How did Mussolini use the Arts and the Media as a way of controlling the Italian People?

             Radio was the final method of mass media that Mussolini tried to use. The state controlled the radio broadcasts from inside Italy after 1924 and used it to emit two hours of Fascist broadcasts per day. However outside broadcasts were available such as the BBC and signals from Spain, and besides this radio was not easily available for the average man at the time.
            In terms of the Arts, there were six main mediums of communication with the people. the most effective of these in my oppinion were the use of architecture and theatre. The state would prescribe architecture for certain new buildings which would replace the more modern buildings with the Classical design, a throw back to the greatness of ancient Rome. The work was supposed to inspire people to think about the greatness of the country rather than themselves. theatre was an easy way of projecting a Fascist message but not many people attended the theatre regularly enough to make the most of it's potential, much like cinema.
            Art and music were two other silent means of propaganda. The Ministry of Culture, which was supposed to shape artisits and musicians into a state enginered style, had alot of opposition from different groups who encouraged individuality. Despite the fact that musicians had to join a Fascist union which encouraged the development of he Italian style and the rejection of foreign influences in composition, they remained and there was little use made of music as a propaganda.
           Literature and philosophy were also used to try and win the Italian people over. There was however a lack of a Fascist mandate or manifesto. while Communism had Marxist writings stating it's beliefs and Nazism had 'Mein Kempf' to direct it's followers, Fascism reamained without a similar literary work. Any philosophy written at the time was the idea of individual people and their own views. The only attempt to create literature of any sort by the state was the writting of 'Enciclopedia Italiana' to counter the Brittish version which had just been published. The book was a collection of human knowledge but heavily punctuated with Italy's contribution to the world.    
          In conclusion I have to say that Mussolini used the arts and media to a certain extent in controlling the Italian people, but not as well as it could have been used. He himself fell fowl to the myth created through propaganda that he was infallible and eventually the Italian people saw Mussolini for what he was.

Conor Caldwell