Benito Mussolini: L'Unione Sindacalista Nazionalista - the Principate

[CountofDooku]

Benito Mussolini: L'Unione Sindacalista Nazionalista - the Prinipate
Chapter One: Idea di Rivoluzione

The failure of the Socialist Revolution in Russia has shown us that we were wrong the nation has never disappeared. We used to believe that the concept was totally without substance. Instead we see the nation arise as a palpitating reality before us! Class cannot destroy the nation. Class reveals itself as a collection of interests, but the nation is a history of sentiments, traditions, language, culture, and race. Class can become an integral part of the nation, but the one cannot eclipse the other. The class struggle is a vain formula, without effect and consequence wherever one finds a people that has not integrated itself into its proper linguistic and racial confines, where the national problem has not been definitely resolved. In such circumstances the class movement finds itself impaired by an inauspicious historic climate. True revolution can not come without failing to recognize that national identity and loyality exists, that it is as significant a class distinction. Socialism as a doctine is dea, existing only as agrudge as the Russian Civil War between Bolsheviks, Communists, Socialists and Whites has shown us. The failure to aknowledge the national identity and religion led to a direct failure of the revolution itself, as it began to eat it's own.

But the solution I simple, we onlyhave to look into our own proud history. How man hve promised the Italians and Romans better times, only to become tyrannical despots? What we need is a Princeps, a first man among equals, to avoid the destruction of any new Republic and egality we wih to create. Old Roman values like virtus (virtue), libertas (liberty), gloria (glory), dignitas (ignitar) and fides (fidelity) should lead our every thought and action. For this purpose the Milan fascio will from now on be known as the Principes Italiani di Combattimento. We may olybe 200 comrades now, but our hearts and minds are far superior then these of our political enemies. We are willing to sarific us all as long as we take 2,000 of our enemies with us. It will not matter, since our revolution will not be stopped by terroror few dead bodies, for we know the truth I guiding our movment and no power in the world can stop that. The power of the revolutionry working class will only increase in our hands, as we do not intn to start a class war, or to push one class of society against another. No, our revolution is transcend to such trivial distinctions that are like all only created to seperate us by words in our minds. Our new way of the Principate will wash them all away and truly unite class, religions, nations and mankind like never before in history.

Once again the superior Italian mind will create a culture and empire that will uplift the barbaric races and societies around us to the status of a true civilisation, a high and sophistiated culture similar to the ancient civilisations that inspired the babaric tribes and people around themselves. Our revolution however will be far superior then even the industrial revolution and soon surpass itby far. With this new ideology, Italy will form a new cradle of civiliation, from where mankin will uprise once more. In our recent history we have overcome old limitations of our bodies and physical possibilities with the inustrial revolution, let us all now overcome the last barriers of our mind too and form a superior human being with no limitations lef whatsoever. We will create a paradise for all manind with no boundries, limitations and laws holding anyone back ever again. We will ease all forms of class an social hirarchy, to form the fist and only true democracy, a republic not only in name, but in mind and spirit too. We will free the hearts and minds from all the lies and deception created to divide society and classes and form a new Pincipate, where everyone has equal rights, equal opportunity and a equal voice and vote.

- Benito Mussolini, 23 March 1919

 

[CountofDooku]

A what if fascism, socialism, communism stayed closer together and were just differend sides of one ideology (with Benito Mussolini as some form of TTL Marx/ Lenin/ Stalin figure) TTL.

 

[ghilonif]

Interesting, but it should be "L'Unione sindacalista nazionalista"

 

[CountofDooku]

Interesting, but it should be "L'Unione sindacalista nazionalista"

Thanks, will change that.

 

[Tal Shiar]

That will be interesting.

 

[TimTurner]

TIL the Italian mafia were bourgeoisie traitors exploiting and pilfering from the Italian working class.

 

[CountofDooku]

Chapter Two: L'Ideologia Principes

Ah the Italian tricolore, our three-coloured flag, represents hope (green), faith (white), and love (red)- apt words to describe such a bel paese, our beautiful country. But Italy was only beautiful to those, who lived in the upper class, were rich industrials or part of the upper class and monarchist aristrocracy. Our new ideology therefore needed a new flag a symbol to show the world what we stood, fought and were ready to die for. The gear will represent the factory workers and the industrial revolution itself that allowed the small man to rise, the hammer will represent the not yet industrialised craftsmen as well as the intellectuals who have invented our modern machinery, the plough will represent our farmers, the cross will represent the curch and clergy, while the sword will represent our soldiers. We have to thank the allmighty lord for the blessing of this Great War. Not only did it show how corrupt and degenerated the ruling monarchy and governments had become, it also allowed us to pave the way for our revolution. For the first time in human history, the soldier on the front suffered as much as the civilian at home and trought our suffering and hardship we all became brothers, no matter the rank, class or nationality. That's also what our new flag will represent, out of the darkness of our past, trought a bloody present we all will march towards a heavenly future. Black, white and blew are therefore our true colors.

