Mussolini
...all mainly centred in Europe. The European countries were most effected by this war because it was so close to home. Italy, being such a new country saw these effects in an extreme way. The already regionalised country became more and more separated and saw all the crippling societal results of this war. Benito Mussolini was able to capitalize on the state the country found itself in. Mussolini and his fascist ideals were able to overthrow Italy and turn it into a dictatorship and lead it into the second World War behind Hitler's Germany. Mussolini was able to successfully turn Italy into a dictatorship under a fascist regime because of the country's internally divided war-torn society as well as the weak state of Italy's minority governments which could not unite to oppose fascism and finally because of his ability to appeal to this country through a false sense of security and nationalism.
In the troubled postwar period Mussolini organized his followers in the Fasci di combattimento, which advocated aggressive nationalism as well as violently opposed the communists and socialists. Amid strikes, social unrest, and parliamentary breakdown, Mussolini preached forcible restoration of order and practised terrorism with armed groups. In 1921 he was elected to parliament and the National Fascist party was officially organized. Backed by nationalists and propertied interests, in October 1922, Mussolini sent the Fascists to March on Rome . King Victor Emmanuel III permitted them to enter the city and called on Mussolini to form a cabinet. This created the fascist regime under Mussolini. The fascist regime turned society into individuals who would just obey and distrust reason as well as understand violence as an essential tool to order. Ideally the country would transform into a totalitarian state; where the government would have total control over the...
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