The history of Italian Fascism.?

Question

what happened? why did it happen? any good websites that i could use?

Answer 1

Italy had ambitions that she was too weak to fulfill. She wanted to be a great power, so like France, Britain and Germany she tried to create an empire in Africa. The result was a war with Ethiopia (I think in 1895) which the Italians lost, much to their shame. Italian industry was modern - Italy had an early lead in aircraft technology - but Italy had few natural resources, most of the population was illiterate or only had an elementary education, and big regions of Italy were very poor. Conditions in Sicily were especially bad, which is why so many of the Italian immigrants to the USA were from Sicily.
Prior to WW 1, there was a general glorification of violence. For many people war seemed to provide the answers to all a nation's problems, and everyone could see that there was going to be a showdown between France and Germany. People were highly aware of the power of the new offensive weapons like the new battleships and the new heavy artillery, and so most people thought the war would be short (but brutal). They couldn't have been more wrong.
When the war broke out Italy hesitated, even though it was an ally of Germany and Austria. There was intense debate about which side would be the most advantageous to join, and in 1915 Italy chose to side with the Allies. Italian armies were mauled by the Austrians, and Italy had a high casualty rate. At the Versailles Peace Conference the Allies refused to recognize Italian claims to Austrian territory, which made the Italian delegation leave in disgust. The Italian people felt betrayed by the Allies, and angry at their government over the losses.
The war also seriously disrupted the economy, as wars usually do. Socialist workers struck for higher wages, and some agricultural workers also struck for higher wages.
Mussolini entered the scene with a solution for everything and a speech for every audience. To the rich he promised riches and a strict control of the laborers. To the poor he promised prosperity and mandatory arbitration of labor disputes by government agencies (state corpratism). To the veterans of the war he promised new wars and a glorification of the soldier's role in society. He even appealed to intellectuals, as he was fluent in 4 languages and a very glib speaker. His fascist squads went on a campaign to beat up agricultural workers who had joined or were thinking of joining unions, which greatly pleased the landowners, who financed him and saw him as a legitimate agent of change.His "march" on Rome was more of a parade, at the end of which the King made him prime minister. Fairly quickly the Fascists grew in popularity and were able to get a majority in the country's parliament. Enemies were beaten up and jailed, but very few of them were murdered. Essentially Mussolini was an old style dictator who loved power, and as an Italian dictator he loved to make deals. He was nowhere near as murderous or crazy as Hitler. Fascist Italy never had concentration camps, and the police and secret police and judges were all willing to take bribes. Mussolini also didn't hate Jews, as several prominent Jews were supporters of the Fascists. The horrible medical experiments that the Nazis conducted were never imitated in Italy, and the Italians laughed at the idea of the Gerrmans as a master race.
But Mussolini was a glory hound, and he was seriously out of touch with economic realities. Due to clever deception the Western powers thought that Fascist Italy was much stronger than it was. When it actually came down to fighting the British in Libya, the Italians had no stomach for it. One British general quipped "Never was so much surrendered by so many to so few." Mussolini and his top aides were very poor military thinkers, which led to disaster after disaster. In all probability Mussolini could have been bribed to stay out of WW II, but this was something the Allies wouldn't consider

Answer 2

I like this site. Short and to the point.
http://www.library.wisc.edu/libraries/dpf/Fascism/Intro.html
New political ideas came out of the social upheaval and general disillusionment following the horror that was the First World War in Europe. People were ready for a change, but what they got in Italy (and later in Germany) was even worse.

Answer 3

There are some examples of Italian Fascist slogans: I dont supply a rattling! each and every thing contained in the State, not something outdoors the State, not something adverse to the State! trust, Obey, wrestle! If I develop, save on with me. If I retreat, kill me. If I die, avenge me! Many enemies. a lot Honor! The plough cuts the furrow, notwithstanding the sword defends it! To win, and we will win!