The Fascist Experience In Italy

In the years after World War I, the Italian nation was bitterly disappointed of not gaining all of the territories it was promised as a reward for the country’s participation on the side of the Allies. The decisions taken in the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 to denude Italy of its demands and give many of the territories to Yugoslavia, brought about prevalent social unrest and outraged nationalists in the country. Moreover, as a result of the war, the Italian nation had to face many economic and social problems, which further contributed to the turmoil in the country. To a large number of the population, the current democratic government seemed helpless and unable to deal with the state’s difficulties (Beck). The nation needed a strong political

This period, came to be known for the aggressiveness of the working class, was called “The Red Two Years”. The occupations of factories, riots and occasional violence were all as a result of the impact of the Russian Revolution on the Italian workers. The population was losing hope that the government could deal with the difficult situation, and a fear that a revolution might take place soon, made a lot of people desirous of a different, stronger government. Fascists used the nation’s fear of Bolshevism to rise to power. (The Fascist Experience in Italy and “The many problems and failures of Liberal Italy led the establishment to turn to

However, it was not long before the Fascist’s military campaigns started failing, the culmination being the invasion of Sicily by the Allies. This weakened the party to an extent, where the King, this time backed by the army, could easily overthrow Mussolini. (Ellis and The Fascist Experience in Italy)

Fascism in Italy arose rapidly as a result of the devastating consequences of World War I, but once the regime had to face another war, it failed to protect the nation and follow the promises it made to the people. As a result, about twenty years after its creation, the Fascist party lost all credibility and disintegrated. Italian Fascism flourished in the difficult and painful years after the Great War, because of its ideas that promised the revival of the great Italian nation. People had already lost faith with the multiple democratic parties that failed to solve the economic and social problems of the country, and Mussolini was the only one that seemed to be able to fulfill their desire for a stable state. Once in power, the dictator managed to appeal to the public for the first few years, despite the terror and the aggression he ruled with. The poor ideology of the young party and the lack of specialized officials, led to the public discontent and finally its disintegration. The Fascist regime failed to endure the military difficulties, horrors and hardships of a war, and soon after