Analyse the methods in which one right wing leader established and maintained Over a single party state. Benito Andrea Amilcare Mussolini was born in Predappio (Emilia Romagna), on July 29th 1883, the son of Alessandro, a socialist blacksmith and Rosa a religion teacher at the local school. In 1914 Benito joined the army and later WW1 to fight for his country. Once the war was over he slowly started to rise to power. Mussolini started to gain power in the 1920s; he got support from upper class people, land and factory owners as well as the King.
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Mussolini believed that the lower class’s support was not necessary, and that they would soon decide to follow him anyways. In 1921 Benito Mussolini decided to go to parliament, as head of 250 fascist deputies, and on the third assembly he formed the National Fascist Party. He paid special attention to the instability which Italy was in, both politically and economically, and took advantage of the situation to rise through the unhappiness and uncertainty showing himself to be the man who could possibly stabilize the country.
He gained power through careful manipulation and political intimidation until on October 28th 1922, Mussolini and twenty five thousand fascist followers marched into Rome and on October 30th he was asked to form the governement. As Mussolini was rising to power he focused on beating his opponents. He worried so much about his enemies that he paid close attention to every step they took, and if they turned out to be dangerous he had them killed secretly or found a way to get rid of them.
An example of Mussolini’s initial crimes may be the misterious assassination of Giacomo Matteotti a Socialist rival who fought all his life against the fascist regime. Mussolini finally established his dictatorship in January 1925. Unlike Hitler, Mussolini did not terrorize his country to gain power; he used powerful speeches to convince the entire nation that Fascism was the superior ideology. He however used a lot of propaganda just like Hitler did.
There are many famous quotes, which he stated and had published on posters and repeated on the radio: one of this most famous is “La parola d’ordine è una sola Vincere! E Vinceremo! ” (There is only one key word: Win! and we shall Win! ). Mussolini was very famous for his speeches; he would speak in front of large crowds and would use powerful and convincing words to gain people’s attention. He was a master in making people believe they were in charge of their own future and that they were choosing the right way.
Mussolini became one of the most powerful leaders in the world, and actually had some very positive effects on Italy. He started to rebuild northern Italy, he built cities where there had been swamps (Forte dei Marmi), built railways across Italy as well as underground water pipes bringing services and infrastructures up to date. Mussolini became so powerful that he was referred to as “Sua Eccellenza Benito Mussolini” (His Excellency Benito Mussolini). He was now known as “Il Duce”, and even Pope Pius XI once stated that Mussolini was sent by Divine Providence.
Benito established dictatorship in all of Italy, and managed to get support from all of the upper class. Mussolini was basically safe on his “throne”, his power was so prestigious that he did not have to worry for his opponents anymore, and could now focus on improving Italy and conquering other countries. Mussolini’s powerful and convincing speeches helped him to stay in power. I believe that Mussolini managed to be trusted by his people because of his talks.
Other than being prestigious at speaking powerful words, Mussolini was also very clever in manipulating people, Mussolini made his country’s citizens believe that they where in charge, and they would decide what to do with their nation. Mussolini also used manipulation in darker ways, if he saw that he was loosing support from the masses he would make them believe that he would improve their daily life, by making a radical change. In 1935 Mussolini decided to occupy Ethiopia, isolating Italy on the international scene by supporting both Franco in Spain and Hitler in Germany.
This was the beginning of the end for the fascist dictator joined World War 2 in 1940 on the German side. Mussolini allied with Hitler because he thought that their ideas where similar and that they would have accomplished great achievements together. But Hitler was more powerful and ended up treating Mussolini like a slave. Mussolini is sometimes referred to as “Hitler’s puppet” because Hitler could make Mussolini do anything he desired. Mussolini started to loose supporters as he did not face his nation’s problems as much, and the people who trusted him diminished.
Benito Mussolini was now becoming an assassin and soon had to hide from his own people. In 1945 “Il Duce” was arrested, executed and hung upside down with his lover Claretta Petacci by an Italian communist Partisan. Up until this day, although Mussolini had led the country brutally for 21 years, it is said that “not one lira fell from his pocket”, in other words, he had not stolen from the people. It is quite extraordinary how such a dictator can still somehow be remembered with a certain admiration in his own country.