That was the main reason, why I had switched my ideological view of the war, because it presented us a opportunity like no other society, class or other change had before. I used this open door as well as my £100 weekly wage from our British Allies to ensure with my pro-war propaganda newspaper, that the spirit of the italian people stayed high, that weak anti-war protestors stayed at home and that the ground work for the revolution could be layed all across Europe. The Russian Revolution had failed and was ugly because it lacked a national character, because it was not ruthless, not energetic enough, to make a clean sweep and wash away all the ills and wrongdoings of the Russian society. Until then my ideological basis for Pincipatism had formed. I learned political, social and economic ideas from Plato, Georges Sorel, Nietzsche and Vilfredo Pareto. The state therefor is the ultimate end, a true democracy without a class system, collaboration of all social and class groups, a egalitarianist democracy, where everything merges into one. Workers become soldiers, soldiers become workers and together they will rule themselves for the first time. Everyone is just a gear in a huge machine and while he decides what gear he is, without those working with him, without the state as a machine, the individual is nothing. Civic duties have therefore to be performed in the interest of the state and the state must guarante to promote and develop a education, free for all that develops the individual into workers, warriors and future rulers of the state. Clearly such a Republic and ideology can not promote aggressive war, but only defensive war. Property will be owned by the state and therefor by all Unions and Groups that will merge into one inside theis state, like single organs form the human body. Justice and morality must therefore be our driving motives, but we have to remain realistic and aim to achive the political goals right in front of us.

The Great War had shown that the Mediterranean Sea was still as deeply connected, unfiied region as it had been in Roman times, it was spazio citale (cital space), not only for Italy, but for all nations neighboring it. It is our natural sphere of influence and it is our right, our duty to educate and develop the less developed neightboring people and ethnic groups. The policy before, during and shortly after the Great War had clearly shown how the plutocratis nations like Britain blocked proletarian countries like Italy from archiving true greatness and a growing economy. If our nation manages to growh in territory and economy, by expanding our trade and influence in the Balcans, we will be able to improve the living conditions and eliminate poverty in Italy itself.

It is the natural law, that the stronger and more educated people rule and dominate the inferior people, such like the barbaric Slav societies in Yugoslavia or the African societies in Libya. To rise these people to our cultural and educational standart, the state needs to educate it's people to the fullest, to form and shape them to it's very own will and visions for the future. Only if we manage to lead the primitive barbarians before our gates, we can prevent another fall of Italian culture and civilisation, like two millennia before. Since the Africans and Asians have much higher birth rates then us, we need to increase our own birthrates, until we can manage to educate and school this barbarians of our superior way of life. This problem can first hand be seen inside the United States as every Italian there will tell you. American blacks had a much higher birthrate than whites, making it inevitable that the blacks will one day take over the United States to drag it down to their level. The same thing will not happen here in Italy thanks to Libya. In fact we suffer from overpopulation, we will colonise Libya. This is a prove of our culural and spiritual vitality. Nations with rising populations are nations destined to shape the world, to conquer it with their economy, population, ideology and visions. An increasing birth rate is therefor important for our destiny, falling populations belong to decaying nations that deserve to die.

While we are revolutionarists, we are also traditionalists, we are a third way, a revolution that will merge, form and create, not brutally destroy and erase like the Bolsheviks and Communist had tried agaisnt the White Russian Military Junta. Our revolution does not simply come from the hands of the factory workers, that will stop the machines, it also lies in the hand or the craftsmen, the farmers, the clergy, as well as our veteran soldiers who have won the war and now join our ranks under Dino Grandi to form the Squadristi (Blackshirts), representing our dark past. They knew that our bloody present wasn't over yet, until the revolution had not won. They would serve us to restore order in the streets of Italy with a strong hand. They clash with communists, socialists and anarchists at parades and on demonstrations, to show these traitors of the true revolution that our path was supreme and just. They will lead us into a heavenly future, and the Italian government knows so too, that is why they so rarely interfere with our actions, knowing that the threat of communist revolution and civil war is looming over us, just like it had done in Russia.

