Benitto Mussolini as a lider of Italy
Cours: Contemporary Italy
Student: Gayane Melkonyan No 3776
Benito Mussolini was one of the important and the most interesting figures in Italian history. He was a teacher, journalist, socialist and also a fascist. His father Alessandro Mussolini was a blacksmith and a socialist. It had an important influence on the Mussolini's future life. Mussolini as a young boy had a rebellious behaviour and was expelled from school. He continued his study in the other school and finished it. One of his favorite philosopher was the German philosopher Nietzsche. Mussolini used to say that Nietzsche's ideas are "spiritual eroticism". He was an intelligent person although there are a lot of legends about Mussolini's life. It is said that he was very diligent, worked from 18 to 20 hours per day and always remembered about all meetings and Italy's problems. It wasn't really true and he urged the journalists to write about his diligence. In reality he was a sleepy person and slept 10 hours per day. There was an official statement that he took holidays only one day during the year or never. He convinced people that he had nearly 525 meetings during a year and during 7 years he took care of 1887112 matters. When he wished, he was very nice to the people.
In 1900 Mussolini decided to become a member of the Socialist Party. Then he started to be the editor of Avanti newspaper. It was a newspaper of the Socialist Party. He was expelled from it because of his promotion of participation of Italy in the First World War. Mussolini founded his own newspaper called Popolo d'Italia.
He was also called to the Army and after getting injured he rest at home.
After the First World War the Italian government had not only territorial dissatisfaction, but also a lot of economic problems. It gave Mussolini the chance to introduce his ideas of the radical changes in Italy.
In 1919 Mussolini adopted a new policy. He left socialist thoughts and started to spread new Fascism ideology. Among his comrades were war combatants, former socialists and other people unsatisfied with Italy's bad situation. Mussolini always maintained that fascism was republican in tendency. They used so called fascio to spear their ideology between the peasants and workers.
However during 1919's elections for the Chambers of Deputies he failed. In spite of it in 1921 he decided to form the National Fascist Party. In the next May elections he won already 35 seats from 355.
To attract attention of Italian people to his policy Mussolini needed something effective: In 1922 he organized the so called "March on Rome" or "March of black skirts" on the streets of Italian capital. During the march the fascist assaults those wearing black skirts were carry out by 'action squads'. In this squads were war veterans, students and especially extreme young fascists. When Mussolini came to power the fascist stood the violence and used it to blackmail the government. This violence was far more than just a tool of war. The Italian politicians felt under threat and the Italian king Emanuel III was the one who avoided the civil war. He didn't use an army for stopping the demonstration. "March on Rome" gave the fascists chance to take over the power in Italy. It was rather political blackmail than a serious revolutionary or military operation. The Italian king gave his permission and assigned Mussolini as Prime Minister in the new government which contains only few fascist.
However in the short time Mussolini became very popular because of his popular internal policy. He promised the poor classes of society improvement of their situation and from other side the upper classes finishing strikes and some worker's privileges. He started to develop Italian army, fight against mafia delinquency and preached returning of Rome Empire. He was convinced that the role of Fascism in 20s had to be an "absolute and regional". He had a style and when he spoke it had a "viva voce" on the audience.
The Fascist improvement launched a passionate appeal for a "Fascio of National Education' of schools and teachers. It was also an instrument of propaganda. Mussolini used to say that fascism needs to be treating as a private work. He also said that manage the Italians is not so hard but it is just needless. Although the Italian government used police and gangs for it. In spite of it, the Italian philosopher Benedetti Croce believed that Fascism brought people a lot of happiness than it would bring the socialist. Fascism has to stay of head still when the people haven't been under socialist threat.
After came to power Mussolini started to change economic system using fascist ideology. He thought that Fascist ideology is better than socialist for reforms. At that times Italy was a weak country with a lot of economical problems. Mussolini tried to lower unemployment in Italy. He started changing tax system and cooperates with workers. For a long term Mussolini was a prime minister but King Viktor Emanuel III was not all the time content with his work. Especially because during 1925-1926's Mussolini kept country under threat and ruled it how he wanted. Until 1925 after one of socialist leaders – Matteotii was murdered, all oppositional parties were forbidden. Mussolini became a dictator and continued to develop his second Rome Empire. Like Hitler he was called Commander -Duce and was surrounded with bombastic gestures. He started also aggressive foreign policy and continued it with invasion on Abyssinia in 1935.
During 1921-1922 Mussolini started to change his treatment to the Catholics. Mussolini didn't have any predilection to the church but he showed his respect. ............
