Mussolini, in a speech to the Italian Senate in 1923, expressed his determination to address economic, political, and social issues through domestic policies. His goal was to empower and improve the lives of Italians during challenging post-war times. The ambitious leader, known as the “Duce”, gained high expectations from the people due to these hardships. Realizing the necessity for solutions, Mussolini made endeavors to tackle them with the aim of boosting both his own popularity and that of the fascist party.
Mussolini came into power in 1923 and created “The Fascist Grand Council,” which consisted of members from his fascist party. This council had a lot of power and made all decisions, ultimately making the government ineffective. The police force was replaced by the fascist party, with Mussolini as the leader. He also formed his own army called the Quadri.
In November 1923, the Acerbo Law was enacted, stating that any political party that received at least twenty-five percent of votes in elections would be given two-thirds of seats in parliament.
In the same year, the Fascist party achieved a major victory in the elections and gained these seats. Nevertheless, because of the Mateotti Affair, Mussolini was forced to take control of Italy and become known as “Duce,” which gave him power to pass laws without parliament’s participation. This led to Italy becoming a single-party state, eliminating political disagreements. His actions against parliament and the government made him popular with Italians and gave him complete authority over Italy. Consequently, he had to face numerous economic and social challenges within the country.
Mussolini aimed to elevate Italy’s economy to the same level as France and Britain, not only to rival them but also other leading industrial nations. Despite his limited knowledge and concern for economics, Mussolini acknowledged the importance of a strong economy in establishing Italy as a powerful and prosperous nation.
During the early years of Fascism, Italy experienced an economic revival due to various factors. The overall recovery in Europe, coupled with the prevention of a potential Socialist revolution, played a significant role. Additionally, Mussolini’s implementation of Liberal economic policies had positive effects. These policies curbed inflation and restricted government interventions. Industrialists particularly welcomed these measures as they led to reduced public expenditure and decreased taxes on war profits.
To achieve economic success in Italy, the country underwent three battles. The “Battle of the Marshes” aimed to enhance cereal production and reduce malaria to improve health conditions. Despite creating more job opportunities and improving health conditions, the agricultural production increase was ignored in this battle. Nonetheless, it further deepened the division between North and South Italy, as most newly reclaimed land was located in the North, causing discontent among Southern people who were not allowed to express their dissatisfaction through strikes. Mussolini’s attempts to reconcile the North and South and bring stability were unsuccessful. The Northern population was perceived as wealthy and educated, while the Southern population was seen as the complete opposite.
The objective of the “Battle for the Lira” was twofold: to tackle inflation and showcase Italy’s power to both its people and the international community by boosting the value of the Lira. Unfortunately, this choice had adverse effects on the economy, leading to higher prices for Italian products and reduced salaries. Mussolini acknowledged that Italy needed to attain self-reliance in grain production.
In an effort to decrease the trade deficit and reduce Italy’s reliance on imports during wartime, the government aimed to boost grain production and double cereal production. As a result, imports of grain declined. However, this focus on specific types of agriculture caused farmers to overlook other forms, leading to an increase in imports and a deterioration of the Italian diet. This initiative marked the initial step toward autarky. While Italy achieved a level of self-sufficiency in cereals, it still depended on imports for fertilizers. Mussolini strongly emphasized autarky, but the endeavor to enhance self-sufficiency was not entirely successful, as the country continued to rely on imports for fundamental necessities.
Mussolini aimed to increase his popularity and the population of Italy through his social policies. He envisioned creating a “nation of Fascists” through measures like “The Battle of Births,” which sought to encourage population growth for the purpose of increasing the number of potential soldiers. Both women and youth were denied significant freedom of choice, with Mussolini imposing fascist values upon them, particularly through education. This involved fostering obedience, love for the Duce, nationalism, and militarism. Women were expected to focus on child-rearing and remain at home, as part of Mussolini’s vision for building a strong fascist nation. However, this initiative fell short of its target of sixty million people.
Mussolini made significant efforts to enhance welfare services by establishing various organizations for the people, such as affordable holidays, tours, and “after work clubs”. However, due to the lack of robust unemployment insurance, which was a major concern for Italians at the time, this concept failed to gain widespread support.
The Church and the Fascist party had significant disparities, but due to the Church’s prominent position in Italy, Mussolini attempted to enhance their relationship. Once more, Mussolini pursued this course to increase his popularity among society. In 1929, both the Concordat and the Lateran treaties were ratified, consequently designating Catholicism as the official religion of Italy, while granting Mussolini the authority to veto church appointments and securing support from the Church. “The Concordat has been recognized as Mussolini’s most prominent accomplishment as a Fascist” and effectively contributed to Italy’s strength and prosperity.
Mussolini introduced revolutionary ideas into society which contributed to his rise in popularity as the “Duce” of Italy, despite the surrealistic nature of many of his policies that failed to transform Italian society. His alliance with the church was a major success, although his fascist ideology ultimately caused economic problems to resurface. Politically, Mussolini achieved his main goal of establishing Italy as a one-party state under the Fascists and assuming control. However, his aims of strengthening, prospering, and liberating the Italian people were minimal compared to his personal pursuit of power.
