How did Mussolini use the Arts and the Media as a way of controlling the Italian People?
How did Mussolini use the Arts and the Media as a way of controlling the Italian People?
Mussolini had many methods of using people's own artistic talents to his own advantage, though the effectiveness of some of these methods is questionable. Mussolini used many different forms of media to communicate himself and his ideals.
Perhaps the most effective of these was the use of the poster. A high proportion of Italy at this time was illiterate and the posters that were produced were attractive and portrayed 'Il duce' as a great man how had many interests and was grea at many things. the state constantly put up fresh posters for the regime, and also took down any anti-state posters. they were a great way of portraying in a glance how great Mussolini was supposed to have been.
The newpapers and cinema were also used to try and control the thinking of the Italian people. However these two mediums of communication had difficulties as there was a high illiteracy rate and there was a general lack of enthusiasm for cinema going in Italy at that time. Only 10% of the population read Fascist run newspapers and most of the films on show at that time were from Holywood, so there was not the same oppotunity for Mussolini to exploit the cinema industry as Hitler had with his propaganda films such as 'The Eternal Jew'.