Mussolini and the Church essays

Mussolini and the Church essays During the outbreak of World War I, Italy remained a neutral state, many socialists including Benito Mussolini at the time believed that war was imperialistic and contrary to working class interests. The Italian government intrigued by the territorial lands they would acquire through the treaty of London agreed to ally themselves with Russia, Great Britain, and France. As the country prepared for war, Mussolini changed his stance and supported the call to war initiative, his reversal was justified in the belief that wartime chaos would spark a revolution and encourage nationalistic feelings amongst the citizenry. Feelings he could capitalize on. Such thoughts subsequently earned him dismal from the Italian Socialist Party. When the war concluded in November 1918, Mussolini sympathized with the nations hundreds of thousands of war veterans, many of whom were unemployed and dissatisfied with the liberal Italian state. To rouse their support, Mussolini established a political movement called the Fasci Italiani di Combattimento members of this movement came to be known as Fascists. Initially, youth were organized into armed squads in order to defend Fascist rallies. Later on, these squads would be used to attack and disrupt the rallies of rival political factions such as the socialists. Through this tactic Mussolini effectively integrated wartime tactics into peacetime politics. This paper will briefly outline the historical significance of the affiliation between Church and State, how the rise to fascist prominence in 1922 coincided with its relationship to Roman Catholic Church as illustrated by the constant tension of Mussolinis agreements with the Vatican. In order to gain an understanding of the relationship between Church and fascist Italy it is wise to examine the historical ties between pre-Fascist Italy and the Vatican. As it was in Spain, the relationship was hostile. The State att...