Fascism’s Rise in Interwar Europe: Italy’s Case
The Rise of Fascism
The inter-war period (1918-1939) was an unstable time. In this context, fascism emerged as ultra-nationalist movements with common characteristics and peculiarities. Political parties were created and came to power in Italy in 1922 and in Germany in 1933, ultimately leading to the Second World War in 1939. The USSR was seen as a threat by the liberal capitalist system and promoted the labor movement. Following the First World War, there was an economic and social crisis.
Crisis of Democratic Systems
After the First World War, new countries were created in which liberal democratic systems were established (Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Poland). These nations were experiencing a difficult situation due to the economic crisis, unemployment, the collapse of production, etc. There was a social crisis; strikes and demonstrations were prevalent, and they reinforced political parties and labor unions. The bourgeoisie was afraid.
Democratic systems were destabilized throughout Europe. In many, the democratic system was maintained. In England, the Labour Party led policy. In France, the Popular Front for Social Action triumphed. In Switzerland, Belgium, and the Netherlands, there were electoral coalitions. The countries where dictatorships ended up overthrowing democratic systems were Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, and Spain.
Ideology of Fascism
The purpose of fascism is to create a totalitarian state. The fascists are ultra-nationalists; they believe their race is superior to others, which leads to xenophobia. There is military paraphernalia, violence, and military dress and leaders. Those who are in the party are uniformed. They have a series of emblems and symbols from their history. Totalitarian states are directed by a leader who does not allow criticism and tends to be charismatic, establishing a dictatorship. It is a unique party, and other parties are illegal, as are trade unions. The media is used as propaganda.
Fascist Italy: Crisis of the Postwar
During the First World War, the cost of living had risen faster than wages, and the living standards of the working class had fallen. This was the origin of a strike movement that reached virulence and often introduced revolutionary goals. The workers occupied several factories in northern Italy. In the countryside, a land occupation movement of the large landowners developed. These movements were suppressed, but the fear of Bolshevization spread among the bourgeoisie, who demanded stricter solutions. Politically, the constitutional monarchy was in a highly unstable situation; no party managed to obtain lasting stable majorities and governments. The constitutional regime was supported by a coalition of center-liberal parties strongly contested by the Socialist Party, the Italian Communist Party, and the Popular Party of Catholic inspiration. To this must be added the exalted nationalism arising from the frustration after the First World War to recover the irredentist land. This was the case with land of the Italian population that controlled the Dalmatian coast of Yugoslavia or the disputed city of Fiume, under the control of the League of Nations.
National Fascist Party Formation
In 1919, Mussolini, a former socialist activist expelled from the party, founded the Fasci di Combattimento, a movement that brought together former fighters and had a populist and nationalist agenda. In 1921, he transformed the Fasci into the National Fascist Party, which was presented as an effective tool against the threat of communism. Mussolini gave his party a new program that mixed a populist discourse in the social sphere but defended private property, with strong nationalism, and an expansionist and militaristic foreign policy. The party adopted a symbology: the fascists adopted a uniform black shirt and waved their hands in the air. The party’s base was nourished by workers unhappy with the political and social situation and the petty bourgeoisie, frightened by the crisis and the revolutionary forces of the workers. It was highly regarded among industrialists, large landowners, and military sectors. The government itself considered it a good tool to stop socialism and communism. It received financial support from the major Italian employers’ organizations. The fascist squads staged violence consisting of punitive expeditions against politicians, local councils, and leftist newspapers. They wanted to silence all opposition by terrorizing the population. They counted on the complicity of the police and justice.