- Benito Mussolini, 20 September 1920

 

[ghilonif]

While not so different from OTL Mussolini, differences are already quite significant. Most interesting is that there IS an ideology, while OTL he advocated oppurtunism as a method.

 

[CountofDooku]

Chapter Three: Marcia su Roma

As our Principati grew rapidly within the next two years, we were able to transform ourselves into the Unione Sindacalista Nazionalista Principatist Party (USNP-P) at our Unione Sindacalista Nazionalista Principatist Congress in Rome. Their hard work and our pure values and ideology would lead us directly to win the election to the Chamber of Deputies for the first time in 1921. It was the first great step into securing power in Italy and inspired many other former far-left and far-right ideologies to model themselves after us in Europe and the rest of the world. 30,000 of our loyal blackshirts gathered in Rome on the night between the 27 and 28 October 1922 to demand the resignation of the week liberal Prime Minister Luigi Facty and the appointment of a new Principatist government. On the morning of 28 October, King Victor Emmanuel III, who according to our Albertine Statute held the supreme military power, refused the government request to declare martial law, which led to Facta's resignation. The King then handed over power to myself, by asking him to form a new government. The King's decision was seen as controversial by our enemies, but was partly made as a combination of delusions and fears; our Revlution enjoyed wide support in the military and among the industrial and agrarian elites, not only the working class, while the King and his conservative establishment were afraid of a possible civil war. The King believed that our revolution from all ranks and classes of society was just and that my movement and I would be able to restore law and order in the country. What they failed to realise was that our revolution would be totalitarian and would also be a true evolution of Italy and Europe. It was the first true Revolution without bloodshed, unlike the French Revolution before and additionally unlike the American Revolution ours was not fought with a single shot fired. We simply instrumentalized the woking masses, to stop the factories an economy, allied with the soldiers, land owners, clergy and factory owners to start a true, just and equal revolution from within the whole society, not on that pressed it's classes against each other.

During my time as Prime Minister, the first years of my rule were characterized by a left-right-center-wing coalition government composed of principatists, facists, nationalists, soialists, sindicalists, unionists, fascists, nationalists, liberals, and two Catholic clerics from the Popular Party. The Principatist made up a small minority in my original governments. My main domestic goal was the eventual establishment of a equalist principatist state with himself as supreme leader (Il Princeps, the first among equals), a message that was articulated by the Principatist newspaper Il Popolo, which would from now on be edited by my brother, Arnaldo. In the end, I obtained dictatorial powers from the legislature for one year, a perfectly legal move under the Italian constitution, that woul fit our goals very well. Instead of a complete restoration of state authority, we need to give authority to the people first and formost. To do so a union of national syndicalist rule will be established in all of Italy. Similar to trade unions, all sorts of local unions would govern our nation and people could be part of many unions at the same time.

After all doesn't the worker of the Trade Union know best what's good for himself, what working conditions, work security and pay he deservs, instead of the factory owner? Wouldn't the local Church Union's believers know best if the church's money should be spend on new books, benches or bitiful glass images, instead of the priest? But hold on you might say, these masses don'tknow of the comlexity of economy and how to run this places and you would be right. That is why natural law and order, the invisible hand guiding the market has to keep them in check with a open and competing market, no government reglations from above should interfere with that order.

