However although Italy had been performing badly in the war, there were also problems back in Italy as Mussolini had not mobilised the economy to make the best use of Italy’s limited resources. He also was slow to react to the demands of war, for example, bread was not rationed until 1941, despite soaring bread prices, leading to the starvation of many Italians. This irritated the Italians and was a definite reason for the overthrow of Mussolini in 1943, however I do not believe it was the most significant reason. I believe that if Italy had performed well in the war, the situation back in Italy would have seemed less important to Italians, and therefore I still believe the main reason for Mussolini’s overthrow was Italy’s poor performance in the war.
Another reason why Mussolini was overthrown in 1943 was as a result of the Pact of Steel of 1939 which made Italy and Germany allies. As the hatred of the Germans increased in Italy (as it became clear that they viewed Italy as a contemptible junior partner to be exploited as Germany saw fit), Mussolini became increasingly unpopular. However I don’t believe that this would have led to Mussolini’s overthrow without Italy’s poor performance in the war, as I believe that if Italy won the war, this would have been mainly due to their alliance with Germany, which would have made Italians grateful for the Pact of Steel.
By 1943, opposition had emerged as there were critical pamphlets everywhere calling for “Bread, Peace and Freedom,” and there was graffiti on walls proclaiming “Death to the Duce!” There were also strikes in the northern factories involving more than 100,000 Italians, and membership of opposition groups such as the old Catholic and Communist parties had greatly risen. However this opposition wasn’t a significant reason why Mussolini was overthrown in 1943 because each opposition group was weak on its own, and it would have been almost impossible for them to join together in a revolution as Mussolini still controlled the machinery of repression.
Furthermore, Mussolini was overthrown in 1943 as a result of the elite, including the King, who believed Mussolini could be offered to the Allies as a kind of sacrifice or scapegoat and Italy might still get good terms upon surrender, and several leading Fascists, such as Ciano and Grandi, who thought the removal of Mussolini from power would mean they would be allowed to live. However, although it was the top Fascists who persuaded Mussolini to call an emergency meeting of the Grand Council of Fascism in July 1943, this move was as a result of Italy’s defeat in the war, and therefore I still believe the main reason why Mussolini was overthrown in 1943 was Italy’s poor performance in the war.
To conclude, although there are several reasons why Mussolini was overthrown in 1943, I believe the main reason was Italy’s poor performance in the war. Italy’s defeat showed the Italians that for the past twenty years, Mussolini’s propaganda boasting of a warlike nation were fiction, and this made them very angry. Furthermore, the poor performance in the war led to many shortages back home in Italy, and Mussolini was no longer able to lure Italians into a false sense of security. Italy’s poor performance in the war also increased hatred towards the Germans, and angered Italians over the Pact of Steel of 1939. Lastly, the war led to the rise of opposition groups, and led to hostility from the elite and leading Fascists who had previously supported Mussolini.
