The Fascist State 1925-40

Question 1

Monarchy and the Conservative Elites

Answer 1

Remained a constitutional monarchy- army and civil sevice still loyal to the King, King could still remove Mussolini

Dec 1928- FGC granted right to limit the king’s power. FGC could advise on succession.

First Marshall of the Empire- both King and Mussolini

FGC- Fascist grand council

Question 2

Economic Interest Groups

Answer 2

First economic policies focused on placating the large economic interest groups- Fiat Pirelli

Licensing systems protected smaller businnesses agaisnt supermarkets

April 1926- Rocco law passed- strikes banned, syndicates no say in governement policy

Question 3

Central Gov

Answer 3

Mussolini’s laws ratified by parliament- more symbolic

Ensured new senators were Fascists

May 1928- Parliament made up of 400 deputies chosen by FGC from a list of 1,000 nominated

Question 4

Local Gov

Answer 4

Run by Podesta- appointed by prefects

Podesta owed positions to Mussolini so kept in line with Fascist party

Prefects- organised police, censored local press, suppressing anti fascists. Appointed by Mussolini

Question 5

PNF/Nationalists

Answer 5

ANI- merged with Fascists

Oct 1925- Fascist squads murdered 8 liberals

Fascist membership changed to white collar workers, civil servants and clerks. They had no interest in a Fascist revolution

Question 6

Education and Youth

Answer 6

Schools
portraits of mussolini, textbooks changed (1 official book 1928)
Sport and excercise key
1933 all teachers had to join PNF
Universities
had to join Gioventi Unsiveritaria Fascista- gave half price entertainment, sports facilities, career prospects
Youth Movements
Balilla
Girls traditional femenine roles
free sports facilities, holidays
oath and uniform
7M members by 1937

Question 7

Opera Nazionale Dopolavoro- Est 1925

Answer 7

National after work ordganisation
Adult leisure programmes and facilities
Tried to attract ordinary people- art, music, theatre subsidised.
Club houses by mid 1930s in every town
Subsised holidays, mountains, sporting and beach

Question 8

Press control and censorship

Answer 8

1926 official press laws introduced
prefects could confiscate editions and shut down newspapers
Journalists encorporated into fascist union and self censored
Left wing newspapers banned- e.g. Avanti

Question 9

Propaganda

Answer 9

Used to manufacture consensus
Symbol of ancient Rome was a key focus
Mussolini shown as heir to Augustus
Spread via cinema, radio, posters, newspapers
Italy wom World Cup 1934&8 showed Italian strength

1935 Ministry of press became Ministry of Popular Culture in 1937

Question 10

Cult of Il Duce

Answer 10

Photographed shirtless to show physical strength
Attractive to opposite sex and family man at the same time
Became more of a separate figure, removed from Fascism

Question 11

Influence of Fascist Culture

Answer 11

PNF produced policies for artists and intellectuals so they served the goals of the fascist state

1926- National institute of Fascist Culture. Organised free concerts and publications- over 4 Million visited artwork exhibition

Funded film industry

Question 12

Cult of Ancient Rome

Answer 12

Populised through propaganda
Celebreated power of ancient rome
Displayed ancient buildings at the expense of newer ones
Mussolini heir of Augustus

Question 13

OVRA- est 1927

Answer 13

Secret Police
>50,000 agents
Compiled files on 130,000 potential ‘subversives’
100,000 informants
1930 ~ 20,000 raids per week

Question 14

MVSN

Answer 14

Blackshirts
~50,000 members
used as intimidation
unofficial actions

Question 15

Special Tribunal

Answer 15

Set up to try Anti-Fascist ‘Subversives’
Summary justice (Immediate, no Jury)
Most sent to prison or exiled- 31 death penalties

Question 16

In Confino (Internal extile and imprisonment)

Answer 16

Exiled anti Fascists to Italian islands in the mediteranian (dated back to ancient Rome)

Spent with likeminded people- limits on intellectual discussions and books

Question 17

Anti- Semitism

Answer 17

Not explicitly antisemtic ideology

1938- Antisemitic decrees
Forbade Italian Jews from marrying non-Jewish Italians
Banned from public sector employment
Banned Jews from owning large tracts of land or big businesses

Not widely accepted by Italians

July 1938- Manifesto of Racial Scientists- states Jews dont belong to the Italian race

4000 Jewish people opted to convert to christianity
6000 chose to emigrate

Question 18

De’ Stefani’s Policies 1921-24

Answer 18

Improved manufacturing
upset agricultural workers with reduced tariffs
achived budget surplus
privatised telephone sector
represent Laissez faire economy

