An A-Level standard essay arguing in partial agreement with the statement ‘Mussolini was successful in creating a totalitarian state in Italy in the period of ’.
A totalitarian state can be defined as a state in which the government exercises
complete control over all aspects of society including culture, politics and the
economy typically through the use of authoritarian measures such as propaganda,
censorship and surveillance. It seems that, although Mussolini did create a state in
which his government exercised a high degree of control over the Italian population
using the aforementioned measures, it would not be correct to say that he was
entirely successful in creating a totalitarian state in the period of 1922-1943 as there
were certain limits to his states’ control over Italian society.
The first aspect of society which Mussolini succeeded in exercising control over was
politics. Mussolini firstly achieved this by assuming dictatorial powers as early on in
his time in power as 1925, implementing a series of laws named the ‘Leggi
Fascistissime’ which essentially established a one party state in which the
expression of oppositional attitudes was forbidden. In order to consolidate this
power, the death penalty was reinstated and the ‘Special Tribunal for the Defense of
the State’ was established which tried individuals accused of political crimes such as
oppositional activity. The special tribunal was renowned for its operation outside of
the legal system, with reliance on confessions obtained through coercion and torture
and operations staffed by judges and prosecutors loyal to the Fascist regime who
would consequently not make act independently or impartially. This naturally
contributed to the totalitarian nature of the fascist state as, by harshly suppressing
political opposition in ways which bypassed the legal system, a political climate of
fear and intimidation was created in Italy which certainly prevented many from
speaking out against the regime and therefore intensified the state’s control over the
population. Mussolini further intensified state control over the political situation in
Italy by centralising political power and assuming the power to rule by decree in the
1928 Law on the Reorganisation of the Council of Ministers and the Fascist Grand
Council. With the Fascist Grand Council now formalised as the most powerful and
important legal body, the 400 deputies in the Chamber of Deputies were to be
chosen by the Grand Council which amplified the totalitarian nature of the state as
with power concentrated in the hands of Mussolini and his inner circle there was truly
no element of political freedom in Italy.
The second aspect of society which Mussolini exercised control over in the period of
1922-1943 was the economy. Mussolini did this through the implementation of
interventionist economic policies and commitment to central planning. Although in
the early years of the regime the Italian economy was not yet characterised by
intense state control, with various interest groups organised into ‘corporations’
designed to collaborate with the state instead of being controlled by it,
the regime did begin to nationalise key industries in the 1920s, with the
establishment of the State Telephone Company in 1925 and State Electricity Board
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