What does fascist italy mean

Italian citizens were monitored more frequently than in the past, and could easily fall victim to spies and informers - to the extent that most began to be careful about what they said in public.

However, the main targets of police oppression belonged to the working classes or underground opposition parties. Many had been subject to police action under the previous Liberal state because of their involvement in union militancy or left-wing politics. Nevertheless, they suffered considerably worse under fascist rule, with large numbers being sentenced to imprisonment or confino exile in a remote part of the country or penal colony.

Government-supporting middle class citizens were less likely to fall foul of the fascist police state. When relatively harmless criticism of the regime on the part of such individuals reached the authorities, their good social standing, and clean criminal and political records, could count in their favour.

In practice, the regime favoured employers over workers. In spite of state welfare measures, large numbers of workers and their families saw a decline in living standards. Fascist unions did little to protect them against wage cuts and sackings.

Fascist Party youth organizations assisted the process of ideological instruction through to university, with activities focused on pre-military training for boys and forms of civic service for girls, though working-class youngsters were less likely to participate if they left school early to go into employment.

Over 30, such arrests were made between and In response, a large group of writers founded a Japanese branch of the International Popular Front Against Fascism and published articles in major literary journals warning of the dangers of statism. The new military leadership would rescind the Meiji Constitution, ban political parties, replace the Diet of Japan with an assembly free of corruption, and nationalize major industries. Kita also envisioned strict limits to private ownership of property and land reform to improve the lot of tenant farmers.

Thus strengthened internally, Japan could then embark on a crusade to free all of Asia from Western imperialism. Although his works were banned by the government almost immediately after publication, circulation was widespread, and his thesis proved popular not only with the younger officer class excited at the prospects of military rule and Japanese expansionism, but with the populist movement for its appeal to the agrarian classes and to the left wing of the socialist movement.

In the s and s, the supporters of Japanese statism used the slogan Showa Restoration, which implied that a new resolution was needed to replace the existing political order dominated by corrupt politicians and capitalists, with one which in their eyes , would fulfill the original goals of the Meiji Restoration of direct Imperial rule via military proxies.

The first 20 years were characterized by the rise of extreme nationalism and a series of expansionist wars. After suffering defeat in World War II, Japan was occupied by foreign powers for the first time in its history, then re-emerged as a major world economic power. The extreme right became influential throughout the Japanese government and society, notably within the Kwantung Army, a Japanese army stationed in China along the Japanese-owned South Manchuria Railroad.

During the Manchurian Incident of , radical army officers bombed a small portion of the South Manchuria Railroad and, falsely attributing the attack to the Chinese, invaded Manchuria. The Kwantung Army conquered Manchuria and set up the puppet government of Manchukuo there without permission from the Japanese government.

International criticism of Japan following the invasion led to Japan withdrawing from the League of Nations. The withdrawal from the League of Nations meant that Japan was politically isolated. Japan had no strong allies and its actions had been internationally condemned, while internally popular nationalism was booming. Local leaders such as mayors, teachers, and Shinto priests were recruited by the various movements to indoctrinate the populace with ultra-nationalist ideals.

They had little time for the pragmatic ideas of the business elite and party politicians. Their loyalty lay to the Emperor and the military. These ambitions led to the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in After their victory in the Chinese capital, the Japanese military committed the infamous Nanking Massacre. The Japanese military failed to defeat the Chinese government led by Chiang Kai-shek and the war descended into a bloody stalemate that lasted until Japan reacted by forging an alliance with Germany and Italy in , known as the Tripartite Pact, which worsened its relations with the U.

In July , the United States, Great Britain, and the Netherlands froze all Japanese assets when Japan completed its invasion of French Indochina by occupying the southern half of the country, further increasing tension in the Pacific. Francisco Franco December 4, — November 20, was a Spanish general who ruled over Spain as a dictator for 36 years from until his death. As a conservative and a monarchist, he opposed the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of a republic in With the elections, the conservative Spanish Confederation of Autonomous Right-wing Groups lost by a narrow margin and the leftist Popular Front came to power.

Intending to overthrow the republic, Franco followed other generals in attempting a failed coup that precipitated the Spanish Civil War. In , he declared Spain a monarchy with himself as regent. Franco gained military support from various regimes and groups, especially Nazi Germany and the Kingdom of Italy, while the Republican side was supported by Spanish communists and anarchists as well as the Soviet Union, Mexico, and the International Brigades.

Leaving half a million dead, the war was eventually won by Franco in He established a military dictatorship, which he defined as a totalitarian state. Under Franco, Spain became a one-party state, as the various conservative and royalist factions were merged into the fascist party and other political parties were outlawed. Franco was also able to take advantage of the resources of the Axis Powers and chose to avoid becoming heavily involved in the Second World War. Francisco Franco: A photo of Francisco Franco in The consistent points in Francoism included authoritarianism, nationalism, national Catholicism, militarism, conservatism, anti-communism, and anti-liberalism.

The Spanish State was authoritarian: non-government trade unions and all political opponents across the political spectrum were either suppressed or controlled by all means, including police repression.

Most country towns and rural areas were patrolled by pairs of Guardia Civil , a military police for civilians, which functioned as a chief means of social control. Franco was also the focus of a personality cult which taught that he had been sent by Divine Providence to save the country from chaos and poverty.

