Mussolini Flashcards
(22 cards)
What was Italy’s public debt after WWI and its economic impact?
119% of GDP; heavy reliance on foreign loans, inflation, economic stagnation, and difficulty recovering economically.
What was the North-South divide in post-WWI Italy?
North was industrialized (Milan, Turin), South was poor, agricultural, with low literacy and political alienation causing resentment.
What was Italy’s ‘mutilated victory’?
Italy’s dissatisfaction with territorial gains after WWI (Treaty of London and Versailles), causing disillusionment and radicalization.
How did WWI casualties affect Italy?
Over 600,000 soldiers killed and 1 million wounded; military morale low, increasing public distrust in government.
What was the Biennio Rosso (1919-1920)?
Period of intense social unrest with strikes and factory occupations, alarming conservatives and weakening liberal government.
Who was Gabrielle D’Annunzio and what was the Fiume Incident (1919)?
Nationalist poet who led 2,000 troops to occupy Fiume in protest of Italy’s postwar treatment; used fascist-style rallies and Roman salutes.
When and how did Mussolini found fascism?
1919; founded Fasci Italiani di Combattimento, shifting from socialism to nationalism post-WWI.
How did Mussolini exploit fear of communism?
Gained support from conservatives and industrialists by portraying fascism as a defense against Bolshevik revolution.
What was the role of the Blackshirts?
Paramilitary group formed in 1919 to suppress socialists and communists using violence, supported by elites fearing socialism.
What was the March on Rome (1922)?
Fascist Blackshirts marched on Rome, pressuring King Victor Emmanuel III to appoint Mussolini Prime Minister, marking fascist rise.
What emergency powers did Mussolini receive in 1922?
One-year emergency powers from parliament to bypass legal decree, enabling consolidation of fascist control.
What was the Acerbo Law (1923)?
Changed electoral system to give majority seats to party with most votes, helping fascists win 65% of seats in 1924.
What was the Matteotti Crisis (1924)?
Murder of socialist Matteotti by fascists caused political crisis but allowed Mussolini to portray opposition as destabilizing.
What laws established Mussolini’s dictatorship by 1926?
Banned opposition parties, strikes, free trade unions; introduced press censorship, secret police, and special political courts.
What were Podestas?
Appointed officials replacing elected mayors to increase fascist control over local governments.
What was the Lateran Treaty (1929)?
Agreement with Catholic Church recognizing Vatican City as independent and Catholicism as state religion, boosting Mussolini’s popularity.
What was the Battle for Grain (1925)?
Campaign to increase wheat production for self-sufficiency; increased wheat but reduced agricultural diversity and increased imports.
What was the Battle for Births (1927)?
Policy encouraging large families through incentives and taxing bachelors to boost population for military and economic strength.
What was the Battle for the Lira?
Mussolini revalued currency to control inflation; harmed exports, reduced industrial output, increased unemployment.
What was the Charter of Labour (1927)?
Established corporatist economic system integrating workers and employers into state-controlled corporations, limiting workers’ rights.
How was education controlled under Mussolini?
Textbooks rewritten for fascist ideology, teachers wore uniforms, children encouraged to report dissenting teachers.
What role did fascist youth organizations play?
Indoctrinated youth with military training and loyalty to Mussolini.
