ITALIAN FASCISM AND ITS HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT

Fascism is the official name of the dictatorship regime which dominated in Italy from the beginning of National Fascist Party rule in 1922 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini, until the end of the Second World War. Although Italy had been in the winning side in the First World War, it could have not obtained its demands from the war. The disappointment originated from these conditions and ongoing economic and political instability were the most important factors which enabled fascism to come to power in Italy. After it gained the power, fascist government sought to keep every aspects of the social life under control in the country and took steps towards this aim. Furthermore, fascist government pursued an aggressive foreign policy and created a negative image of Italy in the international arena. Italian Fascism which was totalitarian in character, ended with the defeat of Italy in the Second World War. This article aims to examine the basic characteristics of Italian Fascism, its place in the world politics and its consequences. To achieve this goal, it will be tried to explain how fascism came into power in Italy and what kind of domestic and foreign policies fascist government pursued during its rule. Then, the fundamental features of Italian Fascism will be presented, and its differences and similarities with German Nazism will be briefly explained. Finally, it will be dealt with that how Italian Fascism has set a model for other countries in post Second World War era.