1939-02-17 — Page 2

Page

THE CHINA MAIL, FEBRUARY 17, 1989

March of a Dictator-5 by FRANK

The March

On ROME

Italy

Was

cheated at Versailles.

In Milan, at this period, Mussolini policies-and expounded

Why? Because she was not strong formulated enough.

them in language-that yielded nothing There is the whole story of Italy's in violence to the National-Socialism victories of which another ex-soldier called Hitler further slide after her 1918: of the rise of the resentful, chai- was already preaching to a handful of lenging faith of Fascism: of Mussolini's unemployed workers and soldiers in

his Munich. present perilous effort to collect

dues Twenty Years After.

if her buccaneers,

Government.

D'Annunzio

and the Socialists 156 seats and the Liberal

OWEN

1. I

Mussolini reaches the Piazza del Popolo during, the march on Rome of October 1922.

bombardment.

Ac-

In June Mussolini proclaimed "Let In Italy gained out of her heavy cost the land belong to the peasants!" of life in 1915-18 the defeat and dis- July he suggested shooting profiteers. oppressor In August he was for seizing the mines appearance of her ancient

He scorched the and perpetual enemy, the Austro-Hun- and the railways,

Pro. flesh of orthodox, trade union and So- garian Empire, and the Tyrol

taunt· "Too

The D'Annunzio Adventure was com- vast cialist leaders with his

He added to his armoury a derisive vince. She had been promised

attitude towards the Monarchy, the ing to a close. Giolitti, returning for of territories by the other Allies. England Tame!"

A storm of strikes swept the coun- and France scored not only the knock- out of their great rival Germany. but try. Ministries toppled one after the Senate and the Chamber. He repudiat- the last time as Liberal Premier

of square other. But for all his extremism and ed the Internationalism of the Lenin Italy, ceded to the Jugoslavs the port Popolo regime in Moscow and of Bela Kun in which the poet held. The loyal, royal gained from her millions

Hungary, though he professed his troops of Italy made ready to advance miles of colonies as well as that French his brilliant editorship of II

d'Italia Mussolini made little headway readiness to emulate their ruthless against Fiume, the navy concentrated Tyrol, Alsace-Lorraine.

Italy would not even have got Fiume In November the General Election gave practice of government. The following at the harbour gate to reduce it by

And Mussolini?. He sat tight. factories by the motorcar workers in Mussolini, had not grabbed it and held Clerical "Popolari" Party 101. Musso- year he supported the seizure of the it, against the wishes of the Italian lini, who put up as an Independent So Milan. At the peak, 600,000 men were cused of deserting D'Annunzio, he snap-

cialist, came a cropper with 4000-odd

in semi-armed occupation, and the Red ped, "Revolution will be accomplished There is only this difference, histori- votes on a poll of 346,000. In Milan, Flag was the only banner that flew with the army, not against it; with arms, not without them, with trained cally, between the regimes of Hitler the Red stronghold, the Socialists stag; throughout Lombardy.

Terrified employers applied to forces, not with undisciplined mobs and Mussolini: Germany's Naziismed a gigantic mock funeral of the "lost

A plan with Premier Giolitti to send cannon against called together in the streets." perfected its power before it asserted leader." The coffin, surrounded

the streets its claims; Italy's Fascism was born candles, passed through

the strikers. But the Liberal leader that was followed exactly two years the out of an audacious adventure in the amid ribald psalms underneath

very window of the "corpse." He boil replied by offering to open the bom- later.

bardment against the particular fac- face of overwhelming strength.

tory of each applicant, whereon enthu- The Raid on Fiume was the father ed with rage.

siasm for the idea sensibly diminished. of the March on Rome.

A few days later Fascist Fighters The Red tide receded. But the fear of Not only "Italy" was betrayed by bombed a Red demonstration. Mussolini it remained. Mussolini decided to shift the Peace. A vast number of indivi- was gaoled again. Yet with all this his appeal. dual Italians felt themselves done down, energy nine months after Fascism was In that country as elsewhere the re- founded its enrolled members number- society.

* turned heroes of the trenches did not ed only 17,000.

The Party demanded industrial so-

Flume loomed in the news 20 years receive the homes fit for them.

Italian industry was robust viets, an 8-hour day, social insurance,

ago much as Tunis does now-it con- enough to stand the heavy new load nationalisation of the arms industry, a tained a majority of Italians but it did

of of war-output or the wrench its capital levy on wealth, an 85 per cent.

This port had been the property of sudden re-gearing to peace-time pro- appropriation of war profits, and the not belong to Italy,

the old Austro-Hungarian Empire Fiume brought no strength to Musso- duction. Unemployment was chronic. complete confiscation of all riots became the accepted feature, and property. This programme went be- which the war had shattered. In 1919 ini. But it cast glamour and when sabotage was organised into a system. yond the Socialist Party's. The trol it was occupied by inter-Allled troops. it was all over it brought storm troops.

