benito mussolini
... after World War I Mussolini’s influence grew swiftly as well as his Fascist views. Fascism became an organized political movement in March 1919 when Mussolini founded the Fasci de Combattimento. The Italian government seldom interfered in Mussolini’s violent demonstrations against his former Socialist colleagues. When the liberal governments of Giovanni Giolitti, Ivanoe Bonomi, and Luigi Facta failed to stop the spread of Mussolini’s fascist rebellion, Mussolini was invited by the king, Victor Emmanuel III, in October 1922 to form a government 5. At the beginning of Mussolini’s Fascist movement liberals supported Mussolini in parliament at first. With their help he introduced strict censorship and altered the methods of election so that in 1925-1926 he was able to assume dictatorial powers and dissolve all other political parties. Mussolini, skillfully using his “silver tongue,” to manipulate the press as well as the people of Italy, built up the legend of “Il Duce,” the man that could solve all of Italy’s problems 6. Italy was soon a police state. At various times after 1922, Mussolini personally took over the ministries of Italy, of foreign affairs, of the colonies, of the corporations, of the army and the other armed services, and of public works. He was also head of the powerful Fascist party and the armed Fascist militia. Most of his time was spent on propaganda, whether at home or out of the country, and here his training as a journalist was helpful. Press, radio, education, films; all were carefully supervised to manufacture the false impression that Fascism was the doctrine of the 20th century that was replacing liberalism and democracy 7. Under the dictatorship the parliamentary system was virtually abolished. The law codes were rewritten. All teachers in schools and universities had to swear an oath to defend the Fascist government. Newspaper editors were all personally chosen by Mussolini himself, and no one could practice journalism who did not possess a certificate of approval from the Fascist party. The trade unions were also deprived of any independence and were integrated into what was called the “corporative” system 8. The aim was to place all Italians in various professional organizations or corporations, all of them under governmental control. In foreign policy, Mussolini soon shifted from pacifist anti-imperialism to an extreme form of aggressive nationalism. An early example of this was his attack on Corfu in 1923. Soon after this he succeeded in setting up a government in Albania and in once again conquering Libya. It was Mussolini’s dream to make the Mediterranean “mare nostrum,” or “our sea.” In 1935, at the Stresa Conference, he helped create an anti-Hitler front in order to defend the independence of Austria 9. Mussolini’s successful war against Abyssinia (Ethiopia) in 1935-1936 was opposed by the League of Nations, and he was forced to seek an alliance with Nazi Germany, which had withdrawn from the League in 1933. His active intervention in 1936-1939 on the side of Gen. Francisco Franco in the Spanish Civil War ended any possibility of settlement with France and Britain 10. As a result, Mussolini had to accept the German takeover of Austria in 1938 and the exclusion of Czechoslovakia in 1939. Mussolini’s accepting the alliance with Germany was confirmed when he made the Pact of Steel with Hitler in May 1939 11. Mussolini followed the Nazis in adopting a racial policy that led to persecution of the Jews. As World War II approached, Mussolini announced his intention of conquering Malta, Corsica, and Tunis. Although Mussolini had preached for 15 years about the virtues of war and the military readiness of Italy to fight, his armed forces were completely unprepared when Hitler's invasion of Poland led to World War II. Mussolini decided to remain impartial until he was quite certain which side would win. Only after the fall of France did he declare war in June 1940, hoping that the war had only a few weeks more to run. His attack on Greece in October revealed to everyone that he had done nothing to prepare an effective military machine. He had no option but to follow Hitler in declaring war on Russia in June 1941 and on the United States in December 194112. After Mussolini’s defeat in World War II, his ...