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The Rise And Fall Of Fascism In Italy c1911 - 46 > Mussolini and the Elites > Flashcards

Mussolini and the Elites Flashcards

1
Q

Why did Mussolini have to consider the political wishes of the King?

A
  • Still a constitutional monarchy
  • Needed to gain acceptance of army and state administration
  • Made regime appear legitimate
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2
Q

What major changes was made to the King’s position in Dec 1928, Mar 1938 and Jun 1940 and what was the one thing that didn’t change?

A

Dec 1928:
- Fascist Grand Council limited King’s power to nominate future PMs
- They can advise King on any future royal succession eg. no Prince Umberto as he had anti-fascist sympathies
Mar 1938:
- Law passed creating title of First Marshal of the Empire (highest rank), given to both King and Mussolini
Jun 1940:
- Mussolini deprived King of his supreme military commander role and took complete control of military
Stayed same:
- Still Head of State so could remove Mussolini

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3
Q

Despite being head of state, why was the King unwilling to challenge Mussolini and give examples of his subservient role

A
  • He was happy as long as he could retain his position
  • Brought him more titles eg. Emperor of Ethiopia in 1936, King of Albania in 1939
    Examples:
  • No effort to prevent anti-Semitic decrees
  • Signed most of Mussolini’s decrees
  • Did not dismiss Mussolini after Matteotti crisis
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4
Q

What did the King actually resist?

A
  • Some elements of fascism like army service rituals, uniform and ranks
  • Did not allow army to make a fascist state
  • Did not allow fascist symbol to be incorporated into Italian flag
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5
Q

Who were the most important conservative elites?

A
  • Army
  • Judiciary
  • Civil service
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6
Q

What did Mussolini emphasise to gain the army’s support?

A
  • Expansion of armed forces
  • Aggressive foreign policy
  • Promotion of senior generals
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7
Q

In order to control the army what did Mussolini increasingly do?

A
  • Appointed fascists in senior positions
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8
Q

Why was the army discontented in 1925 and how was this problem solved?

A
  • Plans to reduce its size
  • Plans ended as they had potential to replace Mussolini with a coup
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9
Q

What happened to the legal system and what did many do to ensure they kept their position?

A
  • Largely unchanged
  • Anti-Fascist judges removed from posts and replaced w/ Fascists
  • Imprisonment w/out trial became more frequent
  • Joined PNF to make sure they kept their position
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10
Q

What happened to the military and whose control was it under?

A
  • Allowed it to run independently
  • Left to under-secretaries (mostly generals/admirals)
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11
Q

What happened to gov administration and why was their compliance important?

A
  • Little change
  • Some civil servants removed due to anti-fascist political ties
  • Maj of top posts in fascist ministries were held by civil servants eg. prefects
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12
Q

When Mussolini came to power, what did he promise and what action did he actually take?

A
  • Promised cuts to civil service
  • Some cuts from 1922 to 1924 –> cutting ministries from 15 to 11, sacking 50,000 railwaymen
  • Little after this point
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13
Q

What happened to civil service after 1925, by 1930 and by 1939?

A

After 1925:
- Civil servants kept their jobs
By 1930:
- Civil service expanding again to give Fascist supporters jobs
By 1939:
- 15 ministries yet again

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14
Q

How did the percentage of civil servants who were also members of PNF change between 1925 and 1935 and why?

A
  • 1925 –> 15%
  • 1935 –> 100% as membership was made compulsory
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15
Q

How were the conservative elite able to retain political influence?

A

Podesta

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16
Q

What did Mussolini demand in the Party Congress of June 1925, to exert his control and what did he do to Congress?

A
  • End all internal party disputes
  • Obey Il Duce
  • Closed it down
17
Q

What types of people did Mussolini appoint into senior positions and give an example to show this

A
  • Obedient and unquestioning fascists
  • Achille Starace was an ineffective Party Secretary from 1931 to 1939 however he was unquestioning so he stayed in the position
18
Q

What did he do to more able fascists and give an example of this?

A
  • Given posts where they would not pose a threat
  • Italo Balbo sent to be governor of Libya
19
Q

What three positions did Mussolini hold that centralised power into his hands?

A
  • Head of foreign affairs
  • Minister of the Interior
  • Minister of all the armed forces
20
Q

What powers did parliament lose in 1926 and what happened to it in Jan 1939?

