Benito Mussolini Fascism Research Paper

Hitler and Mussolini looked upon the new form of government, which was Totalitarianism. This form of government means there is only one leader to make decisions and thus they killed or jailed all opponents. Mussolini and Hitler used this form of government after World

During the Second World War, Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was the leader of the Italian Nationalist Fascist government. He was head of the Italian government from 1922 till 1943. The significance of Mussolini is that he played a key role acting as the Italian Prime Minister and established a totalitarian regime, during this time, as the unchallenged supreme leader, known as ‘Il Duce’. Fascism consisted of many contributors of which Mussolini with all his quirks was the key to most of its failures and successes, making him the most significant player that is worthy of being investigated. This topic is worthy of being investigated as Mussolini made a lot of decisions that lead to the death of many, but the question as to

Benito Mussolini and his creation of Fascism was the glue that held Italy together. Fascism promised national unity and condemned the Socialist party. To understand how Fascism became powerful within Italy, it is imperative to acknowledge the driving force behind this regime. To put it bluntly, violence played an essential role in the development of the Fascist party. Mussolini’s practice of fierceness was able to create a formidable system of government that did not tolerate weakness. In 1919, Benito Mussolini give an Afternoon speech, where he stressed the difference between Socialism and Fascism. Here, he states, “We declare war, against socialism, not because it is socialism, but because it opposes nationalism” (Stone 2013, 38).

Benito Mussolini took control of the Italian government in 1922, and ruled until 1943. Under Mussolini’s rule, democratic institutions were shut down. The shutdown of democratic institutions resulted in a Fascist dictatorship. One of Mussolini’s main goals for Italy was to build a

Benito Mussolini outlines several essential characteristics of his preferred political ideology, Fascism, in what has become known as the Doctrine of Fascism. In this paper, Mussolini outlines his vision of the ideology, and explains the major issues that Fascism will address once it becomes the leading political system in Italy. Mussolini’s major points as outlined in the Doctrine included an extreme emphasis on nationalism, organization and modernization of the state, persistent focus on religion, life as a struggle, and the notion that individuals exist only for the improvement of society as a whole. Wolfgang Schieder, after reviewing the Doctrine of Fascism, explains Mussolini’s success based on it and

The primary ideology of fascism, founded by Benito Mussolini, is nationalism: They believe that their nation (of which fascism is incorporated) is above all, and is the most worthy thing one could fight for. In terms of foreign affairs, the fascist nation should always be put first. Within a fascist country, the people are obligated to be obedient to the state and that the state should have complete power, as the good of the nation is held above the good of individuals. Militarism is also valued by the fascist ideology as a strong military represents strength within rule and enforcement. Furthermore, fascism is openly anti-democratic as it equates a nation to the majority, thus lowering totalitarian control and power. In addition, fascism believes all classes within a country should collaborate for the good of the nation, therefore opposing the ideology of communism. However, as fascism was enforced by both Italian and German governments, the differences between the two remain existent. As Italian fascism deems true to traditional values of nationalism (in terms of acquiring Rome), it is not valued as radical if compared to Nationalism Socialism (Nazism), a profound form of fascism. Unlike Italian fascism and emphasis on the nation, Nazism comprehends the nation and race as inseparable, stressing white supremacy and the philosophy of the Aryan Race. The rejection of the concept of race is what primarily differentiated Italian Fascism and Nazism, as Mussolini never fully

However, there are also many respects in which Mussolini did not create a totalitarian state. The fact that Mussolini had to make deals such as the Lateran Pacts in 1929 to accommodate the Church shows that he did not have total control over Italy. Fascism was a secondary belief to the majority of Italy who still fully believed and had faith in Catholicism. The Lateran Pacts specifically accepted the dominant position of the Church in Italian society, meaning that Mussolini knew that the Church were too big an organisation to fight against, so he had to rule alongside them. The regime was not totalitarian as the Lateran Pacts also gave the Church control over education as teachers and textbooks had to be approved by the Church, meaning that the facistisation of Education was limited for Mussolini. It is true that with the approval of the Church, Mussolini gained far greater support, however it meant that his popular support was based on the word and approval of the Church, and his position could become untenable if the Church started to disapprove of him.

