Fascism in Italy

By Rebecca Silverstein
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    World War 1

  • Treaty of Versailles

    Through the Treaty of Versailles and other peace treaties, Italy gained Trentino, South Tyrol, and Trieste. Unfortunately, this territorial gain was only a small compensation for the 600,000 troops they lost. After World War I ended, Italy's population fell into a state of frustration and depression. They has enormous amounts of debt due to the war, and Italy's economy suffered greatly. The government was weak and unable to control riots. The Italian population wanted someone to take action.

  • Founding of the National Fascist Party

    Founded by Benito Mussolini, the new political party would rule Italy from 1922 to 1943. Also known as the PNF (Partito Nazionale Fascista), the party was instrumental in directing and creating support for Mussolini's ideology. The party declared itself to be a revolutionary militia placed at the service of the nation and vowed to follow a policy based on three principles: order, discipline, and hierarchy.

  • March on Rome

    Benito Mussolini and the National Fascist Party (PNF) came to power in Italy, marching with 30,000 men to Rome. To avoid a civil war, King Victor Emmanuel III handed power to the now 27th Prime Minister of Italy, Benito Mussolini, on 29 October, 1922. Mussolini would then aspire to being the dictator of a totalitarian nation, using the title Il Duce ("the Duke/Leader")and gaining joint supreme control with the king over Italy's military.

  • Lateran Treaty

    The Lateran Treaty of 1929 created the Vatican City, a walled enclave within the city of Rome, to be ruled by the Bishop of Rome, or the Pope. The treaty also established an agreement regulating relations between the Catholic church and the Italian state. The Lateran Treaty was seen as the deciding answer to the Roman Question, which was the political battle between the Papacy and the Italian government.
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    World War II

  • Italy declares war on Britain and France

    As Mussolini was convinced that Italy needed to expand, he decided an alliance with powerful Germany would be beneficial. As to the former alliance with Britain and France, he was convinced that they were becoming weaker. As World War II began, Mussolini refused to discuss anything with France and Britain. Mussolini firmly believed that the war would soon be over, joining the war on the Axis side and declaring war on France and Britain.

  • Mussolini Deposed

    Benito Mussolini held a meeting with the the Grand Council of Fascism for the first time since the war had begun. Most of his followers had turned against him, so the Council later asked the king to remove Mussolini from his position as Prime Minister. The day following, Mussolini was summoned to meet with King Victor Emmanuel, was told he was removed from office, and was immediately imprisoned. (Afterwards, on September 8, the new government surrendered unconditionally to the Allies.)

  • Fascist Party Officially Banned

    The Fascist Party was officially banned by the new Italian government.

  • Mussolini's Rescue from Imprisonment

    After Mussolini's imprisonment, he was hidden and isolated. But two months after he was deposed, he was rescued in a raid engineered by Nazis. The raid saved him from being turned over to the Allies, as was planned.

  • Revival of the Fascist Party

    The Fascist party had previously been banned, but upon Benito Mussolini's rescue from imprisonment, the political party reunited under a new title - the Republican Fascist Party (P.F.R. - Partito Fascista Repubblicano). This "new" political party didn't last even six months, and didn't outlast Mussolini's execution. The picture shown at left is what the new political party's flag.

  • Mussolini's Death

    Benito Mussolini and his mistress were executed by Italian anti-fascist partisans on 28 April 1945. The day beforehand, Mussolini was captured as he was attempting to escape to Spain. The shootings took place in a small village outside Mezzegra, and the location is memorialized by the cross at left. On the 29th, Mussolini's body was sent to Milan and hung upside down in public along with other Fascist corpses to both be an act of revenge and to discourage other Fascists from continuing to fight.