoglio
What was the Palazo Vindori pact?
established fascists unions as the only representative for Italian workers (takes power away from the Catholics + socialists)
- Fascists unions were subservient to industrialists
After the assassination attempt by Zaniboni, what was Mussolini able to do?
- banned Zaniboni’s political party (PSU)
- Introduced a new press law: all journalism had to approved and supervised by the state
- gave the govt power to sack any public employee whose actions went against the PNF
What did Mussolini rename the the title of PM?
to Head of government and Duce of fascism
What could parliament no longer do in Dec 1925?
no longer able to remove the PM through a vote of no confidence
What did Mussolini do in Jan 1926?
Granted the ability to rule by decree, allowing him to make laws without discussion, consultation or a vote in parliament
After another assassination attempt, (31 Oct 1926) how did Mussolini consolidate dictatorship?
- all political parties except PNF were banned
- Special tribunal for the Defence of the state was set up, (prosecute anti-fascists without appeal)
- Aventine deputies banned from parliament
- Communist parliamentarians who had no joined the Aventine Secession were banned and their leader (Gramsci) was arrested
What happened to most opposition leaders?
around 10,000 fled and their Italian citizenship was withdrawn
What did Mussolini do to local govts?
- abolished
- mayors replaced with a new position called podesta, who were appointed by local prefects
- Prefects, accountable to Mussolini, held the most power not the Ras
- New secretary of the PNF (Turati) said that in any conflict between the Ras and Prefects, the prefects would come first
What was Italy by the end of 1926?
a one party police state
