Fascist State - Indoctrination and OND

Question 1

Avanguardia Giovanile Fascista

Answer 1

December 1921, Fascist youth front formed for boys between 14-17 years.

Question 2

Grupo Universitari Fascisti

Answer 2

GUF, formed in formed in March 1923 and followed by the creation of the Balilla for children aged 8 - 14 years.

Question 3

What was the issue with youth organisations at the early stages?

Answer 3

They were not well structured and competed with the youth organisations of other political parties.

Question 4

How many children were formally involved with fascist youth associations by 1924?

Answer 4

3000

Question 5

ONB

Answer 5

Opera Nazionale Balila created by formal decree on 3rd April 1926

Question 6

What was the aim of the ONB?

Answer 6

to provide physical and moral benefit of the youth though education of boys between 8 and 19. It was restructured in 1934 with 3 categories

Question 7

What were the new three categories of the Balilla in 1934?

Answer 7

Figli della Lupa (6-8), Balilla (8-14), Avanguardisti (14-17)

Question 8

What were the Female youth organisations under the ONB?

Answer 8

Figlie della Lupa (6-8), Piccole Italiane (8-13), Giovane Italiane (14-17)

Question 9

What did non membership of the ONB cause?

Answer 9

made it more difficult to enrol in further education, barred employment in the civil service and seem to suspect antifascism

Question 10

Which youth organisation other than ONB wasn’t banned?

Answer 10

Organisations provided by the CC

Question 11

What did youth programmes aim to do with the boys?

Answer 11

Make them into young fascist soldiers and were trained in moral and spiritual defence, gymnastics and sports and then military training

Question 12

What sorts of sports and military training did boys have to do in the ONB?

Answer 12

Marching, wrestling, shooting practice, boxing and bomb throwing

Question 13

What did the ONB prepare girls for?

Answer 13

To be healthy and fit mothers

Question 14

What were children taught in school under fascism?

Answer 14

• Patriotic Italians from classical Rome
• To make links between Italys great hero’s like Caesar and Mussolini
• Treatment of Italian soldiers after WWI
• How fascism saved the country from a communist revolution

Question 15

What happened to teachers under fascism?

Answer 15

Anti fascist teachers were removed from the jobs in the 1920s and from 1933 they had to be in the PNF

Question 16

How many members did the fascist youth organisations have in 1937 before it became compulsory?

Answer 16

7 Million

Question 17

What was the main motivation for many young people to be in the youth organisations?

Answer 17

Not a belief in fascism but an enjoyment of the social occasions, outside and playing and the avoidance of employment restrictions

Question 18

What was the indoctrination of education and youth like in the south?

Answer 18

• Most didn’t study beyond compulsory age of 11 and nature of agricultural work made it difficult for them to join organisations

Question 19

What was the indoctrination of education and youth like for girls?

Answer 19

Less likely to continue schooling past 11 and there was considerable differences between enjoyment of boys and girls as they were more interested in sports than becoming mothers

Question 20

OND

Answer 20

Opera Nazionale Dopolavoro (National after work organisation), most popular aspects of the fascist regime. was replacement for socialist organisations for worker recreation and welfare

Question 21

What did the OND provide?

Answer 21

Social and sporting opportunities like bars, billiard halls, cycling groups, football teams, libraries and radios, consumer benefits and a welfare organisation. Also subsidised holidays and excursions

Question 22

How many members did the OND have by 1939?

Answer 22

4 million but it wasn’t ideologically fascist but brought some popular support for Mussolini

Question 23

What was a key aspect of controlling the Italian population and encouraging a positive image of Mussolini and Fascism ?

Answer 23

Censorship of the press

Question 24

What laws related to censorship were introduced by the end of 1926?

Answer 24

Prefects having the ability to confiscate editions of any newspapers journal or magazine that produced material that could be judged as unfavourable to the fascist regime and they had the power to suspend publication, replace editors or shut down offending newspapers.

Question 25

Which left-wing newspapers were closed?

Answer 25

Avanti!, Partito Popolare, L’Unita

Question 26

What enforced a form of self censorship for newspapers?

Answer 26

Incorporating all journalists into fascist unions

Question 27

What could journalists not print stories on?

Answer 27

Crime, suicides, traffic accidents

Question 28

What was a key aspect of fascist media control?

Answer 28

Dissemination of propaganda that celebrated the fascist regime

Question 29

What was a very important focus for Fascist propaganda?

Answer 29

Unifying ideals that could draw Italians together creating patriotism
- Symbol of Rome, cult of ancient rome

Question 30

What image of Rome was Mussolini intricately linked to?

Answer 30

Heir of Augustus

Question 31

What was Propaganda disseminated through?

Answer 31

Newspapers, radio, cinema, posters, mass rallies and sport (World cup and Boxing)

Question 32

Ministry of Press

Answer 32

made in 1935 as a specific ministry to organise propaganda and in 1937 was renamed to Minstry of popular culture

Question 33

What made the national integration of all Italians into a consensus for the support of fascism difficult?

Answer 33

Lack of mass media in the south