A collection of four A* standard essays for Cambridge A-Level History (9489) Paper 4: Mussolini's Italy. I achieved an A* for History in the Cambridge A-Level October/November 2022 Examinations and was awarded the Outstanding Cambridge Learners High Achievement Award for History.
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‘the appeal of fascism was the main reason for mussolini becoming prime minister in 1922’ how far do you agree
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By Sonia A. Sanjay (printsbysonia)
‘The appeal of fascism was the main reason for Mussolini becoming Prime
Minister in 1922.’ How far do you agree?
In October 1922, King Victor Emmanuel III, backed by what was left of the Liberal
government, invited Mussolini to become Italy’s Prime Minister. The support of the
Liberal government in this decision highlights their acknowledgement that their
government was incapable of providing Italy with effective leadership, thereby
making it the most significant factor in why Mussolini became Prime Minister in
1922. The strong appeal of Mussolini's fascist ideas, the role of the King, and the
fear of socialism were all supporting factors in Mussolini’s rise to power.
Firstly, Mussolini’s rise to power in 1922 can be accredited to how he made fascism
appealing to the Italian public. One way he did so was by advocating for the fascist’s
aims for expansionism. The Italians felt left out of the pre-war race for colonies and
faced humiliating defeats in East Africa. Moreover, a main reason for Italy joining
WW1 was to gain territories abroad. Once again, they failed to do so because they
didn’t receive the ‘hoped-for’ territories that they believed were promised to them in
the Treaty of London (1915), instead achieving a ‘mutilated victory’. Thus, any party
that advocated for successful expansionism and a return to the glory days of the
Roman Empire was popular. This was previously demonstrated by D’Annunzio’s
popularity with his adventure in Trieste. Hence, by making fascism more appealing,
Mussolini was able to gain support from the Italian public and prove that Italy under
him would be successful in its expansionist endeavours.
Fascism was also appealing to the Italians as it was staunchly anti-communist. This
was popular with the Roman Catholic Church, the Southern aristocracy, landowners,
northern manufacturers, and the middle class; all of which feared the strength of
trade unionism, communism & a socialist takeover. The 1920 climax of ‘Biennio
Rosso’ and increasing left-wing action made such a takeover a real possibility. The
impact of a communist revolution could be seen in Russia whose revolution was in
1917. Their anti-religion policies made the Church in particular fear that a similar fate
could take place in Italy. This would restrict (and possibly eliminate) the Church’s
role in society in both a civil and political capacity. Hence, Mussolini's declaration
that "Fascism neither practises nor preaches anti-clericalism" and was willing to
accept that the Catholic Church would play a significant role in society provided
great comfort to the Church and Italian conservatives. As a result, fascism gained
supporters in the Catholic Church and the middle class, allowing for this support to
be given to Mussolini.
Although fascism was very popular, it only achieved 7% of the seats in the Chamber
of Deputies meaning that it did not have enough seats in parliament to gain power.
Yet, Mussolini became the Prime Minister at the insistence of the King. King Victor
Emmanuel III feared a challenge to his power from Fascist sympathisers such as his
cousin, the Duke of Aosta. The monarch not only feared a potential civil war that
By Sonia A. Sanjay (printsbysonia)
, By Sonia A. Sanjay (printsbysonia)
could lead to his abdication but also feared that a socialist takeover would threaten
his power. King Victor saw Mussolini and fascism as a way of combating the rise of
socialism & consolidating his own rule in Italy. This was largely due to the fact that
the King had little confidence in the Liberal government and the army. This was
demonstrated when Facta, the Prime Minister at the time, asked the King to invoke
martial law & use the army to restrain the Fascists during their March on Rome (Oct
1922). The King doubted that his army could defy the fascists and instead asked
Mussolini to form a government and assume the role of Prime Minister. Because of
this, the King’s attitude proved to be an influential factor in Mussolini becoming
Prime Minister in 1922.
The rise (and fear) of socialism is another factor for Mussolini’s appointment as
Prime Minister. The post-WW1 rise in support for the socialists made many Italians
wary. This was demonstrated in the November 1919 elections where the Socialists
secured 32.4% of the national votes & won 156 seats in the Chamber of Deputies.
Many Italians (mainly those from the elite & the upper middle classes) feared a
socialist revolution as they knew what was happening in Russia and were worried
about the possible consequences of such a takeover in Italy, namely the loss of land
and wealth. The Biennio Rosso made it clear that with the socialist’s success, a
revolution was on the horizon. Between the crumbling Liberal government and a
potential socialist takeover, the fascists and Mussolini seemed like the only
alternative. Mussolini emphasised the fear that already existed; portraying only
fascism, not the Liberal government, as the only ones that could stop socialism.
Thus, by portraying the fascists as Italy’s only chance to prevent socialism & provide
a stable government, Mussolini was able to become Prime Minister.
Another factor is the incompetence of Liberal government in providing effective
leadership to Italy. This is because the political & economic failure of the liberal state
caused the crisis that Mussolini exploited in 1922. Since 1917, Italy had 5 different
Prime Ministers who amassed a post-war debt of 85 million lira, and achieved a
‘mutilated victory’ at the Paris Peace Settlement. These governments also failed to
tackle the social and economic issues plaguing Italy at the time such as the
increasing north/south divide, falling real wages (factory worker’s purchasing power
falling by 25% during 1915-18), high unemployment and high inflation. Moreover, the
Liberal government tolerated the alarming fascist violence and even invited the
fascists to form a coalition government which convinced Mussolini that violence and
intimidation would work. The Liberal government's failure to stop the Socialist
General Strike (July 1922) further emphasised their weakness. Mussolini used this
opportunity to stop the strike and present the Fascists as sole defenders of law &
order, proving to Italians that Fascists could be trusted. Thus, the weakness of the
Liberal government is an underlying cause in Mussolini becoming Prime Minister as
the ineffective government allowed Mussolini to capitalise on their weakness and
make it seem that the Liberals had failed and only he, Mussolini, could rescue him.
By Sonia A. Sanjay (printsbysonia)
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