Video Analysis on Benito Mussolini for upload PDF

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This paper provides an analysis of a video we have to watch on Benito Mussolini. It was a week one assignment and was worth 100 points....

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Running Head: VIDEO ANALYSIS

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Video Analysis on Benito Mussolini Ofonime Eyara Chamberlain University College of Nursing HIST 410N: Contemporary History Professor Traci Sumner July 18th, 2021

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The video tells of a man, Benito Mussolini, his birth, his quest for power, control of Italy using a system of government called fascism, and his eventual downfall. Benito Mussolini was born into a humble background on July 29th, 1883, in an Italian village called Predappio (Cameron & Stevenson, 2017). His father was a struggling goldsmith, and like most of the populace, making ends meet was a difficult task. Mussolini grew up to see an Italy that struggled politically, economically, and socially. The realities of life and his violent personality became a driving force towards his fight to improve the living conditions of his people. He embraced Socialism to enrich the poor with the wealth of the rich (Cameron & Stevenson, 2017). He soon realized that Socialism did not give him the control that he desired for Italy, hence the birth of Fascism in 1919. Foreign Policy One of Benito Mussolini’s most significant influences over foreign policy was the speed at which his idea of fascism was growing in the country, as his strategies of dictatorship have been reported to be used by Adolf Hitler (Duiker, 2015). His motivation to make Italy great again came from the failures of the democratic government. He believed that his fascist ideology would prove the grounds for the changes in the economic and civil state of the country. To gain a step higher in his quest, he convinced King Victor Emmanuel III to appoint him as a prime minister, and on October 31st, 1922, his dreams came true, and he named himself Il Duce (History.com Editors, 2020). He rode on the back of the views of nationalism to spread his ideas to conquer nations. In retaliation to four Italian soldiers killed on the Greek Island of Corfu, Mussolini ordered an attack on the island in 1923 (Britannica Encyclopedia, 2019). He also agreed with Yugoslavia in 1924 to gain control over Fiume. To extend Italy’s power into Africa and establish an empire, Benito Mussolini began to plan an attack on Ethiopia, a plan he

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executed on October 3rd, 1935. At the expense of the lives of Italian soldiers and Ethiopian civilians, on May 5th, 1936, Mussolini announced victory and declared Ethiopia part of a new Roman empire (Cameron & Stevenson, 2017). He also signed an agreement with the United Kingdom stating the Italian claim of Somalia. Violent Movements for Social, Economic, and Political Change Benito Mussolini's system involved the use of violence. He believed in the use of force, threats, and coercion. He infiltrated the people's minds by his speeches on the radio and curriculum taught to children in schools. Mussolini created the Black sShirts group and used the young men to perpetrate violence against anyone opposed to his views. One of such attacks was the destruction of the Socialist Avanti newspaper once run by Mussolini, and four lives were lost (Cameron & Stevenson, 2017). Children were drafted into the fascist movement, and anyone who opposed his ideas ran a risk of imprisonment and death. Mussolini used violence to rig the election, and when opposed by Giacomo Matteotti, he was kidnapped and killed. (Cameron & Stevenson, 2017). In his speech as prime minister, he showed no regard to other members and threatened that he could replace the assembly members with exclusively fascist (Iodice, 2018). One quote attributed to Mussolini says, “It is better to live a day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep” (Iodice, 2018). Governmental Authority/Loss of Personal Liberties As depicted in the video, Mussolini gained as much control as he could. He exercised control over Italy for over twenty years with vigor, might, violence, and mostly fear. (Iodice, 2018). Mussolini control information released by the press by putting in place press laws. A newspaper corporation like Corriere Della Sera was mandated to publish only good things about

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Mussolini. The men accused of killing Matteotti were released from prison, and other democratic policies were undermined (Cameron & Stevenson, 2017). During the election, freedom to vote by the people was thwarted as he placed his men at the polling stations to beat up anyone who did not vote for them. (Cameron & Stevenson, 2017). He also created trade unions consisting of commoners to replace the socialists and increase the membership of the fascist group (Iodice, 2018). The loss of liberties was enforced by forming a fascist police force that had the power to hole people against their will. In conclusion, Mussolini placed his interest first before those of his people. Through his quest for control through wars, he exposed Italy to defeat, especially in Greece and Ethiopia. The death of Matteotti saw a withdrawal of some fascists and sent Mussolini into hiding. He ended up taking side with Germany and working with Adolf Hitler. Benito Mussolini was eventually arrested, found guilty of treason, and killed. This video highlights the impacts of fascism and the ills of a dictator-style of government on the people.

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Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2019). Corfu incident. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Corfu-incident Cameron, P. (Producer) & Stevenson, M. (Director). (2017). Dictator’s Playbook [Video]. Arlington, VA: Public Broadcasting Service. Academic Video Online. https://searchalexanderstreet-com.chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/view/work/bibliographic_entity %7Cvideo_work%7C4065279/clip/150946 History.com Editors (2020). Benito Mussolini. History.com. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/benito-mussolini Iodice, E. F. (2018). “Lessons from History: The startling rise to power of Benito Mussolini”. The journal of Values-Based Leadership 11(3). : http://dx.doi.org/10.22543/0733.62.1241...