The Rise and Impact of Fascism in Italy
Italy, Fascist Italy was one of the victors of the First World War. What is fascism? Fascism is a political and social movement of totalitarian character that occurred in Italy after the First World War. It finds its roots in nationalism, nineteenth-century European imperialism, the consequences of the First World War, the weakness of parliamentary systems, economic discontent, and social crises. In the twenties and thirties, totalitarian dictatorships of fascist regimes proliferated in Europe, characterized by single-party trends based on frameworks for the masses, the personality cult of the leader, internal repression, the elimination of political opposition, and control of economic life, social, and cultural development.
The rise to power of Mussolini: The economic and social development of the postwar period provoked unrest among the peasantry and working class. At this time, the Italian ruling classes feared a socialist revolution. In 1919, Benito Mussolini founded a paramilitary group called “Fasci di Combattimento” with the aim of containing the revolution. The labor movement and the group were funded by conservative forces, primarily composed of the middle classes, and had the support of workers, which gave way to the promise of social reform. In the summer of 1922, the Fasci di Combattimento violently crushed a general strike called by leftist political forces. On October 28, 1922, the right-wing leader B. Mussolini organized the March on Rome, which led to his appointment by the king. Mussolini established a dictatorship in 1926 in which he was the leader, or Duce.
His fascism: The Fascist state was characterized by its foreign policy. In the second half of the 1920s, Italy, the UK, Germany, and Belgium signed the Treaty of Locarno, where the borders fixed by the Versailles Peace were accepted. However, when all external powers reoriented their policies toward military expansion, Albania became a protectorate and Italy invaded Ethiopia. With the signing of the Pact of Steel in 1939, a military alliance between Germany and Italy was formed, which led to Italy’s participation in the Second World War. Economic policy was characterized by state intervention to stimulate production and heavy investment in infrastructure. From the thirties, coinciding with the international economic crisis, the autarkic economic policy was implemented, aiming to supply their own products. Control was carried out using the framework required of employers and workers in the unique union.
Creation of the USSR: After the civil war, production levels fell in agriculture and industry. Hunger and discontent led Lenin to introduce the New Economic Policy in 1921, aiming to improve economic indicators, restore the market, and private property. The NEP was in force until 1927, at which point the socialist economic system was developed. In 1922, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was born, which included the territories of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Transcaucasia. In 1923, a struggle for power was unleashed. It was J. Stalin who presided over the Soviet state until 1953. His regime was characterized by totalitarianism, political repression, and economic planning.