Show Mussolini's Meteoric Career Recalled as He Makes Exit 1 How Hov Italy's Master Rose to Power and Why He Collapsed By ELLIOTT J. J PINE PINEOn PINEOn PINEOn On July 25 1943 Benito Mussolini Mus Mus- Mussolini Mussolini dictator of Italy for 21 I years tearfully resigned his of of- offices offices offices and turned his govern govern- government government government ment over to King Victor Em Em- manuel The immediate reason for the dictators dictator's relinquishing of power is said to be his inability inability inability ity to obtain greater military aid from Germany The Fascist council voted 19 to 7 against ac ac- accepting accepting ac- ac accepting his plan of abandoning more than half the country to the Allies and of establishing a defense line in the north Mussolini realized that he could not his enforce enforce his will as he was accustomed accustom d he stepped out or according to other ac ac- accounts accounts accounts counts was forced out More basic than this dispute on war plans however was the in in- increasing increasing increasing creasing and bitter distrust of Mus Mus- Mussolini Mussolini Mussolini and the Fascist party he head head- headed ed The Italian people most observers ers say never wished to enter World War Var II Defeats losses and hard hard- hardships hardships hardships ships have turned the people of Italy away from Fascism and re- re revolt volt t was brewing ever hotter When Mussolini went Fascism ended too King Victor Emmanuel who has always retained the shadow of au- au has given eiven the official version of the in this statement His Bis Majesty l the King-Emperor King has accepted the resignation from the he offices of chief of government prime minister and secretary of state which was tendered by His nis Excellency signor signer Benito Mussolini l and has appointed as chief of gov gov- government government prime minister and secre secre- secretary secretary secretary tary of state His nis Excellency Mar Mar- Marshal Marshal Marshal of Italy signor Pietro Ba Ba- doglio At the time this statement was made public it was pretended that Mussolini's ill health was the rea rea- reason reason reason son for his leaving office but this rather weak excuse was soon dropped The new government thus established established established by the king and Marshal Badoglio is generally considered to signify the end of the Fascist party The structure that held Italy tightly for two decades apparently has col col- collapsed collapsed col- col collapsed lapsed by the removal of one man Actually the party has been crum crum- crumbling crumbling crumbling bling from within for years say in in- informed informed informed formed correspondents Fascism Began 24 Years Ago Fascism as a name dates from March 23 1919 when Mussolini and others organized the Fasci Italiano di C mean mean- meaning meaning meaning ing Italian fighting groups The word Fasci comes from the old Roman symbol of authority the Fasces a beheading ax with a bundle of scourging rods bound on the handle It can be seen on the reverse of an American dime During the following two years this little party increased rapidly While Mussolini did not actually found it perhaps he at least was one of its earliest and strongest lead lead- ers He soon came out in front a vigorous man of 38 with a com com- compelling compelling compelling manner and oratorical per per- He was born in 1884 the son of ofa a village blacksmith and country school teacher in Predappio Ro- Ro Romagna Romagna Romagna magna province When he completed ed grade school he became a teach teach- teacher er in a neighboring village and soon took to stump speaking for the So So- Socialist SoI Socialist Socialist I party His political activities brought him into several clashes with the law He became a writer and rose to be editor of the Socialist organ Avanti During World War I he served as a corporal and he participated in inthe inthe inthe the Fiume campaign of 1919 Soon after being discharged from service he met a few kindred spirits and began the organization of the Fas Fas- It was a time of great unrest and unemployment Although victorious in the war Italy had bad suffered heavy losses and was oppressed by a pon pon- ponderous ponderous ponderous derous war debt Being a country naturally poor in resources and only slightly industrialized at the time the war post-war depression bore down more Inore weightily than on other na na- Many 1 were embittered about their frustrated hopes for territorial gains fains through the Versailles treaty They blamed Britain and France for leaving Italy out The wealthy and conservative