Women had been central to the Italian war effort during World War I, making up 70% of the munitions industry in 1917. This situation was reversed as male war veterans returned in 1918. By 1920, 60% of Italian emigrants to America were women. Education was limited for women and they were banned from certain professions. They were often fired from jobs like teaching, if men wanted the position. Mussolini did not believe that women should have a vote nor that they had much of a contribution to make to humanity beyond having babies. The Lateran Treaty further reduced the role of women with the Pope stating that women should find equality in the family and at home. To ensure there were enough factory workers and soldiers, Mussolini wanted more citizens, so Italian women were encouraged to have as many children as possible. He claimed that anything that distracted from that role was wrong. The state began to control women’s fashion and women’s magazines, encouraging motherhood, and gold medals were given to women with large families. Despite these policies, many educated women found jobs in professions such as teaching and nursing and in 1939 everything changed again.
CHAPTER 13 CHECK-IN RECALL
1. Why did the Italian delegation storm out of the negotiations at Versailles? 2. What economic difficulties did Italy face after the end of World War I? 3. Why did many Italians turn to extreme political parties after World War I? 4. Name two extreme parties in Italy during this time and who supported them. 5. Who were the Black Shirts and what did they do? 6. What was the March on Rome and what did it result in? 7. What was the Acerbo Law? 8. (a) Explain the term ‘intimidation’. (b) Give an example of how Mussolini used intimidation.
9. Explain the following terms: (a) Dictator (b) Censorship (c) Balilla (d) Propaganda
10. What does Il Duce mean? 11. How did the Corporate State work? 12. How did Mussolini solve the problem of unemployment? 13. What problem did the Lateran Treaty solve and how? 14. How did the Italian invasion of Abyssinia highlight the weakness of the League of Nations? 15. In what way was Mussolini involved in the Spanish Civil War? 16. Which two countries signed the Rome-Berlin Axis?