Fascism is an ideology of the extreme right wing It is a radically nationalist and militarist ideology

that opposes communism, liberalism, democracy, individualism, capitalism and organized religion

Fascism demands the subordination of the individual to the collective interests of the nation, for national glory is the goal of fascism

It is an ideology centered around a totalitarian dictator: “the leader” – this man knows what is best for the country… › unlike communism, they admit outright to being

undemocratic and anti-liberal› It seeks to reestablish past glory

State censorship is normal, criticism of the state, the party or the leader is unacceptable and will result in severe punishment

Fascism seeks to strengthen the state through any means possible, especially through the use of military force

Violence is an acceptable means to an end The goal of fascism was class harmony,

rather than class struggle Fascism’s economic model is called

Corporatism – in this model, both the workers and the owners would manage the factories, make decisions and receive profits

Fascism originally did not support the interests of the rich landowners and factory owners

Fascism originally planned to nationalize property

This also includes a vast social system to redistribute some wealth to the masses and to provide them with work

The main example is Fascist Italy (1922-1943) Some other states are considered Fascist,

although each varied from the Italian fascism quite substantially› Nationalist Spain (1939-1975) is considered

fascist› Nazi Germany is considered fascist, although

there are some major differences between Nazism and Fascism because Fascism is not inherently racist

› Hungary from 1920-1945 is sometimes considered fascist

› Austria between WW1 and 1938 is often considered fascist

Like all other countries that participated in WW1, Italy was a mess when the war was finished› Italy had not been given

all the land Britain and France promised it when it entered the war in 1915

› There was social turmoil as socialists, communists and anarchists participated in massive strikes

› Peasants were revolting against their landlords

Mussolini was a former School Teacher and life-long socialist

He published the socialist paper Avanti

He left the Socialist party because they would not support Italy’s entry into WW1

He joined the army and sustained a shrapnel injury during the war

When he returned to civilian life after the war, he saw an opportunity for personal power in the instability

The democratically elected liberal government of Italy was too weak to control all of the social turmoil

Mussolini formed a militia called the “Blackshirts”› This militia served to break up strikes and beat up

communists› This made Mussolini popular with traditional

conservatives as well as his core group former socialists, war veterans and nationalists

Mussolini issued a Fascist Manifesto demanding minimum wage, 8 hour work days and voting rights for women

Mussolini claimed he would reestablish the Roman Empire

In 1921, Mussolini was elected to the Italian legislature - Fascism was now a legitimate political movement

The democratic Liberal government was very unstable and was considered weak by the fascists

In 1922, the Fascists organized a “March on Rome” to seize power. Instead, King Victor Emmanuelle III gave Mussolini the Prime Ministership, and the march turned into a parade

Mussolini made it clear he wanted to be a dictator› Parliament passed the Acerbo Laws in 1923 giving

whichever party had the most votes in the election a 2.3 majority

› The Fascists won The Socialists protested, but after their leader

Giacomo Mateotti was killed, they quit parliament, leaving the Fascists as the only party

Mussolini became “il duce”- the leader Once in power, the fascists did not

discriminate against people based on their race or religion as long as they were loyal to fascism and accepted the Italian culture

Mussolini had a cult of personality built around him

He created massive public works projects to employ the poor

The media was heavily controlled

In 1929, Mussolini signed the Lateran Pact with the Pope› This was seen as a huge

victory because the in exchange for giving the Pope the Vatican City, the Catholic Church recognized Italy

The Great Depression hurt Italy, although not as much as most other states, because Italy had less international trade due to their Autarky policy

To back up his constant militaristic rhetoric, Mussolini invaded Ethiopia, the last independent country in Africa in 1935