class elass feared the spread of comma comma- communism Ism and many churchmen added their voices to the clamor The he na na- na- na assembly was divided Into nu nu- numerous numerous bickering and rolling log-rolling factions and the premier signor was not a strong enough man for a crisis The March 1 on Rome Assembling the Fascist militia the party's private army in Civita Civita- Civitavecchia Civitavecchia Civitavecchia vecchia on October 27 1922 he be be- began began began gan the famous March on Rome When he approached the capital with armed men Premier and Marshal then General Badoglio begged the king the same Victor Emmanuel to stop the marchers with machine gun fire and the bayonets of the regular army The king who hated bloodshed re re- refused re- re refused fused to give the order Three days later he acceded to Mussolini's de de- demands demands demands mands and appointed him premier From that day onward Mussolini has been continuously in complete control of Italy until the other day Ironically he turned his power over overto overto overto to Victor Emmanuel and Badoglio who might have stopped him 21 years earlier As soon as Mussolini found him him- himself himself himself self firmly in the saddle he set about making himself and his party absolute All political parties were banned except the Fascist and many social cultural and religious societies were closed down under the force of these laws Party mem mem- members members members bers were placed in every every position of authority in the civil and military administration administration- Business and pro pro- professional professional professional men soon found it to their advantage to join the party or to get on good terms with some im im- important important im- im important member For a time the Fascist regime appeared to be a decided benefit to Italy Domestic order was restored business and finance stabilized and Ill DONT DON'T BOTHER THE PILOT PILOT PILOT-A A propaganda poster showing Musso Musso- Mussolini Mussolini Mussolini lini at the controls of a big bombing plane he is an amateur flier warned Italians in 1939 not to dis dis- disturb disturb dis- dis disturb the pilot especially when he be is engaged in tempestuous navigation nor ask the way at every turn This appeal for blind and unquestioning unquestioning unquestioning faith in the wisdom of the leader is the keynote of Fascism I as of all dictatorships Mussolini 1 piloted Italy into the war then when the navigation really got tem tempestuous tempestuous tempestuous he be bailed out encouraged employment stimulated by public works and a program of social benefits put into operation The Fascist regime floated inter inter- international international international national loans built hydroelectric plants opened mines drained swamps introduced new manufactures manufactures manufactures tures and in many ways brought temporary advantages and pros pros- prosperity prosperity prosperity to Italy accustomed to back back- backwardness backwardness backwardness and poverty But the Italians soon discovered the price of these gains was the loss of liberty In 1925 Mussolini 1 or II Duce the leader as he be liked to tobe tobe tobe be called had bad a law passed legalizing legalizing legalizing ing his bis position as prime minister and rendering him bim responsible to no noone noone noone one but the king This meant in effect that he could do as he pleased During the twenties Italy shared somewhat in the prosperity of the war post-war world but the great depression de de- depression depression fell heavily on the nation the more so because of its reliance on international trade Its artificial prosperity began to crumble despite tight controls and unrest and dis dis- dissatisfaction dissatisfaction dis- dis dissatisfaction satisfaction began to fester here and there under cover Land Hunger Dunger Meanwhile Mussolini was thinking of expanding Italy territorially The League of Nations had prevented him from undertaking any small I wars of conquest such as were com com- common comI common I mon in the century In 1923 he heI had a belli bell against Greece I but he did not push the issue to open war Nothing occupied his large army excepting patrol action in North Africa In 1933 Adolf Hitler rose to power as chancellor of Germany as head of the National Socialists or Nazis a party that had much in common with the Fascists of Italy Musso Musso- Mussolini Mussolini Mussolini imitator and lini soon so n welcomed his began to plan international tures Nevertheless a year later when Hitler Hiller began to threaten Austria II 11 Duce offered to support