Fascism was an ideology and government structure that ruled Italy from the 1920s to the 1940s after the end of World War II. There had been many analysis and discussions about the Fascist Italy under Mussolini. The lifestyles of people were largely affected by this extreme ideology. The film, Duck Soup, describes what it was like in Italy during Mussolini’s rule. I will be analyzing different aspects of fascism that were shown in the mythical city, Freedonia.
The first element of fascism is that the people greeted Groucho with love and awe when he became the leader of the nation. The musicians kept playing their instruments and singing to praise the supreme leader. In fascists Italy, when Mussolini gave a speech to the public, there would always be a big crowd chanting. The people are always supportive of what the supreme leader has done for the country. The second element is leader’s ethic. It talks about when the movie talks about “when the clock
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strikes 10, the people will sing national anthem.” The leader came out to meet the people at exactly 10 o’clock. This is symbolic of that Mussolini was always on time. In addition, the element of absolute right in the leader of a Fascists state was seen in Freedonia In the film, Groucho makes all the policies decisions and ignores his cabinets’ advice.
In Fascist Italy, “Mussolini embodied the best of the nation and the people. (17) This means that Mussolini has enough knowledge to make policies that will benefit the people of Italy. He basically knows what the people want and will deliver to them.
Furthermore, there was a scene where Groucho was sitting in trial and sentenced the defendant to the appropriate punishment. This is to Fascist’s Italy with all the new laws ascribing that there will be no habeas corpus in court anymore. In the film, there was also a scene about the leader says that current economic system in Freeedonia must be reformed. This is equivalent to the corporatism in Italy, which means, “it was based on class collaboration and called for a horizontal, rather than a vertical. ordering of economic life. (24)” The movie was discarding capitalism as
well. The other element of fascism can been seen in the movie is the readiness for war. Fascism “repudiates the doctrine Pacifism. (83)” Fascists love war. When the leader is declaring war without hesitation or consultation, it is symbolic of fascists love for violence. It also shows that war unifies the people of Italy. Another element of fascism seen in Freedonia is the power of the leader to get rid of any person he seems threatening to the regime. In Italy, there would be secret police watching the public to see if there were any dissenters. Those people could be thrown into jail for a long time or be executed. Another element of fascism in the film is that the aristocrats were old, pompous, and fancy. The Fascists wanted to eliminate the aristocracy, as they still believed in liberal democracies and capitalism. Fascism was an ideology that drew attention from many people around the world. Some praised it yet some criticized by some as well. This film represents well of the many elements of fascism.
Mussolini’s population policy was a clear effort to exercise his authoritarian control over the people of Italy, regulating the most personal and private details of their lives. In his bid for complete control, he used new laws, propaganda, and sometimes brutal tactics in order for his wishes to be recognized. It is during the 1920’s to the 1940’s that totalitarian control over the state escalated into full dictatorships, with the wills of the people being manipulated into a set of beliefs that would promote the fascist state and “doctrines.”
Multiple historians have touched on the change in government during Fascist Italy’s reign in World War II. In Italian Fascism: Its Origins and Development, Alexander De Grand clarifies the many promises Benito Mussolini fabricated for the Italian people in order to get them to join his cause such as the improvement on poverty with the rise of a new Roman Empire. De Grand also gives an opposite view, with some citizens seeing Fascism as a “model of efficiency.” In Melton S. Davis’ Who Defends Rome?, t...
Mussolini was considered one of the first modern dictators and he essentially paved the way for Hitler and others to follow. Italy was still in chaos after World War I and showed no signs of recovery. When Mussolini attempted his rise to power, he did it through the political channels being voted in by the people. However, rather than seeking to improve Italy, “Mussolini's new cause became personal power; he sought to place himself in the position of dictator” (Gale). The way in which Mussolini spoke captivated crowds and made Italy fall in love with him. What Mussolini lacked in height he made up for in public speaking, as one of his critics describes, “Yet by the power of his public speaking, by his gestures and tone of voice, he was capable of inspiring tremendous enthusiasm in the crowds who gathered to hear him” (Gale). Italy felt as if Mussolini’s cult of personality was never going to leave, like it seemed as if Big Brother was never going to
Fascism is one of the great political ideology in the 20th century. It is a kind of authoritarian government that, according to Wikipedia, “considers the individual subordinate to the interests of the state, party or society as a whole.” Two of the most successful and to be in the vanguard of fascism government is Italian fascism – led by Benito Mussolini, and Nazi Germany – led by Adolf Hitler. Fascism in Italy and Germany, though in many regards very similar - have the same political ideologies, still have many aspects to them that make them different from each other. Before analysing the similarities and differences between the fascism that emerged in Italy and Germany since the very first of 20th century, it is better to discover - what is fascism.
militaristic government" (Webster's). March 23, 1919 marked the ascension of the Fascist party in Italy. For many, young Benito Mussolini was a symbol of law and order in a time of political and social turmoil. Mussolini's "Fasci di Combattimento", the re-organization of his Fascia group, was accepted and admired by all, especially those Italians longing for the end of unemployment, inflation, and the fear of a communist revolution. In Italy, many members of the government, as well as a few aspects of society, gained from Fascism. However, despite those who gained, more Italians suffered as a result of Fascist government.