Bullfighting and flamenco were promoted as national traditions, while those traditions not considered Spanish were suppressed. All cultural activities were subject to censorship, and many were forbidden entirely, often in an erratic manner.

Francoism professed a strong devotion to militarism, hypermasculinity, and the traditional role of women in society. A woman was to be loving to her parents and brothers and faithful to her husband, and reside with her family. Most progressive laws passed by the Second Republic were declared void. Women could not become judges, testify in trial, or become university professors.

The Civil War had ravaged the Spanish economy. Infrastructure had been damaged, workers killed, and daily business severely hampered. Franco initially pursued a policy of autarky, cutting off almost all international trade.

The policy had devastating effects, and the economy stagnated. Today, variations of fascism live on in a number of military dictatorships around the world. These groups typically preach ultranationalism and spew hatred of racial or ethnic minorities.

While the idea of a unified nation under a fascist state probably died with Mussolini, the extreme racist forms of fascism, empowered by the Internet, are alive and well throughout the world. Why did Gentile and Mussolini believe that war was an essential part of the fascist state? Layton, Julia. The terms have lost much meaning, other than as insults. Even scholars have difficulty in agreeing on a definition of fascism.

But as the article notes, scholars do agree on several common characteristics of fascism. In this activity, you are going to use these characteristics to judge whether particular governments are fascist. Form small groups and review the characteristics of fascism at the beginning of the article.

Each group should discuss and decide each of the hypothetical cases below whether each is an example of a totally, mostly, somewhat, or non fascist state. Case 1: The government of Surs is ruled by one party, whose council of selects the supreme leader. The people vote in other elections, but only one person is on the ballot for each office, as the party nominates all those running.

The supreme leader has complete control of the society. The government owns all the major businesses and runs them in the name of the people. Religious worship is discouraged: No party member belongs to a religious organization. The prisons are filled with political prisoners.

Case 2: The supreme leader of Railkine makes most political decisions and heads the armed forces. The Assembly of Religious Leaders elects him from the clergy and may remove him. It also approves all candidates running for parliament. The assembly may also veto laws passed by parliament if they go against religious law. The supreme leader has outlawed political parties, closed newspapers, imprisoned dissenters, banned other religions, suppressed minorities, put requirements on how women should dress, and even outlawed dancing.

The supreme leader is building up the military and neighboring countries fear that Railkine will invade and impose its form of government. Case 3: New Sed is a country with a parliament and a strong tradition of political and religious freedom.

In the last 40 years, the Accolade Party has won election after election. This party has built good schools and a strong social safety net for all its people. The safety net includes a government-run health system, a high minimum wage, generous unemployment insurance, retirement pensions for all, and other benefits. It has enacted strict regulations on businesses. The government has a small military.

Taxes are very high. Alumni Volunteers The Boardroom Alumni. Curriculum Materials. Add Event. After defeat in World War I, many in Germany and Italy were anxious about the future of their countries. In Germany, "citizens faced poor economic conditions, skyrocketing unemployment, political instability, and profound social change," says the U. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Meanwhile, Italian citizens were reeling under rising inflation, unemployment, strikes and economic policies that were "confused and inadequate," according to the AHA.

Fascism also requires a general belief that the established government parties and institutions are incapable of improving the national situation. But for a fascist party to become powerful, the combination of a strong national identity and disenchantment with government still needs a catalyst to convince populations to side with what often starts as small fringe movements. In Germany, and to an extent Italy, this catalyst was the Great Depression, historian Aristotle Kallis, a professor at Keele University in England, said in a lecture on fascism that he delivered in Amsterdam in People felt desperate, ashamed and lost, he added.

In his "Five Stages" essay, Paxton said that fascism could appear only when a society has known political liberty and when democracy is established enough that the people can be disillusioned with it.

For example, Italy had a series of weak, revolving-door governments. And Germany had no effective parliamentary majority for three years before Hitler was named chancellor. Both countries confronted two possible solutions to the problems of ineffective government, suffering people and national humiliation: communism and fascism.

In both struggling Germany and Italy, the political left — consisting of communists and socialists — was gaining traction. In Italy, especially, it appeared that a socialist revolution was imminent.

But the existing government and conservative capitalist elites looked upon communism and socialism unfavorably. Paxton identified fascist pandering to conservatives early in the movement as another factor in setting the stage for a fascist regime.

In Germany and Italy, governments at the time decided to align themselves with fascists. Both fascism and communism proposed violent solutions, and one would win by destroying the other," Paxton said. German and Italian governments, having aligned themselves with the fascists and afraid of a socialist revolution, refused to work with the left.

This led to political deadlock, another of the factors Paxton said are required for fascism to come to power. Nevertheless, there have been growing fascist or proto-fascist movements in Europe and North America for the last few decades, he said. In recent years, the rise of populism — political movements that elevate ordinary people over elites — across Europe and the United States has led many to wonder if fascism is taking hold again.

Paxton said he does not think fascism is on the rise in the U. S, describing American populist movements as "much more traditional conservatism," he said.

It supports the right of businesspeople to seek maximum profit without rules of regulations. However, Paxton added, small factions of the rich and powerful in America have recently won popular support "with rhetorical devices that resemble fascism.