Totalitarianism of Fascist Italy

Although the Fascist state in Italy founded by Benito Mussolini has totalitarian qualities, it is not necessarily a totalitarian government. The government in which Mussolini helped established was relatively dissimilar to the totalitarian model. Where the difference lies is within the premise regarding the idea of the State, which is a centralized district in which its populous is completely subservient. Fascist Italy was different to the fascist principle in creating the principle of a religion state, where the people practically worship the government by implementing a totalitarian type by giving complete control to the dictator, Benito Mussolini. Italian Fascism redefined itself by implementing a skewed version of totalitarianism that molded its society in a multitude of ways as opposed to other totalitarian mania of the era.

After World War I, there were anti-socialist reprisals from the middle class combined with social turmoil. The middle class defended it as an alternative to the threat of losing ownership of private property in socialism. More importantly, it provided Italy with a social restoration after the horrors of the first world war.

The Facist administration creates the atmosphere in which the State is greater than the people and therefore citizens are denied many political rights. The people of Fascist Italy are individuals who are willing to be political soldiers, upholding, “discipline, co-ordination of forces, duty and sacrifice” (Mousilini 197). Fascism creates a super-nationalist environment that unites the nation and creates a populous ready and willing to commit to martyrdom. Fascist principles call for a “perpetual revolution” and the incitement of its people by recurring feroc...

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...creates the perception that the State is superior to all. But, Mussolini differs from that in order to expand his political power by creating a semi-totalitarian regime that is warped in ideology. Mussolini took advantage of the social unrest that was prevalent after World War I through fear tactics and unscrupulousness. The societal restoration within the populous is what allowed Mussolini to gain complete governmental control. He also exploited the highly religious Italian people by heavily implementing Catholicism with the government, but by doing so, averted from his fascist principles because he is acknowledging a liberal idea contrary to the State. Mussolini’s government of the early twentieth century cannot be considered a complete totalitarian-fascist regime and was unable to secure the “total society” under the State that Mussolini so desperately sought.