To What Extent was Mussolini's Rise to Power a Direct Consequence of WW1?

Economically Italy was hit very badly by WW1, they had relied on foreign loans to finance their war effort and once the war was over Italy as well as the rest of Europe was now in state of economic hardship.  Their was large scale unemployment which was aggravated by the return of soldiers from the front, who were also resentful that they had fought for their country whilst others stayed at home and many took both their land and their jobs.  Foreign trade was at a virtual standstill and inflation rose rapidly.  By the end of the war the Italian Lira was at only one fifth of its pre war value.  Not surprisingly then in 1919 support for socialism was high, unemployed workers and peasants began to riot and stir up strikes throughout the country.   The government did intervene however and reforms were made.   The socialists were weakened after that, but as I will show Mussolini took full advantage of the situation, using it as a possible Communist threat and therefore exploiting the opportunity to gain support from anti socialists.

Mussolini who was originally a socialist, set up the fascio di combattimento (fascist movement) in 1919.  They were mostly ex soldiers who were dissatisfied with the liberal government and the outcome of the war.  Mussolini began to make promises to restore Italy to its former glory.  He ran his own newspaper Il popolo d’Italia  which proved the ideal tool in which to promote his ideals and spread propaganda.  Violence was also used by the movement. in order to co herce people into Fascism and not Socialism.   The Socialist party had been the largest party in post war Italy and in the elections of 1919 they won over one third of the total votes.  

From the end of 1920 however  Mussolini’s popularity really began to grow.  This was partly due to luck and opportunism.  The Socialists were beginning to lose their status as the threat of Communism became more frightening and more and more people were looking to the Fascists. Mussolini took the opportunity to make a move to the right wing and become an anti socialist movement.   Mussolinis status as leader was helped by the fact that his possible rival  D’annunzio lost his occupation of Fuime which he had seized at the end of WW1.  People now saw Mussolini  as the leading fascist.  He was helped financially by the rural and industrial elite who were equally concerned with Communism.  In addition and very importantly he gained support from the church, this was not difficult as the pope even told Catholics to vote for Fascists in order to keep Socialists out of government.  Now that the party had gained such huge popularity Mussolini knew they would be able to seize power.  In 1922 they planned the take over of local governments and the eventual march on Rome.  However the march was not necessary as the King invited Mussolini to form a government, partly to stop the threat of Civil war but also as he told a confident at the time, he wished ‘To save a cabinet of poltroons and that in Mussolini he had a Prime Minister who was really a man of purpose who will last some time and has the will to act and act well’.

In conclusion therefore WW1 had been a huge factor in determining the future of Italy and Fascism was able to grow out of peoples discontent with the outcome.  However even before the outbreak of war people’s faith in the government was already deteriorating.  In addition the threat of Socialism in Italy was hugely exploited by Mussolini and had they or any other party had leadership qualities such as Mussolinis who knows what might have happened.