A

Ability to:
- Debate
- Discuss policy
- Amend proposed legislation
Jan 1939 –> Replaced by Chamber of Fasces and Corporations

21
Q

How efficient was the gov and give examples to show this

A
  • Inefficient
  • Mussolini would not take advice
  • Exploited rivalries between ministers
  • By 1933 –> talented figs like Rocco and Turati replaced w/ less questioning ppl
22
Q

Alfred Rocco:

A
  • Began career as communist
  • Between 1925 and 1932 –> Minister of Justice
  • Came up w/ Corporate State
23
Q

How did Mussolini minimise the power of his own political party, how did this help but also create problems for Mussolini’s ability to stay in power? Give one stat to show the extent of this violence

A
  • 1925 –> Appointed Farinacci
  • Purged party members who disagreed w/ party direction
  • However, he encouraged violence against not only socialists but also Catholics
  • After Matteotti’s murder, violence was extremely unpopular
  • Oct 1925 –> squads murdered 8 liberals in Florence
24
Q

After what event was Farinacci dismissed,who replaced him and when?

A
  • Murder of Florence Fascio
  • 1926 –> Replaced by Augusto Turati
25
Q

After this man came to power, what happened?

A
  • Mass expulsions of hard-line fascists –> 50,000 thrown out by 1929
  • 110,000 left party voluntarily
26
Q

Who was Turati’s successor, when did he come to power, how many were purged under him and how were these fascist members replaced?

A
  • 1931 –> Giurati
  • 120,000 members purged
  • Replaced by 800,000 new fascists
27
Q

Who were most of these new fascists and what was their main reason for joining?

A
  • Civil servants, white-collar workers
  • Benefits of PNF membership
28
Q

What divisions within the party made Mussolini’s achievements much easier and how did it do this?

A
  • Some PNF members focused on use of violence
  • Others demanded reorganisation of industry
  • Nationalists within PNF demanded territorial expansion
  • Conservatives emphasised need for law and order
    Mussolini shifted who he sided with whenever it suited his political interests
29
Q

How did Mussolini win the support of many nationalists?

A
  • Corfu Incident –> Greece forced to pay Italy 50 mil lire in compensation for murder of Italian diplomats
  • Annexation of Fiume –> Expanded Italy’s terriotory
  • Kellogg- Briand Pact, Lateran Treaty, Locarno Pact –> playing role of major power
  • Abyssinian Campaign in 1930s –> Established colony in Africa
  • Successfully stood up to League of Nations
  • Invasion of Albania in 1939
  • Manifesto of Fascist Intellectuals of 1925 –> stressed importance of Italian culture
30
Q

Give an example of one significant nationalist in gov and his role

A
  • 17 Jun 1924 –> Luigi Federzoni made Minister of Interior
  • Placated conservative elites during Matteotti Crisis
31
Q

What did the ANI accept, how did this change their position and what influence did they have in gov?

A
  • Accepted merger w/ PNF
  • Followed Mussolini’s directions w/out challenging
  • Former ANI members eg. Roberto Cantalupo involved in fascist educational policy, Costanzo Ciano as Minister of Communications between 1924 and 1934
  • Greater prominence as Mussolini’s policies became more radical
32
Q

What had Mussolini’s first economic policy focused on?

A
  • Focused on placating large economic interest grps
  • Licensing agreements protecting small shop owners from large retailers
33
Q

Who benefitted the most from PNF policies and how was this done?

A
  • Italian businesses
  • TU policies constantly adapted to suit interests of industrialists and fascist syndicalists
34
Q

Syndicalism:

A
  • Economic system between capitalism and communism
  • Private businesses would remain but no class conflict between TUs and employers
  • Syndicate = Representatives of employers and employees from diff parts of economy would discuss policy on equal basis
35
Q

What major change was made on 2 Oct 1925?

A
  • Palazzo Vidoni Pact
  • Industrialists recognise fascist syndicates as only representative body for Italian workers
  • Therefore, Catholic, socialist and communist TUs would be disillusioned (pact between Confindustria and fascist TUs)
36
Q

In order to ensure industrialists knew the value of the policies Mussolini had made for them, what did he do?

A

Every so often, he would allow Fascist unions to strike

37
Q

Who did the gov have close ties w/ in the South, and how did this grp benefit from this connection?

A
  • Rural landowners and employers
  • Agrarian reform was undermined
    Benefitted from:
  • Ban on strikes
  • State-imposed wage controls (pay workers less)
  • Allowed control of flagship policies eg. land reclamation, where they could choose the land to be reclaimed
38
Q

What did prominent syndicalists argue for and why?

A
  • Fascist syndicates should be basis of state
  • Ensure big businesses were regulated in workers’ interests and workers would not strike
39
Q

When was the Rocco Law passed, why and what did it say?

A
  • Apr 1926
  • Industrial elite concerned about syndicalism becoming a bigger thing
    Rocco Law:
  • Allowed syndicates some rights of representation
  • Compulsory arbitration concerning workers’ pay and conditions
  • Strikes, go-slows and lockouts banned (punishable by fines/imprisonment)
  • Some professions eg. teachers, police banned from being members of TUs
  • No say in gov policy

The Rise And Fall Of Fascism In Italy c1911 - 46 (15 decks)

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