The use of terror and the establishment of the police state is another key characteristic of totalitarian regime. Roberto Farannaci, the party secretary, co-ordinated much of the violence against the opponents, stating that 'If the broom is not enough, let us use the machine gun'. In 1925 Mussolini wanting to tone down the fascist party's unruly reputation in order to appeal to Italy's more affluent sections, he ordered Farannaci to purge the PNF of thousands of its more volatile members. In 1927 Mussolini formed the Organizzazione per la Vigilanza e la Repressione dell’Antifascismo (OVRA) a secret police force to remove political opponents. The extent of the police state even extended to controlling opposition from abroad. In 1937 the Rosselli brothers, Carlo and Nello, in charge of the Giustizia e Libertà (Justice and Liberty), an anti-fascist group based in France were murdered by the La Cagoule on the orders of Mussolini. However for all its totalitarianism, Italy was not in the grip of terror in the same bloodletting sense as Stalin’s Soviet Union or Hitler’s Germany. Those arrested or exiled in Mussolini's Italy did not face, as was so common in the Soviet Union, prolonged torture and execution and the liquidation of their friends and families.
The censorship of the mass media was a key factor contributing to the totalitarian nature of Fascist Italy. The first step in controlling the mass media was taken in July 1925 when Mussolini imposed a series of laws designed to control the press, anti-fascist newspapers were shutdown, while other newspapers were only allowed to print articles approved by the government. In December 1925 all journalists were required to be on a register drawn up by the fascist party. Furthermore in 1924 Mussolini created a state radio network to spread propaganda, public address systems were set up in cafés, restaurants and public squares to reach every member of Italian society. In 1924 the L’Unione Cinematografi ca Educativa were created to make documentaries and newsreels made compulsory to show in cinemas. The extent of propaganda was effective in ensuring the general publics acceptance of the regime until the late 1930's.
Furthermore as a result of propaganda efforts a cult of personality (as is often seen in totalitarian regimes) was built up around Mussolini, he became almost beyond reproach. Mussolini was idolised and revered by the Italian people, Predappio, Mussolini's place of birth became to some extent and still is, a site of near religious pilgrimage. School children were taught the phrase 'Mussolini is always right'. The curriculum at school emphasised suitable fascist subjects, ancient history, Italian history, Latin, and philosophy all received greater attention. The indoctrination of children was highly effective in sustaining the totalitarian regime; it effectively created a docile and loyal population committed to their ideals of service to the fascist state as the greatest purpose in life.
However the totalitarian regime was never complete, there still remained restraints on Mussolini's power from traditional institutions such as the Monarchy and the Church. For starters Mussolini never succeeded in sub-ordinating the Catholic Church to the full control over the fascist state. In the 1930's the fascist determination to capture the support of the nations youth prompted an attack on the youth clubs ran by the Catholic Church. The church conceded to restricting their activities to only religious objectives, however the Church survived the attack and retained the allegiance of the vast majority of the Italian people. The survival of an independent Church meant that for many Italians a large part of their lives, one based on religion, was unaffected by the demands of the regime, undermining any claim that Italy was a totalitarian regime that regulated every realm of life. Furthermore the Church was not the only restraint to Mussolini's power. In 1922 Mussolini accepted office as the King's prime minister and despite the increases in his personal power within the state, even as head of government, he could still be deposed by King Victor Emmanuel. Mussolini was eventually deposed by the King on the 25th of July 1943 following the allies invasion of Sicily.
In conclusion the abrupt end of the 'totalitarian' regime under Mussolini suggests that such a totalitarian state never existed. Mussolini summed up the definition of totalitarianism by stating that there is 'everything within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state'. However there were forces outside the control of Mussolini, in 1943 in the prospect of a military defeat, Mussolini was the first challenged in the Fascist Grand Council, then dismissed by the King, and finally arrested and imprisoned. Mussolini's dismissal suggests that the totalitarian regime Mussolini intended to create was never completed.