How significant was Mussolini's personal popularity in maintaining his control of Italy in the years 1925-1943? ESSAY PLAN

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  • How significant was Mussolini's personal popularity in maintaining his control of Italy in the years 1925-1943?
    • P: Mussolini's personal popularity.
      • Explain: Mussolini's strength in leadership and policy whipped up significant support for him and meant that he could maintain control of Italy in the years 1925- 1943
      • Example, the 'Cult of the Duce' was effective in the way it made most people realise that there were no real alternatives to Fascism
        • C/F: despite the extensive use of propaganda and stunts like the 'Cult of the Duce', the evidence suggests that many Italians were very sceptical of these measures and just got on with their daily lives without really caring about Mussolini.
    • P:Economic policies
      • Explain: A number of macro-economic policies brought about significant support for Mussolini's fascist cause.
      • Example: The weathering of the Great Depression was largely as a result of the drive for Autarky because a more insular economic approach meant the economy was not dependant on international markets as in Germany.
        • C/F: However, despite this there were implications for the Italian economy.
          • Industrial production fell by 23%
          • Unemployment reached 1.3 million.
          • By 1936- imports and exports had dropped by 1/3
    • P:The use of coercion and repression
      • Explain: The use of the OVRA meant that the Italian people were forced to consent to Mussolini's totalitarian regime or be imprisoned for dissent. Suspects were beaten up and imprisoned without proper judicial process.
      • Example: The shutting down of L'Unita- a left wing publication and beating up of the journalists who worked for the paper shows that fear of the regime would have been instilled into the minds of some of the general Italian population.
        • C/F: The significance of organisations like OVRA has been questioned.
          • For example, there were only 5,000 OVRA informers and throughout the period only 9 death sentences given.

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