ACHIEVEMENTS OF BENITO MUSSOLINI/FASCISM IN ITALY, 1922-43

Mussolini and his fascist regime in Italy made remarkable achievements in the history of Italy. In his domestic and foreign policies, Mussolini scored great successes. Generally, Mussolini made remarkable achievements amidst failures in the social, political and economic structures of Italy. NB. Take a clear stand point if you are asked to Assess or examine the achievements/ contributions/ polices of Mussolini or fascism in Italy.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
DOMESTIC POLICIES AND REFORMS
1. Law and order
Mussolini/fascism restored law and order in Italy. Before and in the aftermath of Mussolini's rise to power, there was confusion, anarchy and total breakdown of law and order in Italy. However, Mussolini used tough measures such as imprisonment, torture, terror and intimidation that re-established peace and stability. He also created an efficient spy network that checked on subversive activities of the opposition most especially his communist and socialist opponents. Strikes and demonstrations were violently suppressed, which normalised the operation of factories and industries.
2. The army
Mussolini achieved much in his military reforms. Before Mussolini rose to power, Italian army was weak and indisciplined. Different political groups like the communists, socialists, nationalists, and liberals had their own armies that were agents of violence. However, Mussolini transformed the pre 1922 armies in to a highly disciplined national army by 1930. He created a large army that was well equipped with modem facilities and military training became compulsory for everybody. He also improved on the naval strength of Italy. During the fascist regime, Italy's naval power rose to the levels of France and Germany. There was also immense progress in the field of aeronautics (flying and navigating aircraft) and radio engineering, which improved the efficiency of the army. The transformed and modernised army was used in maintaining law and order, defending the independence and territorial integrity of Italy and fighting allied powers in the Second World War.
3. Infrastructural development
The fascist regime under Mussolini's leadership scored a great achievement in the field of public works.
Mussolini built and renovated roads, schools, railways, towns, hospitals, and canals. About 5000kms of railway lines were electrified. Communication was improved and telephones were used in urban areas by 1930. Mussolini also built mighty autos trade (motor ways) carving their way through the mountains and over valleys, (although at the expense of minor roads). The old monuments of Italy were properly preserved. This promoted patriotic and nationalistic feelings, which instilled confidence in the Italians.
4. Agriculture
There was a marked improvement in the field of agriculture. Agriculture was improved through afforestation, irrigation, land reclamation and giving subsidies to farmers. Farmers were motivated to use better seeds, manures, fertilizers and modem methods of agriculture. Mussolini also gave awards of gold, silver and bronze to the most productive and innovative farmers. By. 1939, these measures had revolutionised agriculture to the extent that wheat and grain productions doubled. This made Italy that had suffered hunger, inflation, poverty and unemployment to become one of the prosperous and powerful states in Europe.
5. Industrialisation
Mussolini's fascist regime witnessed a significant progress in the industrial sector. Industrialisation was boosted by giving state subsidies to industrialists. New technologies from various countries were introduced. Modem industries were built and industrial production doubled by 1939. This includes iron and steel industries, fiat company, Pirelli mbber company and oil refineries, HEP production doubled and reduced the shortage of coal as a source of power. In 1933, an institute for reconstruction of industries was established. The state directly controlled many banks and large-scale industries in an effort to solve economic depression. All these transformed the pre-1922 backward Italy into an industrialised nation by
1939.
6. Education
Mussolini's education reform was a great achievement in the history of Italy from 1922- 1943. Before came to power, the level of education was low and many Italians were illiterate. However, Mussolini built and renovated schools, colleges, universities and libraries. This promoted education and literacy to the extent that the 1931 census indicated 80% literacy rate.
7. Corporate state system
Mussolini and his fascist regime created corporate state system to bring harmony between employees and employers. In 1926, a trade union law was enacted. It established only three kinds of union i.e. for employers, semi-skilled and unskilled labourers. Every citizen who obliged to subscribe yearly to one of the union whether joined or not people joined because failure to do so would mean no protection for one's rights yet one would have subscribed to a union. 211 employees and workers were indoctrinated with fascism, which undermined political liberalism that hitherto existed. Through the corporate state system, laws were passed that declared strikes, demonstrations and trade unions illegal.
This harmonised the relationship between workers and employers and helped to promote law, order, peace and stability.
8. Fight against communism and socialism
Mussolini succeeded in containing the spread of communism and socialism in Italy: Communism started spreading from Russia after the Russian revolution of 1917, threatening the property of the rich landlords, middle class and industrialists. He used spy network, force and terrorism to identify, isolate and paralyse the activities of communists and socialists. Although there were established corporation for workers, communists and socialists never succeeded in establishing a dictatorship as in Russia. In this regard, one liberal Member of Parliament remarked of Mussolini He has saved Italy from the socialist danger which has been poisoning our life for twenty years.
