Fascist Italy

By Martha Brozyna

  • Benito Mussolini Founded the Fascist Party

    He had been a socialist earlier on, but he broke with the Socialist when he supported Italian entry into the war in 1914. Fascism attracted veterans hoping for a sense of renewal after the disappointment of the war. Factory owners, merchants and landowners were also attracted to fascism when Mussolini vowed to save Italy from Communism.

  • Benito Mussolini Marches on Rome

    The Fascists dressed in their characteristic black shirts, began a march on Rome vowing that "either we are allowed to govern or we will seize power. King Victor Emmanuel II didn’t stop the marchers.

  • The King Asked Mussolini to Be Prime Minister

    Technically, Mussolini had come into office by legal means. The monarch had the constitutional authority to appoint the prime minister. Mussolini, however, had no majority or even near majority in the Chamber of Deputies. In fact, Mussolini came into power through intimidation. The Fascists had been using various terrorist tactics like arson, beatings and even murder to intimidate officials

  • Prominent Politician is Murdered by the Fascists

    One outspoken critic of Fascist intimidation was the Socialist Giacomo Matteotti. Matteotti declared the recent election a fraud and asked for it to be declared null and void. Aware of his doom, Matteotti said to a colleague afterward, "Now you can prepare my funeral oration." Historians believe that Mussolini moved to silence Matteotti by having him stabbed to death

  • Fascist Party Makes Agreement with Industry

    Fascist party entered into an agreement with Italian industrialists that gave industry a position of privilege protected by the state in return for its support. Mussolini claimed that this partnership ended class conflict, but in fact it ensured the dominance of capital and the control of labor and professional groups.

  • Lateran Accord Signed

    Mussolini made on important decision by making peace with the Catholic Church. Ever since the Italian unification when the armies seized papal lands, the Church had been hostile to Italy. The Lateran Accord stated that the Italian government would pay an indemnity to the papacy for its territorial confiscation back in 1870. The state also recognized Catholicism as the religion of the nation, exempted Church property from taxes.

  • Italy Invaded Ethiopia

    Back in 1911, Italy had conquered Ottoman-controlled Libya. Now, Mussolini targeted Ethiopia. Using poisonous gas and aerial bombing, the Italians defeated the Ethiopians. Great Britain and France took no action other than express their disapproval of Italy’s conquest.

  • Rome-Berlin Axis

    In light of British and French disapproval of Italy conquest of Ethiopia, Mussolini turned to Germany. Italy aligned itself with Germany in a pledge of friendship.

  • Pact of Steel

    Germany and Italy agreed to offer support in any offensive or defensive war.