How Far was the Use of Violence the Main Reason for Mussolini's Consolidation of Power, 1922-1928
Juliet Miller
How Far was the Use of Violence the Main Reason for Mussolini’s Consolidation of Power, 1922-1928
Introduction
- Several reasons why Mussolini was able to consolidate his power between 1922 and 1928, such as Mussolini’s actions and strategy, co-operation from the elite and the failure of his opposition.
- However, I believe the most significant reason was the use of violence.
Paragraph 1: Use of Violence
- July 1923: The Chamber, surrounded by Blackshirts, passed the Acerbo Law. This said that the party gaining the most votes in an election, provided that they obtained at least 25% of the votes, would take two-thirds of the seats.
- April 1924: Militia violence during the election. 1 Socialist candidate killed; meetings were stopped; hostile voters were intimidated and the Blackshirts stood next to the poling stations to frighten people into voting for the Fascists. Some Fascist voters were allowed to vote many times each. The ras had a virtually free hand in intimidating opponents in the small towns in the provinces.
- Alongside ‘official’ militia pressure on critics, unofficial squad violence continued: Socialist meetings, individuals and buildings were attacked, as were hostile newspapers.
- May 1924: Matteotti Crisis – the murder of Matteotti led to the Aventine Secession and Mussolini setting up his dictatorship.
- Can see it was a very significant reason.
