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In the 1920's, Italy went through powerful political movements concerning a rising dictator and a revolutionizing party. Benito Mussolini became Prime Minister in 1922, and through consolidation and control, he eliminated all political opposition and ruled Italy under the Fascist National Party. However, Italy’s population was declining, so the views of the fascist party were used as a tool to provoke an increase in birthrate. This demographic policy was attempted through political propaganda, explained through economic strife, and caused very intellectual reactions from both women and men. Mussolini, in an effort to pinpoint the source of the population decline, began with a weak political effort. In a speech in 1934 (Document 5), Mussolini declared working women to be the root of the problem. “With work, a woman becomes like a man,” he stated, “...she develops an independence and a fashion that is contrary to the process of childbirth, and lowers the birth rate.” Laws were also passed to encourage childbirth, such as the code in 1930 (Document 9).
Approximate Word count = 604
Approximate Pages = 2.4
(250 words per page double spaced)
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