How far do you agree that, from 1924, Mussolini and his Fascists were in total control of the Italian state?

Yet whilst the cult of personality created an image of genius, the centralisation of power to Mussolini was imperative to him achieving control over the Italian state. Mussolini was determined to have both the Party and the State serve him and would not allow either to have real power. By holding the three most important ministries, the role of the government was largely curtailed and the idea of a government which would work together was quickly disbanded. The Acerbo Law,1923, and the Aventine secession resulted in an already weakened parliament full of fascist supporters; yet its power was reduced further meaning that Mussolini’s legislation no longer need to be debated and the ending of free elections meant that any opposition in Italy would not have a voice. Mussolini’s use of propaganda showed that he was only concerned on his own personal power; this is also apparent in his views on the National Fascist Party. He believed that the purpose of the PNF was to serve him and this became obvious by 1929. By effectively legalising the Fascist squadristi into a state militia, Mussolini nullified them from a potential threat into an ally. The establishment of the Grand Council of Fascism as a body which Mussolini would have complete control of, and the final Party Conference in which Il Duce demanded that all internal arguments were to be ended can be interpreted as a sign that he wanted a Party completely subservient to its leader.

Whilst being clearly focussed on personal political power, Il Duce used violence and repressions in a far less severe degree in comparison with other contemporary dictators. Whilst it is predicted that Mussolini and his fascist supporters killed 2,000 men by 1926, this figure is not excessive and shows how Mussolini relied on other tactics in gaining the support of the people. In his wooing of the support of the civil service it is obvious that Mussolini preferred to buy the support of key members of Italian society by offering them gifts through his powers of patronage, whilst enforcing the message that any disobedience would be dealt with harshly. Such a pragmatic approach proved equally successful in his dealing with the army as officers saw the Party as a means of achieving promotion and with the Church to which Mussolini promised a ban on contraception and divorce in the Lateran Agreements in 1929. Only with the Judiciary did Mussolini feel the need to resort to a purge, as Mussolini was aware that as a body it had the power to offer another voice to the Italian people as it could ordain Mussolini’s actions illegal. Whilst his power was not total, it greatly expanded on a basis of mutual understanding; people recognised that the consequences of not supporting the regime and thus eagerly embraced it.  

Yet whilst Mussolini did have extensive control over the Italian state, it would be an exaggeration so claim that it was total. Anti-fascist opposition did exist, albeit disorganised and ineffective. The two main groups, L’Unita and Justice and Liberty, had relatively small support bases of a few thousands each. This can mainly be attributed to Mussolini’s propaganda and the actions of OVRA which served to destroy and dissident organisations. The two groups did serve a purpose by publicising some barbaric actions of the regime to the rest of Europe; however by failing to collude they failed to form a solid anti-fascist front. Whilst Mussolini may have had total control in the north, the south still remained relatively free. Mussolini did little to improve communications in the region which had a tradition of regarding central government with great suspicion and this meant that much of his propaganda remained confined to the north. Yet conversely it could be said that this is irrelevant as the south had little power and could prove no real threat to Mussolini.

In conclusion Mussolini was genuinely liked by much of Italy and the low level of support for dissident groups is testament to this. Mussolini achieved much control of the Italian state by gaining the support of the key groups of society such as the army and civil service by making it in their best interests. Combined with centralising power to him and ending parliamentary democracy, Mussolini was in a position of near complete control.