Mussoliniless

Mussoliniless

In December 1923, a good 13 years before the Fascist Third Reich would begin its march across Europe, a dam of the river Po bursts forth, 600 people are killed by its raging waters. While tragic this event did not have massive consequences on the political evolution of Italy or the life of the first Fascist and DUCE of Italy, Benito Mussolini. But what if that death toll was one higher. What if the founder of Fascism in Italy had visited the town of Galeno, or Bolzano on December 12th, 1923? The political repurctutions of such an event would not be small, and the not-yet repressed Socialist, who up until 1922 had held the majority of power in Italy, would have acted.

The most obvious, and easily answered question, is; why would the Supreme Facisti visit the town of Galeno? Many reasons could be given, ranging from politics to lovers. Mussolini was known as a constant womanizer, famous for his many affairs, throughout Italy and Switzerland (as a Socialist rouge before world war one) He had mistresses in many places, and it was infact Clara Petacci, one of his mistressess that was killed with him in 1945. There is no reason why he would not have one in the town of Galeno, bordering the beutiful Po river. To visit one would not be difficult as the Fascist party had already gained power. So while Mussolini visits a seductive and secret mistress, the infamous dam brakes and he is drowned.

So 1923 ends in tragedy for the Fascist party, the Mussolini family, and a yong Austrian whose idol was killed before his greatness could be realized. But the events of 1924 were already set into motion, with the Fascists carrying the tourch of their dead leader. From the Fascist elite a new leader is choosen, obviously no where near the amazing orator as the one who had swayed the minds of Socialists and Nationalists alike. The ousting of Socialists from the government is much more difficult, and instead of one murder (Giacomo Matteotti) the murder of many oposition leaders occur to achieve the Fascist superiority. Italy's "Fascisti Regola" (Fascist rule)' would later be shadowed by Hitler's '"Night of long Knives", but would still show how much more violence would come. Where the Matteotti murders were at least put on trial, those working for the Fascist leader are let off without punishment.

This act starts another round of political violence in Italy, and forces the end of the King's or the people's power. Socialists would not stand by to watch as the murderers of their leaders were given pardons, instead a new reign of terror and violence would start (and be countered by violence and terror from the black shirts). The new leader of the Fascists would immediatly demand full emergency power, and when the king begins to question the move, a new wave of violence spreads and he is forced to accept or face brutal retaliation. With the power to do what he likes the Fascist Dictator begins his rule of terror.

Where Germany burnt the Reichstag, Italy burns the cities. The poor workers of the many towns found the works of Marx appealing, while the big-business leaders and farmers feared the collectivization. So the country would be split again, but the Fascists, who had great strength in the youth, would eventually overcome the Socialists. A year of violence and oppression would finally bring an end to opposition. But the oppression and violence would do more damage to Italy then any other event in history.

The Fascists first moves with emergency powers would obviously be the destruction of liberal freedoms. Freedoms of speech, association, and press are all ended, labor unions are controlled strictly. Violence erupts with the laborers in many towns who refuse to follow the Fascist labour parties, obviously controlled by the big-business, and refuse to work until they are given rights. The Fascist party brings armed opposition to the strike, and after a 'bloody Monday' the strikes end with the death of hundreds. Now the Fascists realized that only through fear could they control the people.

To the foreign world in modern times this would be seen as harsh, but to the Red-Scared world of the 1920's, anything to stop the Socialists from gaining power was acceptable, so they went along. But where Italy and the UK had been friends under Mussolini, they were at odds under the new Fascists, who refused to compromise. France cared little for the actions of the government in Italy, so long as it could isolate Germany and prevent another war.

The use of fear and terror by Fascist governments is not suprising, and where Mussolini killed around 25 political enemies, the Mussoliniless government killed many more. Soviet style purges began, with any policital enemies being sent to work camps in the south, and those not worthy to live would be found gone the next day. But this could not all be achieved in one day, the townships and cities still held a good deal of local power, and the Fascists, who were constantly dueling with the Socialists had to do what they could to stop any towns from gaining too much power. So near the end of 1925 a series of laws began to quickly, and radically, centralize the state. Before the cities could react, a one party state had been created, and Fascism had taken power in Italy.

