How Did Mussolini Contribute To The Rise Of Fascism

The rise of Fascism in Europe relied heavily on the exploitation of democratic processes. Democracy allowed Mussolini and Hitler to gain seats in government and eventually pass laws that allowed for total dictatorial power.While both used legal approaches to gain power, they also depended on finding ways to manipulate the democratic system and pressuring the people into believing that they were their only option. Mussolini rose to power rather quickly. In 1921, the fascist party won seats in the election and joined the liberal governing coalition. While this gave them only a small taste of power, it allowed them to have a voice. In 1922, the March on Rome put King Emmanuel III under large amounts of pressure, causing him to appoint Mussolini Prime Minister of Italy. Mussolini then passed the Acerbo Law in 1923. This law gave two-thirds
He largely relied on German hyperinflation after WWI to gain support of the people. When the economic problems were temporarily solved and Germany felt a sense of stability, Hitler’s support was greatly reduced. His main party platform had been taken away, and the people looked to more moderate parties to govern them. However, the stock market crashed in 1929 and the United States withdrew their money. This turned the people back to Hitler. His extremist point of view pulled in voters and improved his standing in the 1930 Reichstag election. Despite losing the presidential election to Hindenburg in 1932, Hitler held the solution to rival Communism. He was appointed chancellor in January 1933 and just one month later set a fire to the Reichstag building, blaming it on Communists. This was Communism’s last straw and allowed the Nazi party to form a majority coalition. Hitler then passed the enabling act, allowing him to have a legal dictatorship. The opposition was silenced and the Nazi party had complete control of