In 1922, Benito Mussolini held leadership in Italy, promising a proficient and militaristic nationalistic state. During his control as prime minister, he gained a large group of followers, banned the disparagement of government, and used extreme violence against his enemies within the parliament. According to Oppenheimer, Adolf Hitler idolized Mussolini’s rise and respected his tactics to gain power. Hitler was a violent leader who brought For example, “corporatism” largely contributed to later policies that we still practice today.
Fascism is the destructive authority of a demagogue at work in a nation or people group. A key component of fascism is demagoguery, that is, whatever supreme leader that is trying to attain power has great support from his people; this is the main focus that separates a fascist dictator from a non-fascist one. The German
Throughout Mussolini's life, he had made his rise to power, many accomplishments, and in the end he had made a huge effect on his country.
Fascism values human nature in a group for the benefit of the community. Fascism’s approach to politics is to organize a mass movement in a drive to seize state power. Fascism also uses this mass movement as a system of control using organized violence to stop opposition. When the power is in firm grip of the ruler, the government will be used to control the population and everything in it so the community will be benefited. The two most recognized names that go along with fascism are Italy’s Benito Mussolini and Germany’s Adolf Hitler, which will be e...
Unlike Marxism, Fascism does not believe that class conflict can bring about change, instead fascism believes that class conflict can hurt the integrity of a country. Fascism emerged in Italy in the 20th century to stop the rapidly growing workers movement which was pushing up wages and threatening revolution. Led by Mussolini, they were funded by various wealthy big businesses (the rich minority) in order to smash picket lines and attack left-wing organisers. Fascism was very attractive in its time as democracy was new in much of Europe and not very well established, many of the countries had been run by the monarchy; democracy appeared weak in comparison to a strong charismatic leader.
Italy after the war was filled with an assortment of embittered veterans, republicans (anti-monarchists), anarchists, syndicalists and restless socialist revolutionaries. Many socialists and working people were impressed by the "worker 's revolution" in Russia, and they were ready to support revolution in Italy.” This explains some of the many reasons why Fascism was so attractive to Italian Citizens. Even though this way of governing went against citizens’ self-interests, they accepted it because they were angry with certain problems regarding the government in Italy. Despite the strong Italian nationalism, these citizens still desired a strong leader for stability. Because of the nationalism, citizens wanted to feel superior in their country. Of course there were still opposes to this fascist movement, but many people agreed with Benito Mussolini in an abundance of areas. They accepted Fascism for the military part of the deal; they believe that Italy can only survive by proving its military superiority. These people also had a strong desire to expand the territories, and Mussolini made it seem like he would be able to make that happen. There were many people who disagreed with Communist and socialist ways, so they seemed to like this “third-way” that Mussolini created. Due to the fact that it is a combination of ideas from other social groups, many people were able to relate and agree with
"The manner in which Mussolini and the Fascist Party gained possession of the government was regarded in most foreign circles as an illegal act of violence." (3) As the nation of Italy began to suffer great debts, Mussolini had been summoned by the King to form a government to aid in the economic needs. This marked the birth of the Fascist Party in Italy. In the beginning of his rise to the top, Mussolini was popular amongst his people. His popularity was high, and people began to trust in his judgment and ideas. (4) He was, in essence, saving the people from the turmoil that had ensued the nat...
Before the dawn of Neorealism, Italy was under great turmoil in the early 1920s suffering from major economic crisis, bank failures and a collapsing government, which would also mean a collapse in the Italian film industry and the ‘Silent Era’ of cinema (Roberts, 2005). When Benito Mussolini took control as the 40th Prime Minister of Italy in 1922 the revival of Italian cinema would be once again be relived, but this time ruled under the control and guidance by Mussolini and his fascist government (Bondanella, 2001).
Benito Mussolini was the premier-dictator of Italy from 1922 to 1943. He was the founder and leader of Italian Fascism. Mussolini, along with his Facets government, was able to successfully suppress the Mafia during the time of World War II. However, after the war ended in 1945, the Mafia emerged and ruled once again. Over the next thirty years, the Sicilian Mafia was not only able to gain control Sicily, but all of Italy as well.
Benito Mussolini created a group of fascists to represent a means to stop the socialists and the communists coming into his nation. Mussolini also wanted to eliminate conflict between employers and workers, by using the corporate state. All were to work for the common good, and trade unions or strikes were forbidden. Every profession had its own corporate branch, and all problems were to be solved through negotiation. This may seem very democratic or reasonable, however the fascist state controlled the issues of the negotiating sides, wages were very low and so were the living standards.