Show mussolini s meteoric career recalled as he makes exit how italis master rose to power and why he collapsed by ELLIOTT J PINE on july 25 1943 benito mussolini dictator of italy for 21 years tearfully resigned his offices and turned hi his I 1 s government over to king victor emmanuel the immediate reason for the dictators relinquishing of power is said to be his inability to obtain greater military aid from germany the fa fascist sast council voted 19 to 7 against accepting his plan of abandoning more than half the country to the allies and of establishing a defense line in the north when mussolini realized that he could not enforce his will as he was accustomed he stepped out or according to other a accounts C was forced out more basic than this dispute on war plans however was the increasing and bitter distrust of mussolini and the fascist party he headed the italian people most observers say never wished to enter world war II 11 defeats losses and hardships have turned the people of italy away from fascism and revolt was brewing ever hotter when mussolini went fascism ended too king victor emmanuel who has always retained the shadow of authority tho rity has given the official version version of the situation in this statement his majesty the king emperor has accepted the resignation from the offices of chief of government prime minister and secretary of state which was tendered by his excellency signor signer benito mussolini and has appointed as chief of government ern ment prime minister and secretary of state his excellency marshal of italy signor signer pietro ba doglio at the time this statement was made public it was pretended that ill health was the reason for his leaving office but this rather weak excuse was soon dropped the new government thus established by the king and marshal badoglio baroglio Ba doglio is generally considered to signify the end of the fascist party the structure that held italy tightly for two decades apparently has collapsed by the removal of one man actually the party has been crumbling from within for years say informed correspondents fascism began 24 years ago fascism as a name dates from march 23 1919 when mussolini and others organized the fasci italiano di Combatti mento meaning 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 leaders he soon came out in front a vigorous man of 38 with a compelling manner and oratorical persuasiveness he was born in 1884 the son of a village blacksmith and country school teacher in predappio Pre dappio romagna province when he completed grade school he became a teacher in a neighboring village and soon took to stump speaking for the socialist 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 1 during world war 1 I he served as a corporal and he participated in the fiume campaign of 1919 soon after being discharged from service he met a few kindred spirits and began the organization of the fascists it was a time of great unrest and unemployment although victorious in the war italy had suffered heavy losses and was oppressed by a ponderous war debt being a country naturally poor in resources and only slightly industrialized at the time the postwar post war depression bore down more weightily than on other nations many were embittered about their frustrated hopes for territorial gains through the versailles treaty they blamed britain and france for leaving italy out the wealthy and conservative class feared the spread cism and many churchmen added their voices to the clamor i the na dional assembly was divided into numerous bickering and logrolling log rolling factions and the premier signor signer facca was not a strong enough man tar or a crisis the march on rome assembling the fascist militia the bartys private army in civita vecchia on october 27 1922 he began the famous march on rome when he approached the capital with armed men premier facca and marshal then general B baroglio badoglio Ba doglio begged the king the same V victor ictor emmanuel to stop the marchers barchers mar chers with machine gun fire and the bayonets of the regular army the king who hated bloodshed refused to give the order three days later he acceded to demands 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 to victor emmanuel and badoglio baroglio Ba doglio who might have stopped him 21 years earlier As soon as mussolini found himself firmly in the saddle he set about making himself and his party absolute all political parties were banned except the fascist I 1 and many social cultural and religious societies were closed down under the force of these laws party members were placed in every position of authority in the civil and military administration business and professional fess ional men soon found it to their advantage to join the party or to get on good terms with some important member for a time the fascist regime appeared to be a decided benefit to italy domestic order was restored business du siness and finance stabilized and t DONT BOTHER THE PILOT A propaganda poster showing mussolini at the controls of a big bombing plane he is an amateur flier filer warned italians in 1939 not to disturb the pilot especially when he is is engaged in tempestuous navigation nor ask the way at every turn this appeal for blind and unquestioning faith in the wisdom of the leader is the keynote of fascism as of all dictatorships mussolini piloted italy into the war then when the navigation really got tempestuous he bailed baided out encouraged employment stimulated by public works and a program of social benefits put into operation the fascist regime floated international loans built hydroelectric plants opened mines drained swamps introduced new manufactures and in many ways brought temporary advantages and prosperity to italy accustomed to backwardness ward ness and poverty but the italians soon discovered the price of these gains was the loss of liberty in 1925 mussolini or 11 II dace the leader as he liked like d to be called had a law passed legalizing his position as prime minister and rendering him responsible to no 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 postwar post war var world but the great 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 dissatisfaction began to fester here and there under cover land hunger meanwhile mussolini was thinking of expanding italy territorially the league of nations had prevented him from undertaking any small wars of conquest such as were common in the century in 1923 he had a belli against greece 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 mussolini soon welcomed his imitator and began to plan international adventures nevertheless a year later when hitler began to threaten austria 11 II duce offered to support that weak state next year italy declared war |