that weak state Next year Italy declared war 1 l Let Us Live Like Lions' Lions V A AK AR I K I R F FIN IN HIS DIS SECOND YEAR of rule 1923 Premier Mussolini 1 us s olini was al already al- al already already ready showing his yearning to rattle the sword He lie sent such a sharp diplomatic note to Greece on the murder of f members of an Italian commission on the Greek-Albanian Greek frontier that world feared a war was near on Ethiopia Mussolini's first openly openly- imperialistic move and a success success- successful successful successful ful defiance of the League Italian and German policies were moving closer together through similarity sim sim- similarity similarity of interests and Hitler and Mussolini began concluding a series of treaties and agreements that cul cul- culminated culminated culminated in the formation of the Rome Berlin Axis Both Italy and Germany sent troops into the Spanish civil war The Italian troops showed even then their distaste for fighting but b t the officers gained valuable experience with new weapons and tactics espe espe- especially especially especially airplanes and tanks Mussolini joined in signing the Munich Agreement that was sup sup- supposed supposed posed to assure peace in our time J as Neville Chamberlain put it Know Know- Knowing Knowing Knowing ing that a great war was around the corner Mussolini then turned his attention at- at attention attention to bringing his army navy and especially his air force to full strength Stab in the Back When Then France was staggering to defeat in the spring of 1940 1910 Musso Musso- Mussolini Mussolini lini thought he be saw the long sought opportunity for important territorial acquisitions without much loss or risk He De entered to war on the side of Germany hoping to get a few French islands President Roosevelt characterized this move as a stab in the back From then on Italy was vas in World War II U. All AU looked rosy as long as the German blitz blitz- blitzkrieg blitzkrieg blitzkrieg krieg continued to smash ahead but butin butin butin in 1941 1911 English troops defeated the Italians in two widely videly separated Af Af- African African African rican campaigns and the Italian navy lost heavily in several actions actions- Last year Italy went on the de de- de- de Mussolini sent some divi divi- divisions divisions divisions to fight against Russia others to North Africa with the German Africa corps Both sustained de de- defeat defeat de- de defeat feat and severe losses The Italian people began to grumble ever loud loud- louder er against Fascism and Mussolini l He H pinned medals on bereaved mothers and wives made his fa fa- famous famous fa- fa famous balcony speeches and and tried to whip up morale with posters pa pa- parades parades parades rades of the youth organizations and every other trick in his bag But it didn't work Then came the thc North African cam cam- campaign campaign campaign when the Italian soldiers sur sur- surrendered surrendered surrendered rendered in large masses plainly re re- revealing revealing re- re revealing their war The in in- invasion invasion invasion of Sicily moved so swiftly not only because of the weight of arma arma- armaments armaments armaments ments but because of feeble re re- resistance resistance re- re resistance at many points Every Every- Everywhere Everywhere Everywhere where the people welcomed the AI- AI I AI-I lied troops When Rome was bombed Musso Musso- Mussolini's lini's linis long hypnotic spell wa wat broken n II he could not even protect the capital said the people how could he hope for victory The Italians were tired of war tired of privations and restrictions II 11 Duce got out just in time according to majority opinion to avert a civil war w o b k H t FASCISM I ON THE RUN RUN RUN-A A photo photo- photograph photograph graph showing Mussolini 1 setting the pace for his army officers during maneuvers in September 1938 iron Iron- ironically IronIcally Ironically symbolizes the tho hasty basty exit of Fascism in is July 1943 This time too the running was fittingly led by 11 II Duce t A SUBDUED AND TIRED OLD vii f man Mussolini 1 nearing CO GO met Hit Hit- Hitler Ditler ler ter a few months ago in a war con con- by x ference The former dictator who v once regarded reg uder der Fuehrer with disdain as an upstart imitator has been forced to recognize the Ger Ger- German German German man as his master For the last four years Italy has been practical practical- practically ly a vassal state Shrewd and realistic Mussolini 1 probably could foresee his own o downfall during the Ule course of these thes anxious discussions |