Evening star., 1941-10-30
Fuscism's Twentieth Year

1ndL Strange Greco CdlleQ fdSClSlll,
compounded of resounding slogans
and theatricalities, has Just cele-
| brated a significant anniversary.
Nineteen years have passed since the
memorable March on Rome" which
ushered in the Fascist era. Curious
| ly enough, the same date marked
the first anniversary of 1taly'S at
tack on Greece. But, as the refrain
of a current song has it: I'VE don't
talk about that"
Certainly, Benito MuSSolini made
no reference to the Greek campaign
when, according to his won't, he
stepped forth upon the balcony of
the PalazzQ VeneZia and addressed
a vast crowd of his BlackShirtS, duly
regimented for the occasion. The
we'll drilled audience applauded lust
lily a speech filled with glorification
Of FaSciSm and promising eventual
victory-date unSpecifled. Their
cheers recalled him thrice for bowing
encores. Then" says the press &C
count, they strolled quietly away"
1t is worthwhile to look back and
survey the promis nd achieve
mentS of the Fasc4 Iegime during
almost two decades of undiSputed
authority. Like the proverbial new
broom, Fascism in its early years did
sweep away many abuses and accom-
plish certain things. When MuSsolini
grasped supreme power, Italy was
emerging from period of almost
anarchic disorder. The country was
profoundly disillusioned by a costly
war which it had fought badly and
from which it had not gained the
expected rewards. Italian parlia-
mentarism had degenerated into the
corrupt and inefficient rule of
caste of professional politicians from
whom the people had little to hope.
FasciSm offered a cynical and dis
illusioned people a whole sheaf of
alluring promises, including such
irreconcilable boons as peace and
military glory, prosperity and imperi-
alism. On the material side, much
unquestionably was done Roads were
built, marshes were drained. crime
was diminished, brigandage and beg
gary were virtually abolished, and
the trains ran on time" But all true
freedom vanished and the individual
became increasingly cog in the vast
state machine. This Spartan regime
was ill-suited to the individualiStic
and traditionally undisciplined Ital-
ian people, so, despite brutal COM
pulsion, Fascism has never worked
we'll and has been largely a veneer.
Only to the rising generation,
nodded strictly in the Fascist creed,
did it seem to have partial success.
As the years passed, FasciSm's i'm
perialist ventures were an increasing
ly serious drain. The development
of arid Libya, the Ethiopian War,
the large-scale intervention in Spain
these and colossal preparedness
programs for still more ambitious
projects emptied the treasury and
necessitated crushing taxation. Then
MuSSolini, after months of relatively
profitable neutrality, made his big
gest miscalculation by joining Hitler,
his Axis partner, in what he falsely
deemed the hour of complete victory.
Since that fateful plunge, Italy has
suffered an almost uninterrupted
series of disasters. II DuceS boasted
'Imperium" has proved to be mere
plaSter-cast of the Roman Empire,
which now lies cracked and broken.
The Italian people today are facing
winter of terrible privation and
we'll know that they are dominated,
not by their own Blackshirts, but by
distant overlords in Berlin. Who
ever eventually may win the war,
Italy is bound to lose.
Such is the depressing prospect
which every Italian not hopelesSly
drugged by Fascist phrases must feel
in his heart. Italy presumably will
keep on fighting beside its senior
partner in the Axis, because 1t has
no real alternative But Year Xxx
of the Fascist era opens on a gloomy
note which even MuSsolini's oratory
cannot conceal.