In the terms of ancient Rome, this Unions would create Assemblies an Congresses together, were they would form the political power of the nation on every level of the society and the state. These Comitia (committees) and Concilia (councils) ill be assemblie of specil roups of people that govern themselves. These Union Committees and Union Councils will emerge in every small local group, like a factory, a mill, or even a militia. There the members will all have a equl vote, electing a variety of people, as equals among each others to the top. Their ranks will be Consules (Advisers), Magistrates (Officials) and Senatores (Senators). The Consules will be former factory owners, priests and other peopl in position of power, or with superior experience, the best among many elected (yearly) and voted for by the rest to advise the Union Committees and Union Councils. The Magistrates meanwhile will be elected (every year) by the Union Committees and Union Councils to represent and speak for them. Senatores however will be former Consules and Magistrate (at lest ten years of service), that have been elected to the Central Committee Council (the Congress/ Senate). The smaller Union Committees and Union Councils in every town and city will elect bigger regional districts/region (Quartiere) Union Committees and Union Councils. These then elect provincia (provinces) Union Committees and Union Councils, who vote the (Italian) Republic Union Committees and Union Councils (Congress/ Senate). For better equality and unity, the Libyans and other minorities in our state will be allowed to vote for their own National Republic Union Committees and Union Councils (Congreses/ Senates). The Italian (Repubblica Unione Sindacalista Nazionalista Principatiste d'Italia) and Libyan (Repubblica Unione Sindacalista Nazionalista Principatiste d'Libya) Central Committee Councils then both vote for the Supreme Central Committee Council, were their elected Senators are eqully represented by overall votes in both regions (Senatores) and by Republic Population (Congress Representatives) based on the population number of each individual Republic. At the same time our Principes Italiani di Combattimento, our workers and veterans will be integration into the armed forces, founding the Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale in January 1923, to progressive identify our movement with the Unions. Partys, social classes and the old order willthen cease to exist forever as they become obsolete.

In political and social economy, our new passed legislation favored the new distribution of the wealthy industrial and agrarian classes into the hands of the workers and farmers. Our Unions will not only be strenghtened, but the everyday worker will get a fair proentual share of all the profits guaranteed, making is factory or farms profit his very own and not only the profits of the unions or the direct owners of this workplaces. Only when his work contributes to his on wealth, when our workers and pesents farmers have a saying in the very own decisions surrounding their work an wealth too, only then they will be freed fom their chains. With the passing of the new Principatist Law in June 1923 Italy was finally transformed into a single national syndicalist union. A state were partisan ideology fights in the parties were a thing from the past an were equal strife for a better futur drives our national syndicalist alliance union government, a government by, from and for the people. The future will see no more elections like in the past, only ones for the Union Committees and Union Councils positions of repersentation and advice. All important matters howeve will be settled by referendums/plebiscites in the Union Committees and Union Councils themselves on matters directly involving the people represent and voting there.

Our new system installed in 1922 is the rule of the will of the people, knowing that revolution and war, or the simple show of force can bring the necessary change to better any society to it's best. The fight against Austria during the Great War had shown that the tremendous material and technical preparations needed for modern war were simply beyond the contemporary capacity of our underfull country. It showed us that we are in need of modernising our infrastruture and industry, that if we want to benefit from any war either by securing or spreading our revolution, we need to keep up with other, more powerfull nations, or be reduced to a regional power again. With modern technology and factories, the state will benefit from our great step forward the same way the simple worker or farmer will. Progress of our nation is now progress of the individual as well. The more modern and superior our technology and industry gets, the more money it will bring or it's owners and the everyday worker, we will all benefit greatly because of this system, that encourages every one of us to o his best for himself and those around him. Since every worker is also a soldier in our new state no one will mess with the million bayonets of our people.

- Benito Mussolini, 29 October 1922

 

[RyuDrago]

I can't stop thinking how much ITTL Benny is pulling a Huey Long there... Benito "every man as a Prince" Mussolini.

Probably here he read or not adeguately enough Machiavelli, but I like the fact is saying "hey Italy, Augustus was never a monarch, so the Roman Empire is a fluke, we were so wrong, long live the Republic".

 

[CountofDooku]

In the end it is all up to his interpretation and imagination of ancient Roman history for his cause, similar to OTL Mussolini. ^^

 

[CountofDooku]

Chapter Four: Law and Violence

To show the strenght of our new Italy, our forces were send to Cofu, during the so called Corfu incident in 1923. The weak League of Nations protested our strenght, but they were powerless against our will and Greece was forced to comply with our rightous demands. A lession not only Greece, but the rest of Europe wold have to learn, to not mess with the new Repubblica Unione Sindacalista Nazionalista Principatiste d'Italia.

The great Principatist Law, passed in June 1923, transformed our glorious Italy into a wonderful single national constituency. It granted our revolutionary movement a two-thirds majority in the Parliament, since it allowed the party or group of parties that received at least 25% of the votes in the election the majority to finally form a stable and functioning government. It seamed helpful, but our Unione Nazionalista Sindicalista managed to win 75% of the vote, thanks to the alliance with the liberals, aswell as parts of the nationalists and socialists.

