StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Mussolini's Ousting from Power in July 1943 - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The paper “Mussolini’s Ousting from Power in July 1943” suggests that invasion of Sicily was the trigger for Mussolini’s dismissal. Call for the Italians' consolidation during the Allies' invasion in the name of Italy, and not in the name of fascism was the sign of the duce's upcoming resignation…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER93.5% of users find it useful
Mussolinis Ousting from Power in July 1943
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Mussolini's Ousting from Power in July 1943"

Italian Fascism. Mussolini’s Ousting from Power in July 1943 Mussolini’s decline and finally the fall from power signified an important period in the war history of Italy. The reasons for Il Duce’s loss of authority are various, among which are his recent ill health; dissatisfaction with his policies among Italians, many people thought he was putting German interests above needs of Italy; recent defeats of Axis etc. But there is no doubt that invasion of Sicily was the trigger point for Mussolini’s dismissal. At that time Hitler was facing a crucial strategic problem of opposing the Allies’ evident reentry in Europe – territories conquered by Germany were so immense (from France’s west coast to Greece’s east cost), that it was practically impossible for him to gauge the place the Allies were going to strike next. On the other hand, the wide choice of possible objectives and the superior sea power were the crucial strategic advantages of the Allies. Having lost its forces in Africa, only 10 Italian divisions and 2 German panzer units were available for the Axis in the middle of summer 1943. “The Allies, meanwhile, were preparing to throw some 478,000 men into the island – 150,000 of them in the first three days of the invasion.” The air superiority of the Allies in the Mediterranean theatre was also great by that time, “more than 4,000 aircraft against some 1,500 German and Italian ones” (“Sicily and the Fall of Mussolini, July-August 1943”, 1999). So, on 10th of July 1943 Allies’ troops invaded Sicily from the sea. The coastal territories, guided mainly by Sicilians, were given up fast enough due to unwillingness of Italians to let their motherland be turned into a battlefield to suit Germany’s interests. In only three first days of the invasion the British forces had been able to clear the whole southeastern part of Sicily. Then the British moved toward Messina taking a circuitous route around Mount Etna while the Americans moved in eastward direction and occupied Palermo in the west of the northern coast on 22nd of July. The successive defeats of the Axis in Africa made many Italian leaders desperate to take side of and make peace with the Allies. Sicily invasion was a direct and immediate threat to mainland Italy and caused Italians’ prompt action. On the night of July 24, 1943 during the Fascist Grand Council Mussolini revealed Germans’ plans to evacuate the southern part of Italy. Il Duce’s former Fascist colleagues turned against him at the meeting and the majority of the Council voted for his immediate resignation. The meeting concluded with a motion empowering the King to take back prerogatives that were taken away from him by Mussolini, first of all, the responsibility for the military decisions in the war. Even though the motion was accepted with enormous support, nothing actually had been settled and Mussolini didn’t consider it to be a reason for his dismissal. However, when next day, on July 25 he paid a visit to General Paolo Puntoni and King Victor Emmanuel III, he was arrested and finally accepted his political defeat. The King went on to entrust Marshal Pietro Badoglio with the new government formation, which started secret negotiations with the Allies, even though there were still significant German forces on the territory of Italy. (“Sicily and the Fall of Mussolini, July-August 1943”, 1999) This was the way the Italian dictator of 21 years Benito Mussolini had stepped down as head of the government and the armed forces. King Emmanuel had taken control over the army and stated that Italy would “through the valour of her troops and the determination of her civilian population, find, in the respect of her old institutions, the way of recovery.” (“1943: Italian dictator Mussolini quits”, n.d.) Mussolini’s resignation was a huge blow to Adolf Hitler and the Axis, especially after Sicily invasion by the Allies and is usually considered to be the end of fascism in Italy. At that time the Times diplomatic correspondent was reported to say: “Mussolini, who will be 60 on Thursday, has been ill in recent months, but his resignation is not covered with the easy pretence of ill-health. The people know plainly that he has resigned because he is a failure - a failed criminal” (“1943: Italian dictator Mussolini quits”, n.d.) There were some indications that suggested Mussolini’s decline – he didn’t make any rallying call at the time of Sicily invasion by the Allies and usually appealed to people in the name of Italy, not of Fascism. He was also reported to have met Hitler in northern Italy not long before his resignation. However, there had been very little news about the meeting and it was suggested that even if Mussolini had appealed for help to Hitler, his request had been turned down. When the news of Mussolini’s removal from power were announced by Rome Radio, the Italian national anthem was played after it and not the Fascist hymn “Giovenessa”, which used to end all bulletins previously. It was seen as further proof that the new Italian government sought to disassociate itself from Fasci di Combattimento, the Fascist Party founded by Mussolini in 1919. A lot of people celebrated the dismissal of Il Duce and observers believed his removal was a first step to Italy stepping out of the war and declaring neutrality. However, the Allies made it clear that they would not accept anything less than “unconditional surrender”. In September 1943 Germany occupied almost all mainland Italy apart from the southern part which was supported by the US and British forces. Mussolini was rescued from prison in the north of Italy by Germans and was to head new puppet fascist regime. However, he was shot by partisans on April 28, 1945 after his failed attempt to escape to Switzerland. (“1943: Italian dictator Mussolini quits”, n.d.) This was the fall of Benito Mussolini, which started in July 1943, at the time when so many factors coincided to lead him to resignation and later to death. Among the most important reasons for his decline, I can name several: the Axis defeats in Africa and as a result loss of forces, dissatisfaction of Italians with Mussolini’s regime and his prioritizing German interests instead of Italy’s, unwillingness of Italians to participate in the war which benefited Germany, the desire of Italian leaders to support the Allies and finally, as a result of all previous factors – invasion of Sicily, which both was triggered by Mussolini’s decline and triggered finally his fall. References: Sicily and the Fall of Mussolini, July-August 1943. (1999). Normandy: 1944 – The Campaign Background: Amphibious Invasions before Normandy. Retrieved May 20, 2005, from http://search.eb.com/normandy/articles/Sicily_and_the_fall_of_Mussolini.html 1943: Italian dictator Mussolini quits. BBC On This Day: 25 July. Retrieved May 20, 2005, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/25/newsid_3600000/3600649.stm Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Mussolini's Ousting from Power in July 1943 Essay”, n.d.)
Mussolini's Ousting from Power in July 1943 Essay. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/military/1526518-italian-fascism-essay
(Mussolini'S Ousting from Power in July 1943 Essay)
Mussolini'S Ousting from Power in July 1943 Essay. https://studentshare.org/military/1526518-italian-fascism-essay.
“Mussolini'S Ousting from Power in July 1943 Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/military/1526518-italian-fascism-essay.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Mussolini's Ousting from Power in July 1943

