Benito Mussolini Coerced Fascism To Power Essay

How Mussolini Coerced Fascism to Power

Serenity Marquis

HIST 208: Western Civilization ll

Dr. Kevin Wolfe

8/6/2023

How Mussolini Coerced Fascism to Power

Did you know that Benito Mussolini was a socialist before becoming a fascist? (The Great War, 2021) Mussolini was the dictator of Italy from 1925-1943. He is known for making the first Fascist state, even before Hitler. This paper will explain how Mussolini got an extreme idea to bring Italy to greatness and coerced politics to give him the power to try it. Coming up is what led up to Mussolini’s idea, what Fascism means, and how he coerced Italy to make him its leader. Most of the information cited in this paper is from The Great War’s video How Mussolini Founded The Italian Fascist

In his adulthood, small elites dominated politics, leaving the working class out. This gave rise to socialist parties, such as the Italian Socialist Party. Mussolini came to be a prominent supporter and journalist for this party. By 1911 Benito Mussolini was a prominent leader of the socialist movement’s revolutionary wing, which called for the overthrow of the government to make a working-class dictatorship. However, Mussolini was an unusual socialist. He rejected egalitarianism and trade union-led revolution, essential tenants of socialism. This was groundbreaking because it meant that a slow, gradual path to change was not the only way to societal transformation. Jesse Alexander from The Great War says, “He believed charismatic and dynamic men would lead the coming revolution.” Mussolini called himself an “authoritarian socialist.” (Megaro, 1980) His radical ideas and aggressive rhetoric multiplied his readership in newspapers. He was even kicked out of some newspapers for radical rhetoric and resigned from Avanti!, an iconic socialist paper when he split with the Socialist Party. This marked the start of a significant shift in his politics. (The Great War,

Where is it on the political spectrum? It is often described as an extreme right politic, but this does not wholly capture the intent of Fascism. Jesse Alexander from The Great War says, “Italian Fascism can best be described as rightest themes with leftist vocabulary.” (2021) It is also helpful to know the core ideas that motivated Italian Fascism. The following points, exempting Mussolini’s quotes, are sourced from Holocaust Encyclopedia’s entry on Fascism (see References). Mussolini said, “The Fascist State organizes the nation, but leaves a sufficient margin of liberty to the individual; the latter is deprived of all useless and possibly harmful freedom, but retains what is essential…” (1932) So fascism cannot tolerate democratic or representative governments because they do not express valid national will. (Fascism | Holocaust Encyclopedia, n.d.) Mussolini also said, “For Fascism, the growth of empire, that is to say, the expansion of the nation, is an essential manifestation of vitality” So expanding the size and influence of the state is critical to thriving. Additionally, fascism believes it must promptly remove obstacles to national unity at any cost, and violence has a redemptive or purifying quality. It elevates the rights of the national community over foreigners. These ideas would change millions of lives in Europe after Mussolini's rise to dictatorship.