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Economic Interest
Mussolini became ambitious and attracted to the idea of an economic transformation of Italy-1920's -
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Mussolini and his social aims
Secure his position of all-powerful Duce of Italy.
'Bourgeois mentality'- mentality that stresses the importance of families, religion, local laylties and comfortable standard of living. -
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Mussolinoi made the Trains Run on Time
This phrase was coined by foreign journalists to suggest that the fascism regime had somehow improved the efficiency of Italian industries.
Policies stimulated some modern industries such as electricity, steel, engineering, chemical, shipbuilding, but export industries and agriculture were neglected and stagnated. -
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Aims of Autarky
Economic self-sufficiency allowing country to operate without importing food or other key materials from other counties.
Limits: Italy was unable to match the enemies' lively of production as it didn't imports some natural resources, vital for production.
By 1930's, the government's expenditure was far greater than revenue. -
Pope withdrew support for Catholic Popolari party
This neutralised church as a potential source of the opposition. -
Fascist Leisure Organisation, DOVOLAVORO
organisation providing leisure activities and would influence workers towards a Fascist views of life and compensate for defunct trade union-sponsored clubs.
By 1930, it controlled: soccer clubs, 1350 theatres, 2000 drama societies, 3000 brass bands, 8000 libraries
1926: 300,000members-> 4mil in 1939
Not much propaganda of fascism, emphasis on having a good time -
Battle for Grain
-> Fascism attempt to make Italy self-sufficient in the production of grain, and thus brain.
It was a campaign for grain production, which represented Italy as a very dynamic state. Farmers were guaranteed high prices for the grain.
Results: increase in grain production, decrease in imports of grain, huge costs to pay, decrease in traditional exports
Duce was presented as a powerful leader who cares about people in the media, he seemed to help people in agriculture -
Vidoni Palace Pact
Banned independent trade unions. -
Abolition of right to strike
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Corporate State
-> Every industry would be a part of a Fascist-led corporation that sort out disputes between workers and management, and help to organise production, pay and conditions.
Link text There was no radical change in the ownership industry. -
Fascist Youth Movement, the ONB
To organise youth movements.
Compulsory membership from 8 years old.
By 1937: 7 mil had joined
Activities focused largely on military trainings, sport; parades and summer camps -
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Fascism and Women: Battle For Births
Fascism was against contraception and encouraged them to have children-> soldiers for his armies and colonists.
This battle was designed to increase the Italian population from 40->60 million.
Aim of 12 children per family.
Loans were offered, if the family had more than 6 children-> excluded from taxation.
Penalties for those, who didn't want children.
1933: quota:10% of women in workforce
But: the rate of marriage didn't change
1936: 102 births per 1000
increase in population by 47.5 mil -
Battle for the lira
Revaluation- the fascist government tried to increase the value of the lira against other countries' currencies.
Dec. 1927: Low exchange rates led to a new rate of lira of 90/ pound which damaged the Italian economy-> Depression.
There were high rates of unemployment, high foreign tariffs on imports.
The only ones who benefited were only industries such as steel, armaments and shipbuilding -
Depression
-> A period of economic stagnation that began in the USA and affected all European industrialized countries for most of the 1930's.
-Many large companies collapsed eg car production fell by 50%
-Intro of public work schemes-> jobs
-Banks couldn't pay to investors-> govt bailed out the banks -
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Fascism and Youth: Fascist teacher association in 1931
Aim: educated, trained, aggressive fascists
1929: Teachers' oath of loyalty: in order to encourage fascism
1931: Fascist Teacher Association
Teachers had to teach people that Mussolini was a genius, so from early age he will get support of kids+ pride for Italian Nation
He banned unpatriotic books, which made Italians that they were always forefront
->Young people had to work together to build a new Italy -
Lateran Agreements
These comprised a treaty and a deal, known as concordat, which officially ended the dispute about the role and status of the Catholic Church in the Italian state. Pope agreed to recognize Italian state and its possession of Rome and the old Papal States. In return, state recognized Pope's control over the Vatican City (the area of Rome compromising St Peter's, the Papal appartements and the offices of the Papal bureaucracy, which was ruled by Pope and was independent from Italian State. -
Land Reclamation
Mussolii expanded drainage and irrigation schemes.
Small firms were set up, more jobs were provided.
->It was a success as it improved public health and provided many jobs, however the amount of land reclaimed was very limited.
->200000 Italians emigrated to USA each year.
-> There was a gap between industrializing north and rural south: failure. -
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Preparing for War
Mussolini's belief that war was inevitable has increased drive for economic autarky in 1936. There were also sanctions imposed by the LON on Italy after the invasion of Ethiopia in 1935. Industries which relied on imports have suffered, therefore Mussolini encouraged the production of steel, chemicals and shipbuilding. -
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Lateran Agreements + Tensions between Church and Fascism
These agreements signaled that Mussolini the Mussolini had given any hope of removing the influence of Catholism from Italian society.
Mussolini tried to shape society into a more fascist mood.
1931: first open dispute between Church and the State, where the church made it clear that Fascist must not attempt to suppress Catholic schools.
Issue of Anti- Semitism
1939: the alliance between church and state was over, and the Pope regrette the Church's earlier eagerness to embrace the Duce. -
Institute For Inductrial Reconstruction
When the banks 'bailed out', IRI took control of their shares. Italian state became a major shareholder and effective owner of many top Italian companies. There were also some attempts of promoting technologies.
Took control over many industries during the 1930's, such as Cofindustria. -
Anti-Jewish racial law
Jews became banned form schools,excluded from membership in National Fascist Party and weren't allowed to own large companies. -
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Anti-Semitic laws
Even though at the beginning of 1930's, Mussolini wasn't against the Jews. However, as he became closer to Nazi regime, he became persuaded that there is a Jewish influence behind resistance to fascism. i.e. opposition in Italian involvement in Spanish Civil war due to Jewish Prime Minister.
Italy's anti-Jewish laws was inconsistent. Fascist officials made a very little effort to enforce these laws. -
Parliament is replaced by Chaber of Fasces and Corpoations
Parliament had long lost any power and the new Chamber was equally impotent. -
Conclusion of eco policies
Mussolini had never really been committed to raising the standard of living of ordinary Italians and view êd economic hardship as by no means a bad thing for people. -
Collapse of Fascism regime
It was replaced by Italian Social Republic.
November 1943: confiscation of Jewish property and the round up of all the Jews.
7500 Italian Jews were sent to Nazi Death camps