While the threat of any real Socialist uprising was destroyed, mad-men and assassins still dreamed of their state. So the Former Socialists, Zaniboni, successfully assassinates the unsuspecting Fascist dictator in November of 1925. The ripple of damage caused by this event begins another reign of violence, and sets the Fascists into a period of confusion and difficult times. A split and fight for power followed, until one side eventually won. The first move was to establish a new leader, an idealistic Fascist would soon gain power for his extreme ideas and reactionary plans. This new Fascist would begin the first war following the first world war. The Greco Italian war would end in 1934, 4 years long. 5 years later the Italian's would quickly join with Hitler against the French. Italy's involvement would drag the country into a full war, and then into a near-socialist revolution.

--------Early Years of Fascist Italy, after the death of Mussolini------------

After the fall of Mussolini in 1923 the Fascist council immediately put their heads together to bring about a new leader of their party. Marshal Pietro Badoglio, loyal chief of staff for the army under Mussolini. Badoglio made the first moves to establish the complete control of the Italian state, in response to the increase of anti-Fascist violence in the name of Socialism. To chance the Italian state so greatly would not be an easy task, but Badoglio took the task on anyway. He established a new tax structure, to centralize power, while making both national and local unity. He also established a system of local rule, with new 'states', each of which were ruled by Fascist controlled mayors. This system allowed Badoglio to play the national differences in the south and North together into a stronger Italian Nationalism.

This worked up untill 1946 and Italy's fall. Badoglio also became one of Italy's most oppressive rulers, clamping down on Socialist's rights. Badoglio secretly ordered the ousting of the Socialists from the government in March of 1924 and the murders of 15 Socialist and oposition leaders. This culminated in the brutal murder of Giacomo Matteotti and the call for a national strike. The call failed, and the Fascists took up the torch for the workers. Badoglio called for the end of Socialist labour unions, claiming, "They (the labour Unions) are Soviet instrements of control and oppression"

The majority of the workers flocked to the Nationalists, and the Socialists slowly began to loose almost all suport. Badoglio continued to suppress Socialist rights, using the threat of violence and nationalism. He used the power behind him to spend massive amounts in the army and airforce. He also used a good amount of his political power to conclude the Lateren Concordat with the Pope, which ended the power of the Catholic political parties in Italy, and gave the Fascists a full superiority over all other parties.

Badoglio continued to brake up the power of the Oppopsition, including legalising the use of violence by his black shirts in destroying the newpapers and media of non-Fascists. He also used the threat of military power to force the King to accept his rule. He continued his oppressive, yet successful, rule untill 1925 when he was murdered by a Socialist at his home in Rome.

The years of 1925-1929 were periods of civil strife in Italy while the Fascists fought the Socialists and eachother for power in Italy. The North was heavily Fascist, as Mussolini and Badoglio had invested heavily into keeping it Fascist, the south was a haven for the criminal elite and the Socialists, both of whom worked against the government. It was not not until December of 1928 that Ugo Cavallero took power and brought an end to the Socialists and the Mafia.

He quickly modernized the army, and after two coordinated battles, proved Italy to be a military power. He then set about re-establishing the damaged areas of southern Italy, using the system of the "codici italiani grandi" to strictly control what was left of the non-Fascist economic borders, and to end the power of all oposition. Cavallero ended many rights after being granted emergency powers. Cavallero also heated up international relations and began the first war with Greece.

In August of 1929 Cavallero arranged the murder of 6 Italian officials in Greece, blamed it and the economic smash caused by the stock market crash (it was not as bad in Italy, which was currently making radical changes to its economy anyway) in the US on all of Italy's problems. General Vittorio Ambrosio, later called the Italian Asp, led the invasion of Crete and Corfu. It lasted but three days, and the Greeks, who had not been ready for the bombardment and invasion of the islands, were forced to cede them, long before the League of Nations could react, Italy had taken the Islands twice from Greece, and this time refused to remove herself. This prompted the rise of Hitler in Germany, who now looked at Cavallero as his idol and future comrade, and an embargo of English goods into Italy.

