Why were the Fascists able to come to power in 1922
Heinemann Notes
Benito Mussolini sifted through various careers in the years before World War One. He became a teacher for a while, skipping from one teaching job to the next but had always been a skilled journalist and founded his own paper Popolo D’Italia.
In 1919 he held at meeting in Milan which was attended by 200 people-mostly ex-servicemen and left-wing revolutionaries. These people later became known as ‘the Fascists of the first hour’.
The Italian government, in the long term, was not a very strong government. The Liberals had ruled before the war and, because of a division over war intervention, after the war the party was no longer so united. This allowed their opponents to gain greater support from the people, such as the Socialists and the Fascists.
In 1919 and 1920 a series of strikes was provoked by the Socialist groups and trade unions which led to disruption in the business community and fears for the economy. The left wing groups forced their demands on landlords and in some areas were able to control the supply of labour. Mussolini saw this as an opportunity to exploit the fear of the middle class and the Fascists took advantage of the situation, violently breaking strikes and attacking trade union leaders. They were so affective against Socialist threat that by late 1920 they were gaining support, not only morally but also financially, from the middle classes and industrialists. Many liberals applauded the actions of the Fascists, viewing their violence not as a threat to them, but as a defence against the threat of a left wing takeover.
They were further influenced by strong anti-Communist feeling being generated by the Catholic Church. In February 1921 a new pope Pius XI was elected. He did little to support an anti-fascist general strike and may have viewed the growth of Fascism as a means to enhance the status of the Catholic Church.
There were several militant factions that were seeking government downfall. Mussolini initially
Benito Mussolini sifted through various careers in the years before World War One. He became a teacher for a while, skipping from one teaching job to the next but had always been a skilled journalist and founded his own paper Popolo D’Italia.
In 1919 he held at meeting in Milan which was attended by 200 people-mostly ex-servicemen and left-wing revolutionaries. These people later became known as ‘the Fascists of the first hour’.
The Italian government, in the long term, was not a very strong government. The Liberals had ruled before the war and, because of a division over war intervention, after the war the party was no longer so united. This allowed their opponents to gain greater support from the people, such as the Socialists and the Fascists.
In 1919 and 1920 a series of strikes was provoked by the Socialist groups and trade unions which led to disruption in the business community and fears for the economy. The left wing groups forced their demands on landlords and in some areas were able to control the supply of labour. Mussolini saw this as an opportunity to exploit the fear of the middle class and the Fascists took advantage of the situation, violently breaking strikes and attacking trade union leaders. They were so affective against Socialist threat that by late 1920 they were gaining support, not only morally but also financially, from the middle classes and industrialists. Many liberals applauded the actions of the Fascists, viewing their violence not as a threat to them, but as a defence against the threat of a left wing takeover.
They were further influenced by strong anti-Communist feeling being generated by the Catholic Church. In February 1921 a new pope Pius XI was elected. He did little to support an anti-fascist general strike and may have viewed the growth of Fascism as a means to enhance the status of the Catholic Church.
There were several militant factions that were seeking government downfall. Mussolini initially