Mussolini’s Rise to Power: Understanding Italian Fascism
The Rise of Fascism in Italy
The March to Power of Fascism
The founder of fascism was Benito Mussolini. In 1919, Mussolini founded the Fascist Italian Milan Combat, an ultra-nationalist paramilitary group whose members were identified by the black shirt and a military cap. Its core was composed of very diverse people. The fascists positioned themselves as defenders of nationalist claims. One of their first violent actions was the destruction of the offices of the Socialist newspaper Avanti in 1919.
With the growing mistrust of Italians towards the parliamentary regime, the fascists managed to increase their social support among entrepreneurs of Italian big business, landowners, and peasant proprietors. All of them saw in the fascist movement a tool for order, promising to end social conflict and revolutionary socialism. Mussolini, aware of the need to consolidate this support, abandoned his revolutionary trend and prepared fascism for the parliamentary struggle. In 1921, the Fascists became the National Fascist Party.
Fascism became a crackdown on the labor movement and peasant organizations. Organized combat squadrons attacked the headquarters of leftist parties, unions, and cooperatives. In 1922, the socialists promoted a general strike against fascist violence. They also decided on the “March on Rome” to demand a government with a minimum of six fascist ministers. The fascists could not have achieved power without the collusion of state forces. But the direct responsibility is due to Victor Emmanuel III. The king sent a telegram asking Mussolini to form a government.
The Parliamentary Stage (1922-1925)
At first, Mussolini, as prime minister, appeared to show some respect for the liberal regime. He organized a coalition government. Following the adoption of a new electoral law, the Fascists and the parties supporting the government won 64% of the vote in the election of 1924. In 1924, the most serious crisis of fascism came in the wake of the assassination of socialist leader and deputy Matteotti by fascist gangs. This deputy had demanded the annulment of the election. Mussolini responded by accelerating the establishment of the dictatorship.
The Fascist Dictatorship
Mussolini developed fascistissime laws, including measures such as: the creation of a tribunal for political crimes and OVRA (Organization of Vigilance and Repression of Anti-Fascism), the elimination of other political parties and labor unions, and the introduction of press censorship. Mussolini’s unlimited powers meant he was only responsible to the king. The fascism of the state led to a one-party totalitarian regime. The real power lay in Mussolini, attended by the Fascist Grand Council.
An event that cemented the regime was the signing of the Lateran Pacts with the Catholic Church (1929), which ended the dispute between the Italian State and the Church that had existed since unification (1870). Officially, the Vatican State was born. Church marriage was recognized, and Catholicism was recognized as the only state religion, with religion returning to compulsory education in schools. In return, the Holy See recognized the fascist state and Rome as its capital.