Benito Mussolini's Rise to Power

October 30th, 1922,

- Black Shirts, violent revolutionaries who reject democracy, march on Rome and put Benito Mussolini into power as Prime Minister.- By 1925 Mussolini became a strict dictator who called himself "Il Duce" (El Doo-chay) which means "The Leader" in Italian.

- In 1929 Mussolini pronounced Vatican city an individual Italian state which gained him the Pope's approval.

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State Controlled Economy

- The economy was controlled by the government but the ideology of capitalism was preserved.- But Mussolini's system still favored the Upper Class like most governments.

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Fascism in Italy

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- Mussolini really pushed loyalty and nationalism.- Loyalty was important because it is a key ingredient in a Fascist society.- Nationalism also held the people together, and prevented revolts.

Fascism is a type of society that glorifies the state and the leader over the individual.

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Hitler used a few of Mussolini's ideas, including totalitarianism, and just like Mussolini, Hitler ran a fascist country.

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Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler

- Fascism promised a strong stable government, and an end to political feuding.- Fascism was the exact opposite of Communism and Socialism, Fascism glorified the state, but Communism was supposed to glorify the people.- Fascism found allies with the upper classes, while Communism was appealing to the working class.- Mussolini projected power and confidence as a leader, and Italy became much stronger for a period of time.

Fascism's Appeal - Fascism vs. Communism

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Totalitarianism- A Totalitarian State is a government in which Mussolini attempted to control every aspect of the lives of the citizens.- Loudspeakers placed around cities would urge citizens to "Believe! Obey! Fight!"

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The Individual and the State

- One of Mussolini's major goals was to strengthen Italy in every aspect.- To do so, men were urged to be ruthless warriors of Italy- Women were pushed out of paying jobs, and instead were given the job of makin’ babies, Mussolini gave awards to mothers with 14 or more children.- Children joined Fascist youth groups and were taught military discipline and absolute loyalty to Mussolini and Italy.

To the all-important state, an individual was useless unless they

could aid Italy and Il Duce.

Benito Mussolini was executed on April 25th, 1945