Question

State three factors that led to the rise of Fascism.

Answer 1

Three factors which led to the rise of Fascism in Italy:

Discontent after the Treaty of Versailles: Italy joined the Allies in the First World War to gain territories of Turkey and Germany. However, by the Treaty of Versailles, she managed to secure only Southern Tyrol and Trentino, and the coastal regions of Dalmatia.

Economic Crisis: Italy suffered heavy losses during the First World War in terms of life and property. After the war, she faced large-scale unemployment, especially among soldiers. There was also a severe shortage of food grains. 

Political Instability: Democracy was introduced in Italy for the first time in 1919. However, the elections failed to give a clear majority to any one party. As a result, there was severe political instability in the country and between 1919 and 1922, Italy saw the rule of six coalition governments. The coalitions had to have several parties within their fold, which in turn resulted in fragmented policy-making and execution. These coalition governments were not able to deal with crises such as
unemployment, strikes and riots which took place during 1921–22. This situation was exploited by the Fascists under Mussolini who promised a strong and decisive national government.