Fascism such as that displayed in post-World War 1 Italy was in many ways a contradictory ideology; anti-modernism contrasted with technological obsession and anti-democratic views paired with capitalism. Despite this ambiguity of the fascist ideology, one clear characteristic among almost all fascists throughout history has been a heavy focus on militarism – an aspect of Mussolini’s Italy which was intrinsically tied to his use of terror and force to achieve fascist political agendas.

With power comes great responsibility. Throughout history many of the great leaders of this world have abused this power. Some of these leaders are considered dictators. But what is a dictator? A dictator is a ruler with total power over a country typically one you have obtained power by force. They are also referred to as autocrats, absolute rulers, tyrants, or oppressors. An excellent example of a dictator is Benito Mussolini. The fascist Italian leader started off with strong ideals and goals to re-create the Roman Empire however as his rule continued his common sense was gradually overwhelmed. (history.com staff) But to understand his decline, first three questions must be answered. How did Mussolini come to power? How did Mussolini held

Released in 1932, Benito Mussolini’s The Doctrine of Fascism offered fascist adherents a better understanding of its basis. Fascism hinged on his concept of the role of an individual, which was only relevant as long as it was viewed in relation to the state: “as it should be, qualitatively and not quantitatively, as the most powerful idea . . . which acts within the nation as the conscience and the will of a few, even of One, which ideal tends to become active within the conscience and the will

The economic instability of Europe developed totalitarian goverments that began rising during the depression in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s. Germany, Italy, and Japan all became countries subjected to the rule of dictated military rule leaving no room for opposition. Benito Mussolini came to power in Italy in 1922 (Calvocoressi, Wint, p 777, 1999). Mussolini had his own philosophy that his destiny was to rule over Italy as Caesar in a more modern version while re-creating the Roman Empire. In his attempts in

Fascist ideology was defeated after World War II. Denazification showed Germans, fascism, and racial superiority could not take on the democratic ideology. In the case of Italy, it lost before the war was finished since most of the fascist Italians turned on the government and joined the invading U.S. forces and others. The ideology of Fascism believed in a nation of superiority. In terms, the nation is referred by a group of people who are put together by race, ethnicity, or culture. Mussolini (1932) rejected anyone who was outside of the state. During the Depression, Fascism brought a sound economy to Italy, but in return lose some freedoms. The Fascist party lost popularity when they took sides with the Germans. The Germans slowly started

The Fascists’ social and economic policies up to 1939 significantly aided their control over Italy yet may not be cited as the sole cause. The Fascist party’s social and economic policies along with other factors attributed to the overall control of Italy. Through such policies it was a certainty that the Fascist party would hold complete power over the population of Italy in each aspect of an individual’s life whether it was their leisure time through the Dopolavoro or at work under the corporate state system which was formally introduced in 1934. This complete domination of the Italian peoples’ lives could be argued to have been the instrumental factor behind the Fascists’ control over Italy up to 1939. Other factors which assisted the

After being appointed as Prime Minister by the King in 1922, Mussolini needed to establish himself as a leader and continuously fought to assert his power. Specifically, this was achieved through coercion and intimidation, utilisation of mass media and popular support. Mussolini’s dictatorship was based around the principles of Fascism, a political philosophy and system of government which strongly relies on nationalistic policies. Fascism was a concept developed by Mussolini as a radical third way between communism and democracy. Mussolini’s consolidation and maintenance of power was needed due to the spread of terror, monopolisation of media through the use of increased propaganda and his charisma.

As a result of how Italy was created but not fully unified, the new Italian state suffered from a variety of weaknesses which the new liberal state was unable to tackle these. This made Italy susceptible to the appeal of fascism, and therefore aided Mussolini’s rise to power.