9. Concordat with the Pope i.e. Lateran pact (agreement)
In 1929, Mussolini signed the Lateran pact with the Pope, which reconciled the Catholic Church and the state. Since 1870, there was a poor relationship between the Pope and previous Italian governments because Rome was taken away from the church as the capital of a united Italy. Determined to gain the Pope's support, Mussolini entered negotiation with the Pope and signed the Lateran pact. In the pact, the Catholic Church was declared a state religion. Rome was recognised as the capital of Italy, the Vatican was declared totally independent, the Catholic Church was to be compensated for losses incurred and the Pope approved fascist government in Italy. A number of historians have concurred that the concordat with the Pope was the greatest achievement that Mussolini registered in the political history of Italy.
FOREIGNPOLICY
Fascists/ Mussolini's foreign policy were primarily to make Italy a powerful and prosperous nation in order to revive the past glory. Mussolini was dissatisfied with the then Italian boundaries and had ambitions of expanding it. Consequently he perused an aggressive and sometimes diplomatic foreign policy that aimed at establishing a vast Italian empire.
10. Recovery of lost states
Mussolini successfully increased Italian influence in the Mediterranean Sea. In 1923, he signed the treaty of Lausanne with Greece in which Italy regained the Islands of Dodecanese and Rhodes that she had lost to Greece in 1920. A year after (1924),-Mussolini signed the treaty of Rome with Yugoslavia by which Italy regained the long disputed town of Fiume although part of it i.e. Susak and port Barros went to Yugoslavia.
11 Corfu incident, 1923-1924
Mussolini succeeded in securing compensation for 4 Italian citizens who were murdered by Greeks. On 2lst Aug 1923, General Enrico, Tellini and two other Italian staff working on the territorial arrangements of Versailles treaty were murdered on the boarder of Greece and Albania (They were actually in Greece).
Mussolini reacted by forcefully occupying Corfu Island and demanded 50 million Lire compensation from Greece. The Greek government paid the 50 million Lire compensation and Mussolini withdrew his troops on 27th September 1924.
12 Influence on Albania
Mussolini successfully financed an internal revolt in Albania that overthrew president Zogu from power.
In 1926, he signed the treaty of Tirana with Albania by which Albania became a satellite state of Italy and in 1939 he annexed Albania, which became part of Italian empire. Mussolini also gave aids to Albania and exploited Albanian oil in return. This marked the first stage in Mussolini's effort to establish Italian influence in the Balkans along other great powers like France, Russia and Austria.
13 Promotion of European diplomacy
Although Mussolini was a dictator and an aggressor, he is credited for promoting European diplomacy. He promoted European diplomacy with other powers through the Locarno and Munich conferences of 1925 and 1938 respectively. Mussolini also signed commercial treaties with great powers such as Russia and France that promoted trade and improved diplomatic relations with such powers. He also signed treaties of friendship with Hungary in 1927 and Austria in 1930. In the treaty with Austria, Mussolini provided arms and money for the Austrian chancellor's private army. All these made Italy diplomatically stronger than ever before.
14 Conquest of Abyssinia (Ethiopia)
Mussolini annexed Ethiopia and made it part of Italian empire. On October 1935, conflict arose between Italian army working in Italian Somaliland and Ethiopian army at the well of "wall". The Italian and Ethiopian armies quarreled sparking off a fight that led to the death of 30 Italian soldiers. Mussolini revenged by attacking and annexing Ethiopia to Italy. He renamed it Italian East Africa with himself as the emperor. This successfully revenged the humiliating defeat of Italians by Ethiopia at the battle of Adowa in 1896. When the League of Nations condemned Mussolini's action, he withdrew from the league and remained emperor of Ethiopia until his defeat in 1941. Thus, conquest of Ethiopia promoted Italian influence and glory abroad.
15 The Spanish civil war
Mussolini participated in the Spanish civil war in which he succeeded in restoring a fascist regime under General Franco's leadership. In 1936, a revolution occurred in Spain leading to the over throw of General Franco and the establishment of a republican government. General Franco withdrew to Morocco, waged a cute guerilla war with Mussolini and Hitler's support, defeated Spanish, British plus French troops and returned to power in 1939.General Franco established a fascist state in Spain courtesy of Mussolini in Italy. This strengthened Italian influence in the Mediterranean Sea and also frustrated the rise of communism in Spain.