Benito Mussolini: “The Doctrine of Fascism”

Questions for Further Study

• 1. The words Fascist and Fascism continue to be used in political discussions, often unthinkingly, to refer to laws, politicians, or viewpoints that are perceived to be repressive. Is this a fair and accurate use of the terms? Explain.
• 2. The terms of the 1919 Treaty of Versailles have been blamed for much of Europe’s political unrest in the 1920s and 1930s, producing the conditions that sparked World War II. How did the Treaty of Versailles affect Italy? How did it contribute to Mussolini’s rise to power? Compare this document with Adolf Hitler’s Proclamation to the German People (1933). What viewpoints do the documents share with regard to recent history?
• 3. Fascism is generally regarded as a right-wing ideology, while Communism is regarded as a left-wing ideology—the two extremes of the political spectrum. How did these two ideologies compete in the 1930s in Italy and other European countries? As a point of comparison, see Vladimir Lenin’s What Is to Be Done?
• 4. What was the relationship between the individual and the state under Fascism? Why was this definition of the relationship attractive to many Italians at that time?
• 5. Respond to the following statement: Fascism in Italy in the 1930s was not a clearly defined political ideology but an attitude or outlook.