Question 19

Battle for Lira 1925-27

Answer 19

More regulated state run economy
1922- 90Lira to £1
1926- 150Lira to £1
artificially fixed in 1926 to 92.46L - £1 (believed to be too high by other economists)
Forced to introduce deflamatory measures
Italian products overvalued in foreign markets

Question 20

Ministry of corporations and charter labour

Answer 20

Mixed union of workers and employers
discuss and implement national economic planning
Charter of Labour
Organise economy
guarantee workers rights
never followed through

Question 21

1928-34 Changes to syndicates and the National Council of Corporatons

Answer 21

Syndicates split into 6 parts representing main areas of the economy

NCC formed- represent 7 large sectors of the economy
1934- law passed to implement mixed corporations representing 22 economic sectors . Allegedly could fix prices, settle industrial disputes, regulate apprenticeships and advise the givernment on economic issues

was propaganda

Question 22

Agricultural Policies

Answer 22

Aims
Idealised the country and aimed to reverse the drift to the cities
Battle of the Marshes aimed to create jobs and make land available for cereal production whilst reducing malaria

Actions / measures
Reverse rural depopulation by restricting migration and investing funds into helping to establish a prosperous land owning peasantry

Battle of the marshes- land reclimation, private land owners encouraged to co-operate with drainage schemes
Outcome
North saw advances in yields 50% more wheat per acre.
South- yeilds remained low 20% drop in cattle and sheep farming
Government’s close ties to landowners restricted major land reform

Battle for marshes- Pontine marshes drained. Latina and Sabaudia created as show peices
Had bigger impacts in improving health and jobs than farming
Claimed that 1/6 of land in italy would be reclaimed but only 1/20 complete (80,000 hectares)

Question 23

Autarky

Answer 23

Aims
self sufficiency

Actions / measures
restrict amounts of goods imported
increased tariff protection- higher taxes on imported goods to encourage sale of Italian goods
new products developed as import substitutes
locate new mineral sources and state agencies (e.g. AGIP- an oil company)
1937- High commission on Autarky introduced

Outcome
Still very little coal supplies
little iron
no descovered oil
1940- domestic production met 1/5 of Italy’s needs
prices on both imports and exports increased

Question 24

Battle for Grain 1925

Answer 24

Aims
boost cereal production
self sufficient in grain

Actions / measures
High tariffs on imported grain
infertile land that had not been used for years used to farm grain- ££££
gov gave grants to farmers to buy machinery and fertilisers

Outcome
cereal production doubled (1922-39)
wheat imports fell by 75% (1925-35)
almost self sufficient in cereals by 1940
raised cost of bread and grain
decline in quality of diet
cereal production fell during the war as fertilisers were restricted

Question 24

Battle for Births

Answer 24

**Aims** Increase population from 37m (1920) to 60m (1950) **Description** Launched in 1927, intensified from 1936 improved health services marriage loans- no repayment if had 4 children tax relief- no tax if mother had 10 children medals one silver bar per child Bachelors taxed more civil service jobs + promotion reseved for fathers divorce illegal abortion banned limited contraception **Outcome** Birth rates declined average age of marriage grew marriage rate fell population rose to 45m in 1940 47.5m in 1950

Question 25

Mussolini and the church 1923

Answer 25

helped to save bank of Rome- managed the assets of the catholic church clergy salaries increased and exempted from tax 3m lira to help restore damaged churches RE reinstated in elementary schools tightened divorce laws abortion impossible penalties introduced for adultary

Question 26

Lateran pacts- 1929

Answer 26

**Lateran treaty** Vatican established as an independent state- pope head of state catholicism sole recognised religion **Financial convention** agreement made that compensated the church for the land lost during unification **Concordat** Church structures e.g. catholic action would remain separate / independent confirmed RE compulsary in secondary schools teachers/ textbooks aproved by the church church granted right to censor books films and newspapers clergy would not join political parties

Question 26

Catholic Action dispute 1931

Answer 26

Mussolini wanted Italy to adopt fascist idology over everything led to growing tensions with the catholic church CA- international body set up by the church to organise its members had a youth branch membership >1m by 1930 several branches closed down by gov

Question 27

Pope's Encyclical 1931

Answer 27

Responded to closure of CA and publicly criticised gov published in L' Osservatore comprimise reached that CA woudl only participate in religious, educational and recreational activities ex PPI not allowed to be youth leaders

Question 28

Anti-Semetism dispute 1938

Answer 28

church concerned over attacks on Jews authority of CC questoned when defining Jews as biological as they asserted Jews could convert via marriage 'On the unity of the human race'- unable to be published before popes death. lost until 1995 when found in France Pius XII chose not to talk about attacks on Judaism