Warships lay in the harbour, and the On March 23, 1919, following a gi- ble was nobody believed in Mussolini, gantic. Red demonstration in Milan, These were days when the editor of Great Power politicians argued and in- The legionaries who did not go to bat- Mussolini with 53 others founded the Il Popolo d'Italia worked with a gun trigued at Versailles, making "peace" tle at Fiume took their place on the on his desk. He says: "Every day was while French and Italian sailors fought streets of Milan, Turin, Genoa and group of Fascist Fighters.

was an ex-serviceman's union, a battle. The little street was

fairly obvious that unless something pledged to uphold both their own rights stantly blocked by police or by detach in the streets of Flume. It appeared

their country's. The Fascist ments of carabinieri and soldiers.

dled again. Fighters stood for United Italy and made a little fortress out of the editor's was done Italy was going to be swin- D'Annunzio, the poet-adventurer, that included the Tyrol, Dalmatia, and office. The newspaper was confiscated

prepared a Jameson Raid. sold, but I held on." system to run industry.

It

',

and

*

* *

not

** * *

Church

con-

Fiume. They planned syndicalist or censored every day. I could have

a

OFFICIALLY ATTESTED BY KEW OBSERVATORY AS THE WORLD'S MOST PRECISE WRIST WATCH

The Rolex Oyster IMPERIAL CHRONOMETER Jewelled with 18 fine rubies. British Stainless

Steel case.

$140.00. Less 10% Cash Discount:

One pocket watch in one hundred, one wrist watch in ten thousand, may precisely be called a Chronometer. In accordance with the rules of the Chronometric Societies of Switzerland and France "The title of Chronometer is permitted only if it is a watch of the finest quality and so precisely adjusted in all positions; and extremes of temperature that it will pass a 14 days' continuous Observatory test."

ROLEX

.

WRIST WATCH

chronometer

SOLE AGENTS: LANE, CRAWFORD, LTD.

APB88

He stood forth as the defender of

*

*

On September 11 he wrote to Musso- lini: "Dear Companion, The dice are- on the table. To-morrow I shall take Flume by force of arms. The God of Italy assist us.

"Bustain the cause without stint dur- ing the struggle. I embrace you. Ga- briel D'Annunzio.*

"

Next day bands of black-shirted le... gionaries entered Flume and occupied key points. Most of them were veterans of the Arditi, famous Italian shock troops who threw themselves into the assault with bombs, dagger in teeth.

There was a melodramatic encounter at the gates. D'Annunzio was met by General Pittaluga, Allted commander of the port, and himself an Italian. "Thus you ruin Italy!" cried general.

the-

"No. It is you who ruin her, oppos- ing Flume's destiny."

"I obey orders."

On Christmas Eve Fiume was bom- barded by land and sea. D'Annunzio barely avoided the martyrdom he had prepared for himself. He marched out without serious resistance. His last word was "Italy is not worth dying for."

It was not quite the last chapter in the affair. In 1922 local Fascist bands overthrew the autonomous Flume Gov- ernment and proclaimed their own an- nexation to Italy. In 1924 Mussolini, become Dictator, took the place over.

** **

*

Fascist Fighters against police or Reds. Mussolini, however, no longer encour- He Naples among the most resolute of the

aged struggles with the police. was already playing the game-twelve years ahead-which was to bring Hitler to power. beyond the Brenner Pass. The movements in this dance are.

(i) Proclaim a violently radical po- licy:

(ii) Denounce the moderate Left for its cowardice;

(iii) Persuade or coerce the moder- ate Right into believing that you alone can handle the Red menace;

(iv) In power, smash Right, Left and Centre.

the

The Battle of the Streets developed in. range and savagery. Reds and Blacks fought one another with old-time Italian faction fury of Guelph and Ghibelline. Hundreds of Commun- ists and Fascists were gaoled, scores were killed. Nevertheless, the real threat of Bolshevism steadily sank. The Socialist Party formally expelled their revolutionary wing: The cost of living fell, the exchange rate of the

lira rose.

As discontent diminished, Fascism, to "What! You would fire on your brothers ?" Then tearing open his the Party of Discontent, began tunic, "Fire first on mel" The general dwindle. Like Hitler, Mussolini had his Party crises. He also threatened "Viva Fiume!" re

to resign; "Only a new campaign of exceptional ferocity regained for him the trust of his rebellious followers. He made the new Liberal Catholic "Popolari" Party the chief target for

was: ' overcome. cried, d

"Evviva Pittalaga!" responded the ra- diant rebel. Mussolini's newspaper proclaimed, "The Government of Italy: is not in Rome, but in Fiume!"

Every evening D'Annunzio held his invective. Something like a peas - parade and made an oration. He drew sunt revolt was going on under the up a charter for the "Carnaro," as he aegia of that movement.

Events moved towards a decisive called his miniature territory. It was -- the first Corporate State. He contem climax at the. Fascist: Congranici Na- He often ples, October 24; 1928 - Museolini in- plated further annexations, called Communists and anarchists to veighed as before against the corrupt and decadent democracy. He thunder- his palace for discussion, for he per ed: "I take a solemn oath that the sisted in regarding himself as a revo

lutionary, He prepared for a March Government of the country must be on Rome. Meantime the Italian Fleet given peacefully to the Fasciats, or we maintained a half-hearted blockade and will take it by forcel"

(Continued on Page 3) food-in Flume ran short,