Booklet 4

• What problems did Mussolini have when he became PM in 1922?


  1) He only had 4 fascists in his cabinet.2) There was a deep north-south divide as well as a lack of unity, and economic problems.3) The church felt that power had been taken away from them.4) There were only 35 fascist deputies in parliament and the PSI still dominated with 123 seats.
• Mussolini appointed PPI member...

  Cavazzoni as his minister of work and welfare and subsequentely drew the party closer to the PNF. This encouraged the Catholic Church to also further suppor the PNF.
• What developments to Mussolini's power occured in 1922?

  1) Speech to Chamber of Deputies 1922.2) Fascist Grand Council 1922.
• What was the Speech to Chamber of Deputies 1922?

  1) M won a vote of 306 to 116 to grant him emergency powers for 1 year.2) This meant that the fascists had absolute power.3) Warned that an army of 300,000 young men were ready to take violent action against deputies who would not support him. 4) It meant M could not be removed by parliament and had full power to govern and raise taxes without seeking P approval for at least a year.
• What was the Fascist Grand Council 1922?


  1) The Fascist Grand Council was formed.2) It was made up of 22 fascists that met once a month and approved government policy.3) The 22 fascists were nominated by Mussolini.4) Elevated fascist leadership to the same position as the cabinet.
• Why was the Fascist Grand Council 1922 important?

  1) Helped M to overcome his weak position in the cabinet.2) Helped him to centralise his power over the party.
• What development to Mussolini's power occurred in 1923?


  1) Merging of squads and militia 2) Acerbo law 3) Merging of fascists and nationalists
• What was the creation of the MVSN in 1923

  1) Squadristi were absorbed and formalised their role as a party-based paramilitary force whose job was to support the army and police in defending the 'fascist revolution.'2) Its 300,000 members pledged allegiance to Italy and Mussolini and allowed M to strengthen his control over the blackshirts at the expense of the ras.
• What was the Acerbo Law 1923?


  1) The country was divided into 15 constituencies.2) Any party gaining more than 25% of the votes were granted 2/3s of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies.
• M claimed the Acerbo Law...

  Would bring stability to Italy by guraneeting a more coherent Parliament that could finally put in place the policies Italy needed. It was supported by the King, the Vatican and the liberal elites.
• What was the merger of fascist and nationalists in 1923?


  Fascists merged with nationalists to form a stronger coalition.
• What developments to Mussolini's power occurred in 1924?

  1) 1924 Elections.2) Matteotti Murder 1924.
• What happened during the 1924 Elections?


  1) There was an atmosphere of violence and intimidation. 2) 1 socialist candidate, Antonia Piccinini was killed.3) Evidence of vote rigging and militia staged at voting booths.
• In the 1924 elections the fascists won...


  66.3% of the vote (making the Acerbo law irrelevant), and had increased the number of their deputies from 35 to 275.
• In 1924 Matteotti delivered a...

  Speech denouncing the violence and corruption that had taken place during the electoral campaign.
• What happened during the Matteotti Murder 1924?

  1) In 1924, Matteotti (leader of the PCI) was bundled into a car and murdered.2) His body was discovered in August and it was said that the crime was carried out by a fascist gang nicknamed the Cheka.
• How did Mussolini respond to the Matteotti murder?

  1) Initially he was unsure what to do and became depressed.2) 100 opposition deputies walked out of Parliament in the Aventine Secession of 1925, meeting elsewhere and declaring themselves the real representatives.3) Mussolini then imposed tighter controls on the press and mobilised the militia, before integrating the militia into the armed forces in 1924.4) Chief of police is sacked. 5) In December the newspapers publish Rossi's testimony.6) The King did not read this or act.7) In 1925, Mussolini addressed the Chamber of Deputies and said he would establish a dictatorship within 48 hours. 8) Waves of arrests followed.
• On 12th of January 1925 M...


  Formed a new cabinet, this time without most of the liberals, where he took the role of PM and minister for foreign affairs, war, navy and aviation.
• In February M...

  Appointed Farinacci as the PNF secretary who had the task of purging those who did not support M's political direction. Firanacci also increased membership from 600,000 to 938,000, diluting the power of the squadritsi and increasing the numbers within the party who saw loyalty to M as a career advantage, rather than wanted a fascist revolution.
• In October the Fascist Grand Council...


  Approved a motion that forced all Ras to disband and any squads still in existence, to enlist in the militia.
• In 1925 Mussolini announced the creation of the...


  Palazzo Vidoni Pact - which established fascist trade unions as the only representative of Italy's workers, taking power from socialist and Catholic unions.
• Mussolini appointed...

  Badoglio as the Chief of General Staff, as opposed to a radical fascist.
• In 1925 further controls were passed as...

  - Press laws were implmenetd that meant all journalism had to be supervised and approved by the state- A law was passed giving the government the power to sack any public employee whose actions were hostile to the PNF.- Title of PM was changed to Head of Government and Duce of Fascism.- Ability of Parliament to remove the PM through a vote of no confidence was removed.
• In 1926 further controls were passed such as...


  - M could rule by decree.- All parties other than the PNF were banned.
• In 1926 M was given the power to...

  Rule by decree, meaning laws did not have to be passed by Parliament.
• Following an assasination attempt against M in 1926...

  All political parties other than the PNF were banned.
• A Special Tribunal for...

  The Defence of the State was set up for the prosecution of antifascists who ultimately had no right of appeal.
• M's final move was to abolish...

  Elected local governments and replace mayors with a new position called the podesta, who would be appointed by local prefects. The prefects themselves were appointed by Mussolini.