Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-07-27
Postwar Confusion
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provided Basis for
Mussolini's Success

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! G. Massock, chief of the former
Associated Press bureau in
Rome, in this second of four ar
I ticles detailing the rise and fall
: OF the Fascist ledder.J
! By RICHARD G. MASSOCK,
! Associated Press Staff Writer.
, The aftermath of World War I
was made to order for Mussolini' s
rise to power.
Italy was in a mess.
! Many felt that she had been
cheated Of the full spoils of war at
the peace table. These were the ma
tionausts.
: Many felt the intense economic
depression, the growing unemploy-
lment, the heavily mounting taxes,
the inflation-lowered wages. These
were the workers.
The Bolsheviks h a d established
themselves in power in Russia. En-
.boldened by this, the Italian revolu-
,tionaries sought to accomplish a
similar upheaval in their country.
They fomented labor and political
disturbances, food riots, violent seiZ-
ure of property and street brawls,
often bloody.
Formed New Party
To exploit this postwar unrest
and to seize leadership Of the rev.
dictionary wing, Mussolini, who had
been a Socialist leader, formed a
new revolutionary nucleus in Mi
Ian. Thus Fascism was born.
On March %, 1919, he formally
established the Easel Italiani di
Combattimento, literally It ia n
fighting groups, at meeting in Mi
Ian of 145 followers. They dressed in
military breeches, black shirts and
tasseled fezzes.
Mussolini still professed to be
social revolutionary. He told the
gathering, 1--WE must lead the work.
ers; we must affirm the demands of
the working class"
His official program called for a
heavy tax on capital, limitation of
private fortunes, confiscation of I'M
productive capital, confiscation of
property belonging to religious Or
ders, parceling of landed estates
among the peasants, management
of industry, transportation and pub
lie services by syndicates of tech
nicians and workers, proclamation
of an Italian republic and creation
of a national constituent assembly
as the Italian section of THE In
ternational Constituent Assembly
of the Peoples" which sounded
much like a Communist interna-
tional.
Turned Against Socialists
In his bid for power, Mussolini' s
Fascists turned their violence par
ticularly against the Italian Social
list party the more moderate organ
ization, which controlled the Gen.
eral Confederation of Labor, with
a membership of nearly 2,225 900
workers.
But the Fascists battled Social
lists and Communists alike, for they
represented the proletarian masses
of whom Mussolini wanted to be the
Duce Qeader).
The Fascists broke the fighting
spirit of Socialism by burning of it's
clubs, cooperative societies an d
chambers of commerce, destruction
of private houses, Sayings of in
dividuals, systematic bludgeonings
and dosing with castor oil.
MuSsolini wrote on June 2, 1921:
ITO say that the Bolshevik still
exists in Italy represents an at
tempt to substitute fear for reality
from motives of self-interest. Boil
shevism has been disoWned by the
leaders and the people"
With Socialism in retreat, Com
munism cowed and the threat of a
Bolshevik revolution dispelled, Mus
solini had eliminated the biggest
obstacle in his path to power-the
proletarian organizations on which
the government might rely for de-
tense of the state.
Government Was Weak
A weak parliament and govern
ment invited direct defiance.
Mussolini had organized the Fas-
cists as political party in the
spring of 1921.
Consumed by m b i t i n, gifted
with an astute political sense and
an extraordinary singleness of pur-
pose, devoid of scruples, Mussolini
relied on the manpower of his pri-
waite army, intimidation and BRAIN
power to gain his aim-control of
the state.
After 100-to-1 defeat in his first
campaign for seat in Parliament
in 1919, Mussolini had been able to
enter the Chamber of Deputies, with
a handful of followers, in the 1921
elections But the democratic par
liamentary process of attaining
power was too slow for him.
Better, for his plans, was a march
on Rome. This he organized after
a Fascist party congress in Naples,
at which he took "a solemn oath
that either the government of the
country must be given peacefully to
the Fascists or we will take it by
force"
Pledges Loyalty to King
To win the sympthies of the army,
which was anti-republican, he de-
clared, for the first time, his ale
glance to the King
After quadrumvirate of lieuten-
ants had modified and armed his
supporters, Mussolini ordered the
march on the capital in his news
paper on October q. Premier Facta
declared martial law, but King Vic
tor Emmanuel, to avert civil war, he
said, refused to sign the decree.
Instead, he summoned Mussolini
to Rome to form a cabinet.
Mussolini took a night train from
Milan, was met at Civitavecchia by
the Kings motor car and proceeded
directly to the palace, where he
apologized to the King for his soiled
black shirt.
Armed Fascist guards, unresisted,
began to enter Rome, where on
October 81, they paraded, 10000
strong, before the Duce and the
King. The so-called Fascist revolu-
ton had taken place.