Evening star., 1943-07-28
MussoIini's S Reforms
Cost lta|y's People
Loss Of Freedoms

The regimentation OF Italy
. under Mussolini's dictatorship is
described by Richard Massock,
chief OF the former Associated
Press Bureau in Rome, in tih5is
third of four daily stories DETAIL
ing the rise and taH OF "The
Great Chin"
by RICHARD G. MASSOCK.
White thousands cheered and
others groaned. Mussolini devoted
himself for 10 years to busting OF
Rome's former glory. shaking a
semblance of efficiency into Italian
life and promoting his personal
power.
The first 10 years of his absolute
dictatorship. 1925 to 1885, were
relatively peaceful for the Italians
who conformed to Fascism.
Mussolini was busy with a pro-
gram OF domestic reforms to justify
his dictatorship and building the
Fascist state to perpetuate it.
Among those who believed him
the savior of the Western World
from Bolshevism. it was easy to
win further admiration by his force
full efforts to inject discipline into
Italian life.
Safety at Price.
Others regarded him as an exec
utive genius who got things done
in seemingly efficient manner.
italy was made safe and orderly. the
tourists found She was given
social and economic program that
appeared promising.
For decade, italian national life
showed to the casual observer an
outward health and vigor it never
before had enjoyed. But the cost to
the Italians was great, indeed, for
they lost two freedoms-freedom of
speech and freedom from fear. They
failed to gain another - freedom
from want.
They retained only one, the free
dom Of religion. Mussolini was
astute enough to realize the in
fiuence Of the church on Italians.
Although Fascism and the Vatican
were frequently in conflict. Mus
solini made his peace in that sector
with the Lateran Accord of 1929.
perhaps his only sound diplomatic
achievement for Italy.
Mussolini became the state. As
its embodiment. he imposed social
peace by outlawing strikes and lock-
outs. He expanded the railways
and public works. the merchant
marine. the highway system, the
aqueducts and power plants.
He reclaimed thousands of acres.
especially in the Pontine Marshes
near Rome, to make new fields for
the growing Of crops He gave the
workers labor charter, social in
surance. summer camps for chill
dren. He provided schools for all.
Democratic countries. of course.
were doing similar things without
demanding such a sacrifice of the
peoples liberties.
Reassured bv Mussolini that Fas-
cism was not an article Of export.
his admirers abroad excused Fas-
cism in Italy with the remark that
its methods were needed there. al
though in the non-Italian coun-
tries, they said, such things were
unthinkable.
Mussolini set up a super-regi-
mented form of economic ma
tionalism in a so-called corpora tive
system, with employers guilds.
called corpora tions, and syndicates
Of workers. all under his state con-
troll through the Fascist party.
Required Membership.
The worker had to belong to
Fascist syndicate to work. The en-
ployers had to accept a party con-
troll which reached into every phase
OF their industrial and commercial
operations. This government con-
troll, exercised through instruments
Of single party, spawned a host
OF grafters, large and small
The terror OF Fascism appeared
more or less latent by the end of
us nrst decade. but It was there
always ready with its clubs. it's castor
oil and its arbitrary imprisonments.
Mussolini legalized his personal
army, the Fascist Militia-irst such
institution in the history of Europe,
later the model for the NaN Brown
shirts in Germany.
He set up special tribunal. its
Judges officers of the militia, which
tried anti-Fascists, with no appeal
from lis arbitrary sentences of BAN
ishment to towns in the interior of
Italy or to the Lipari Islands off
Sicily.
Detection of the -Fascists was
the work Of the militia and OF the
secret police. called the OVRA.
Mussolini was repeatedly the tar
get of assassins.
In 1928 Gen. Zaniboni was con-