Still Itally wasn't as secured as our movement had hoped, when the socialist deputy Giacomo Matteotti was assassinated after he had requested that the elections should be annulled, because of supposed irrefularities, as our enemies claimed. His death was a momentary crisis for our new revolutionary government, and I had to order a cove-up, as witnesses saw the car that transported Matteotti's body parked outside Matteotti's residence, which linked our sympathiser and assassin Amerigo Dumini to the murder. This greatly concerned me, as a few resolute men could use this incident to alter the public opinion and stage a coup that would swep our new revolutionary government and rule away. It was a very problematic situation, even more, as Dumini told other people on his release, that I myself was responsible, a lie and a failur, that would not only guarantee him to serve further prison time, but also get him killed while doing so.

Luckily for our great revolutionary movement, the opposition parties responded only weakly, or didn't respond at all, showing how coward and weak they were compared to our revolutionary ideals. Still many socialists, liberals, moderates and conservatives even from our own Unione Movement and Government boyotted the Parliament during the so called Aventine Secession, in hopes this would force King Victor Emmanuel to dismiss me. This crisis proved, that we were still far away from total control and that we had to ged rid of the last remnants of this old democracy and royal monarchy to fully implement our own vision and rule over the new state.

It would be our loyal Squadristi (Blackshirts, Italian: Camicie Nere, CCNN, singular: Camicia Nera ), that provided me with the answer to this troublin crisis. They saw the same problems, that I did with the flawed old system and the nessesarity to end it, when their consuls met with me on 31 December 1924. Their ultimatum argued for me to crush the old system once and for all, to end every last remainign opposition against our rightfull cause and I had to agree with them. A revolutionary movement should not fear the revolution, even not the horrors it brought with it, since a revolution could be quick and decisive, unlike the long and slow dead of a nation that was weakened and rotten from within. With the support of my militias, parts of the industry and aristrocracy it was finally time to drop the last pretense of democrarcy.

In a violent, truculent speech before the Parliament Chamber I myself took responsible for the Squadristi violence on 3 January 1925, even if I did not mention the assassination of Matteotti to calm down the outraged old elected representatives there. I declared the Unione Sindacalista Nazionalista Principatist Revolution to be over, that the last remnants of the old system, like them, were arrested and accused for crimes against the people for good and that the creation of the true Repubblica Unione Sindacalista Nazionalista Principatiste d'Italia was finally archived with this last move. From now on our various Committee Council would form the adminstration and elected representative executive, judicative and legislative branches, united in the Congress/ Senate.

- Benito Mussolini, 18 March 1925

 

[CountofDooku]

First step for Mussolini, get more total control in Italy as the Mentor and Leader of the new universal ideology and revolutionary movement. Fun fact TTL red and black will be sindicalist-national-principalist (fascist/communist mix) colors (both idelogical as in their members flags).

 

[panpiotr]

So, can this ideology be compared to National Bolschevism of our TL?

 

[GohanLSSJ2]

So, can this ideology be compared to National Bolschevism of our TL?

It's basically National-Syndicalism.

 

[CountofDooku]

@All readers: Merry Christmas to you and a Happy New Year.

 

[Tal Shiar]

@All readers: Merry Christmas to you and a Happy New Year.

Thank you.

As you can easily realize, we are waiting for the eventual updates to your wonderful TL.

 

[CountofDooku]

Thank you.

As you can easily realize, we are waiting for the eventual updates to your wonderful TL.

Next Update here is coming soon, I'm actually planning a little further ahead and plan for a three way Spanish Civil War and it's not that easy to figure out who would side with what exact faction in a world were a more socialist Mussolini get's involved.

 

[CountofDooku]

Chapter Five: Organization of the New State

Without me the Union of National Syndicalists would never have integrated the political innovations, that made our movement into a powerfull ideology and force in Europe. We will go beyond the vague promises of a future national renewal, like the Bolsheviks and some others so constantly did. The political force our movement unleashed was actually able to seize power and operate the government of our major country along the lines of our great ideology. Unlike our enemies, we don't represent a single fragment of our society like the working class or the aristocracy, but the entirety of our national community. It is of great significance for the support and loyality of our movement, that we include the Catholic Church like every other element of our former inperfect state and integrate it into our new and improved society just like any other. Instead of aligning main sectors of business communities along a planned, guided economy, or like in a free marked, we as the government will define their public roles and responsibilities, so that they can work alongside them, to archive the goal and purpose they have for our socitey and state as a whole. To do so, a cult of personal leadership is required, all media has to focuss their attenion on me, all national debates have to center around me and my personality, only then we can asure that every order and idea follows a strict hirarchy and guide line and that there are no questions left about it once it is announced. My former work as a journalist has helped me to adapt a high priority for all forms of mass media like motion pictures and radio for our gread cause. Only when the citizen of our state is constantly reminded of his role and purpose can he serve them with great duty and glory. Only with this ground work does the average citizen understand his role in our new state. A state without any parties needs to focuss all loyality and political ideology around itself. Free programms for young men and young women, together with various other groups to form their will and mind from the earliest point possible. To ensure these means, there is a need for the total outlawing and criminalisation of all alternative political formations and parties. A reality best be ensured when we crash down on these enemies of our new state with all judical and external violence at our disposal, including our Blackshirts.