From 1929 to 1936 the Italian state suffered a series of economic drags, but the central control of the Fascists allowed the state to stay relatively stable, and kept Communism from rising. The military command was kept in power, supporting the Fascists economic moves, which limited military growth, until 1936. In 1936 the invasion of Ethiopia was planned by Cavallero, and ordered in June of 1936 and was given command to Cavallero. The invasion was long and bloody, and the Italian air force proved their power. Three years later Hitler began his fatal march across Europe.

-----------Italy in World War Two----------------

The division of the provinces of Italy, which helped rise nationalism and limit the effects of the Great Depression, also help increase the amount of decentralization. To counter this Cavallero proclaimed, in 1936, that King Victor Emmanuel III, was now Emperor Victor Emanuel I of the Italian Empire. Along with the victory in the Greeco-Italian war 3 years earlier. When the allies declared war on Germany, Italy invaded France. As France began to crumble under the German onslaught, Italy made advances into southern France. Nova Nice and Province were proclaimed Italian states. The Italian armies, led by Maurizio Moratti, began to establish the Italian ghettos, which Cavallero insisted be set up for minorities. The Italian Nazism began to take form, just as Hitler reached Paris.

Front ports all along Italian France and the west coast, transports were launched. "Operation Eagle" was launched. All of Crete fell again, Corsica fell (not until the second wave of troops) and the invasion of Tunis began. While troops stormed forts in Corsica and Greece , the Grande Navy of Rome faired worse. The Battle of the Agean, in which the Italian navy and air force engaged the combined forces of Greece and Great Britain. The Italian fleet commander Altero Urbani, received word that the English fleet was moving, and with Giulio Tremonti, combined the airforce and navy to counter their forces off the coast of Naples. The Italian fleet consisting of 3 Battleship groups and 3 German subs met 4 Anglo-German groups with Italian air support. The battle lasted 5 hours and the HMS Nelson, Rodney and Prince of Wales were destroyed, along with the Italian ships Andrea Doria, Impero, and Vittorio Veneto. The HMS Aurora sunk when her captain ordered her to ram the Impero, both vessels sunk. Both fleets were defestated, with the Greeks being pounded as they fled back to their homeland, and the Italians retreating to Sicily, and then moved to take the island of Malta.

The First African Legion, led by General Vittorio Ambrosio, led the attack into North Africa. The brilliant general, known as the Italian Asp, led an armored attack into Tunisia and Lybia before forcing the French and English back. While the process of sieging and taking Algeris began, Ambrosio left to take command of the II African legion in the south, who had been stopped at Tamanrasset. The Anglo-French defenders used the town to force the Italians to fight house by house, so Ambrosio's tactics proved superior once again. A 2 week long bombardment began after he relived Lucio Stanca, the Italian leader in Southern Algiers. The city fell after the two week long bombardment, and the II African legion swept in a circle to meet at Algeirs in time for the final assault. Operation Eagle was deemed a success.

The III African Legion did not meet the same success. In Spring of 42 Antonio Fazio was ordered to take Cairo. A slow march along the coast gave the English the perfect chance to pester and damage the Italians. Many raids and attacks widdled the attackers down. After a month of marching and fighting the Italians had only made it half way to the city. It would not be until May of 1943 that the Italian and German armies would reach the city, just to be repelled by the Anglo-American forces.

In October of 43, the US had gained a foothold in North Western Africa, and had, with the English, liberated Ethiopia and Italian East Africa. This threat increased when the Italian fleet was almost completely devestated. As Italy slowly lost the Fascists threw the blame on the jews and military leaders. Victor Emanuel resigned as the Fascists began exporting Jews to Poland, and ended the life of Vittorio Ambrosio, Antonio Fazio, and Marcello Pera (leader of the Southern attack into France), whom they blamed the losses on.

For the next 3 years the Italians were beaten back, including the invasion of Sicily, the liberation of Corsica, and ths invasion and creation of the southern Republic of Italy. In 1946 the Italian Socialists abroad began to increase the amount of support, and on June 5th 1946 the revolution began. Cavallero fled to Spain, while most of his allies where killed in trials in Milan after the war. The two Italies were united, and declared war on Germany. After the war the Social democrats and Christian Democrats became the two strongest parties, and formed what we know today as Italy.