Mussolini and a Defiance of Democracy

Fascist Spectacle: The Aesthetics of power in Mussolini's Italy.... hellip; In the 1920s there was a rise in the belief that democracy allowed for the incompetent many to have power over the corrupt few, placing the classes in diametric opposition and challenging the system of democracy.... Mann writes that “Ideological power derives from the human need to find ultimate meaning, to share norms, values, and rituals that seem to make sense of the world and that reinforce social cooperation” (78)....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

How Fascism Managed To Come To Power in Italy, In 1922

These range from free media, individual freedom and legislation of laws.... from his early life, there was immense interest in fascism as the best technique to improving the system in Italy.... In this essay, I will discuss factors that enhanced the success of fascism in Italy during Benito mussolini's regime.... The king understood that he was in no position to counter mussolini's effect on all the people in Italy....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

How Mussolini Survived the Matteotti Crisis

hellip; However, this essay will focus on what is referred to as the Matteotti Crisis and the means by which Mussolini was able to transcend it and become the Italian dictator from 1922 to 1945. Benito Mussolini was born Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini on july 29, 1883 in northeast Italy in a town called Varnano dei Costa near Predappio to blacksmith Alessandro Mussolini and schoolteacher Rosa Maltoni.... (March on Rome, 2007)The March on Rome and Military Loyalty The ruling Leftist party initiated a general strike against the Fascists in August 1922, and Mussolini saw his opportunity for his party to grab power....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Successes and failures of Mussolini

He also wanted to strengthen his power by influencing the public.... According to Mussolini "Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power.... Mussolini's political policies were all directed towards consolidating his power.... Italy was under the dictatorship of Mussolini from 1922 t0 1939.... Some of the domestic policies he introduced from 1924-1939 were quite successful, the taming of the Pontine Marshes and the Lateran Treaty between the Kingdom of Italy and the Holy See being some of his successful achievements....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

World War II and Its Impact

Unfortunately, the growth of fascist attitudes in these nations had stemmed from a chain reaction from the wounded feelings and humiliation meted out to Germany by the US and its friendly nations at the end of the First World War.... The work " World War II and Its Impact" researches the factors that led to this conflict and concludes what it had taught the US about reviving the economy, protecting its secrets, strengthening its defenses, and utilizing all races of people for the wealth and health of the country....
7 Pages (1750 words) Coursework

Mussolini's Offensive against the Nazis and Tentative Talks with the British

The Allies and the Italian Social Republic (1943-1945) Anglo-American relations with, perceptions of, and judgments on the RSI during the Italian Civil War.... On the contrary, Mussolini did not have any actual power as the ‘government' was devoid of any organized economy, constitution and was total dependent on financial backup from the Nazis.... The text equally narrates the series of fightings in which the allied forces was undertaking as it advanced northwards and assuming power over Rome by June 1944....
1 Pages (250 words) Book Report/Review

Churchills Key Elements of Strategic Outlook: Technological Innovation and Military Transformation

Churchill had some unique combination of determination, imaginative capabilities and courage which differentiate him from other people holding the same qualities.... This paper discusses that Winston Churchill was a better leader than Benito Mussolini because of his military strategies, speaking and writing skills....
10 Pages (2500 words) Case Study

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk: A Force to Reckon with Even Today

"Mustafa Kemal Ataturk: A Force to Reckon with Even Today" paper takes a look at his life and times, his accession to power, his principles known as Kemalism that shaped modern-day Turkey and his impact on the social, economic and political fabric of Turkey.... This article will take a look at his life and times, his accession to power, his principles known as Kemalism that shaped modern-day Turkey, and his impact on the social, economic, and political fabric of Turkey....
10 Pages (2500 words) Coursework
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us