Thanks to a law passed on 24 December 1925, on Christmas Eve all official titles and hirarchies were finally changed. Slowly but steadily I dismantled all constitutional and conventional restrains that had kept our glories movement from building a total police state that would manage to secure and protect our wounderful naion. With the former Parliament and the King removed from responsibility and power, the only sovereign of our nation left was myself. It was impossible to govern in any form if it meant going against my expressed will. From now on I, Mussolini was the only person competent to determine the agenda of our great nation. From now on our nation transformed into a de facto dictatorship, answering only to me. All former local autonomys and elected positions have been abolished and in their place our new councils and positions formed the base of the new Repubblica Unione Sindacalista Nazionalista Principatiste d'Italia. Redicalists like Violet Gibson, a Irish women and daughter of Lord Ashbourne tried to assassinate me on 7 April 1926 and was deported after her arrest. Another attempt to kill me was made in Bologna on 31 October 1926, were the 15-year-old Anteo tried to shoot me and was lynched for it on the spot. Some of my enemies claimed it had been orchastrated by pur great movement to create the a total police state with our new Organizzazione per la Vigilanza e la Repressione (Italian for “Organization for Vigilance and Repression”, OVR), but I thing we all know that this rediculous rumors are lies by our enemies to discreditate our new and secure rising state. Further failed assassination attempts by the anarchists Gino Lucetti and later Michele Schirru ended in their capture and execution. They proved that the enemies of our new state were vermin and scum, ready to do any criminal activity possible to undermine and weaken our fine nation state republic.

The last opposition to our great new state was finally gone and elections could only held in our new system, creating a pool of loyal followers and close related idealists who would from now on form the productive councils of our great and glorious national republic. Our new direct plebiscites allowed for more democracy, more transparent elections and a transparent, fair and just state. From now on our new system was the only one wih constitutional authority in the state. At least on paper our new Republic Union Committees and Union Councils (Congress/ Senate) had the power to recommend my removal from office, and was therefore the last check of my new powers. At the same time however I, Mussolini was by law the only one who could open up the Republic Union Committees and Union Councils (Congress/ Senate) meetings, summon the Republic Union Committees and Union Councils (Congress/ Senate) and determine it's agenda during such meetings. The only remaining resitance to our new rule and state, remained the South of Italy, especially Sicily, were the Mafia ruled like a state inside the state, a situation that we could not tolerate any second longer. To end their reign of terror, I appointed Cesare Mori to the city of Palermo, with the mission to eradicate the Mafia at any cost or price, no one should undermine our authority and the insitutions of our new state. Therefore I gave Mori a carte blanche, so that the authority of our state would finally be reestablished on Sicily. If any laws would hinder his mission, I ensured him that our new Repubblica Unione Sindacalista Nazionalista Principatiste d'Italia would draw up new laws to support him. I can gladly and prudly say that Mori stared his mission without any hesitation. He leyed siege to towns, used torture, and hold women and children as hostages to oblige suspects to give themselves up. His harsh methods earned him the nickname of "Iron Magistrates". I was shocked when I heard in 1927, that Mori's work brought us evidence of collusion between the Mafia and the our own movement and political establishment, but this shoking event was giving us the opportunity to “dismiss” some unwanted figures inside our movement and state with this “evidence”. While Mori worked on this mission the number of murders in Palermo Province had decreased from 200 to 23. For his fantastic work I nominated Mori as a senator, while our newspaper and radio proclaimed that the Mafia had been defeated once and for all.

- Benito Mussolini, 8 April 1929

 

[ghilonif]

We can say that now Italy is really a full Totalitarian state. This Mussolini is more ruthless and effective. His endgame is also somewhat more clear.