Benito Mussolini was an Italian politician who was famous for creating the Fascism. He left his mark on history with his decisive political methods and authoritarian leadership. The two most significant aspects of totalitarianism Mussolini used to control the country are abuse of power to issue inflammatory statements, blocking opposition statements, using terror to control the population, and kicking the Socialist Party out of parliament led to a situation of single party government.
The first thing Mussolini did when he came to power was to use his iron hand to forcefully suppress the Socialist Party and abolish the multiparty system and the Congress. Since the military power was in the hands of the king, Mussolini had a consensus with him on his interests, so he had the ability to make moves. “Left-wing parties were suppressed and in 1929 Italy became a one-party state” (Simkin). Mussolini abolished democracy. He used terror and violence to enforce his policies.
Controlling speech has always been a popular and well-used tool for politicians, especially for dictators. Mussolini used this method during his time in power. A former Socialist, he was expelled from the party for abusing his position to spread seditious rhetoric, which is motivating Italy to join the war, and later defected to the capitalist class. Once in power, Mussolini gradually established a dictatorship. During his 21-year rule, he abolished all opposition parties internally, suppressed workers and democratic movements, and promoted racist ideas. Mussolini said to the reporter, "The working classes are stupid, dirty, lazy and only need the cinema. They must be taken care of and learn to obey" (Simkin). The new electoral law passed in 1923 guaranteed the fascists a majority in Congress to secure their political position. In addition to controlling the Congress and public opinion, assassination campaigns against revolutionaries and progressives were intensified. In addition, Mussolini continued to reorganize and purge the Fascist Party, expelling from the party the so-called dissolute elements and those who failed to carry out the instructions of the party central committee or harbored ambitions.