Mussolini’s Italy and Fascism - 1938
Mussolini’s Italy and Fascism - 1938
Mussolini hated Hitler because he could not tolerate a rival dictator. It is important to understand that Italy under Mussolini was a militaristic expansionist state. It did not have much power in Europe at the time, but it was a major thorn to British interest in Mediterranean Sea and Africa. I am adding Mussolini’s fascism here to understand why Italy sided with Hitler in the second world war.
Fascism is: Private property, private profits, are preserved, but under strict state control. The entire productive capacity of the country, theoretically represented by employer and employees both, is organized into a series of twenty-two “corporations,” from which deputies to the lower chamber of parliament will be chosen. Representation will be on a basis of occupation instead of geography; a deputy will represent, say, the hotel business instead of province of Turin.
The state, being supreme, regulates economy for its exclusive benefit. In reality, it turned Italy into a prison.
Fascism is entirely anti-capitalist: No employer may discharge labor without government consent. No capitalist may undertake even minor independent activities, such as business expansion without state approval. Wages are determined by the government. The employer may hire labor only at government labor exchanges. A factory owner may not liquidate his business without state permission. The government controls all sources of credit. The government takes a very large share of the profits as taxation.
The disadvantages of labor under Fascism were quite severe: Liberty, under Fascism system, ceased. Workers lost their right to bargain and to strike.
The best reference book I found is Inside Europe by John Gunther, a time capsule, the 1938 edition.
