Propaganda & Economic Policies During The Regime Of Mussolini & Stalin

Two opposing ideologies emerged in the 20th Century: Mussolini’s fascism was and Stalin’s communism. Both movements were represented symbolically by Mussolini’s fascist Italy, and Stalin’s communist USSR. Both Mussolini, Stalin wanted to create a totalitarian government in their respective countries. Both used propaganda effectively to communicate their ideas. Mussolini stated in his manifesto that his domestic policy would ‘transform’ Italy’s economy and help prepare it for war. Stalin, who was highly focused on Italian agriculture, wanted to modernize the economy through reshaping Soviet industry and agriculture.

Stalin and Mussolini had complete control over their governments, using propaganda to further their ideologies. Mussolini, a journalist by trade, understood the importance of strong images. Il Popolo D’Italia was the first newspaper to bring him to national attention. Mussolini used various methods to gain support and prevent opposition. Mussolini began suppressing opposition newspapers and notifying journalists and editors about the possibility of being arrested for any publication against Mussolini. There were approximately 40,000 radios in Italy by the mid-1920s. Mussolini took advantage of this and made all radio networks state property, using them for Fascist propaganda. Later, these radios were distributed all over the country, particularly to schools. The regime also featured radio broadcasts of propaganda sessions for everyone to hear. The New Julius Caesar was a man who is full of pride, action, culture, as well as pride and dedicated to restoring Italy in its glory days. Austen Chamberlain was the British Foreign Secretary. He said, “Mussolini has been a marvellous man working to improve his country.” Popular in Italy was the expression “Mussolini has always been right”. Mussolini would take the credit for Italy’s success quickly and be quick to blame others. Mussolini, who is frequently portrayed as the model of all males by newspapers and magazines, would be praised for his ability to fly aeroplanes, ride horses and help the Italian military.

He believed that the exaggeration and enjoyment of the image of him as a superhuman would motivate the public to believe that the country was being run by one. Mussolini stated propaganda is used to “strike imagination of the population: that is how you govern.” He also used Propaganda as a way to make Italy look great and to control the Soviet Union’s citizens. Much like Mussolini’s, Stalin used propaganda as a way to project himself as a powerful figure. Stalin was not using propaganda to showcase his power or god-like image, but to also suppress any potential leadership. The Cult of Personality was used just as Mussolini by Stalin. Stalin used propaganda, not propaganda to show the greatness and achievements of his country as Mussolini did. Instead, he used propaganda to make people appreciate him. Stalin used literature as a way to communicate his greatness.

Poetry about Stalin, and history books such “The Short Course”, were written. These books were intended to fundamentally change Russian history and improve Stalin’s reputation and image. Russia was a great place for imagery and art. Every building had pictures of Stalin and monuments to him, which helped cement his image of power and greatness. The Russians admired Stalin and praised him constantly. Stalin would have people detained for speaking out against his leader. Stalin understood he needed to prove his actions to the public. Therefore, Stalin made public appearances to farmers and industrial workers from time to time. The press took responsibility for showing the world how Stalin feels about his people. Many newspapers printed letters from industrial workers praising Stalin’s ability to bring joy and improve their lives.

Mussolini became president at a moment when the Italian industrial sector was experiencing an economic boom. Mussolini saw the opportunity to increase Italy’s exports during 1922-25 as Europe was beginning to improve its economic situation. Mussolini did not care about problems with Italian agriculture. Instead, he was interested in the industry. This led to him creating a major technique that would increase his power and help Italy become more self-sufficient in wartime. Mussolini launched The Battle for Grain 1925. His main goal was to promote Fascist Power and self-sufficiency. Mussolini identified this weakness as an important weakness. Italy was known to import large amounts of grain for its production. Mussolini gave grants to farmers in order to compensate for this ‘weakness.’ The average harvest production grew from 5.5 million tonnes per annum at the start of 1920 to nearly 8.5 million tonnes ten years later.

In 1928, the Battle of Land began. It was intended to remove and convert marshland into productive farming areas. Other unused land was cleared and roads or housing were built. This was done to improve Italy’s infrastructure. These policies can have positive and detrimental effects on people. In central and southern areas, the Battle for Grain was not effective because the lands were too unsuitable for wheat. They were better suited for fruit or win growth. Traditional agricultural exports have declined as a result. Agriculturists were also paid less than they were in the past. Many Italians moved to the country in search of better living conditions and employment.

Joseph Stalin’s’revolution from the top’ was launched in November 1927 by using methods known as Industrialization and Collectivization. Stalin was determined to boost economic growth and launched 5-year-plans, just like Mussolini. His economic policy had a single goal: to modernize the Soviet economy. Stalin’s collectionivization meant that all land formerly owned by peasants was made state property. The crops that they produced were used to benefit the state, not the individual. State-owned farms were believed to be more productive and would benefit Russia’s long-term development. Stalin, like Mussolini encouraged the use effective agricultural machinery like tractors and fertilizers. The surplus food supply would be used to later sell abroad, thereby allowing the Soviet economy to grow. Stalin and Mussolini shared the same goal of establishing an economy for war. Mussolini used The Battle for Grain for his nation’s preparation for war. Stalin used Industrialization in order to prepare the USSR war. Instead focusing on the cultivation of crops like Mussolinis, Stalin was more concerned with the production of iron and steel. Materials that would ensure the nation’s readiness and strength against any opposition. Five-Year Plans were used to industrialize the country.

The FYP had a very high success rate, with the FYP doubling the final production by the end 1932. Particularly, the output of iron as well as coal rose dramatically in this country. The Soviet people suffered from a decline in their living standards and wages, much like Mussolini. The use of concentration camps was the biggest difference between them. Stalin used Gulags as a strategy to transform the Soviet Union in to a modern industrial force. Gulags were made up of prisoners and victims of purges. These people were made to work in an inefficient economic activity. It was often a mixture of violence, hard labor and unsanitary conditions. This resulted in high death rates. Mussolini used concentration camps in Italy only during World War II, when he was in a romantic relationship with Hitler. Mussolini didn’t use concentration camps to benefit his country, unlike Stalin. Instead, he used the concentration camps in collaboration to Hitler.

During Stalin and Mussolini’s regimes, they used economic and propaganda policies. Both used propaganda in order to establish their god-figure statuses and spread their ideologies. Controlling government media and strict censorship were their main priorities. Mussolini used the propaganda to make Italy look great, while Stalin did it more for his personal advantage. Both had very similar economic policies. Both countries had the same focus on improving their economy to prepare for war. The main difference was in the products they wanted. Italy was more focused on food, Soviet Russia on raw materials and improving military strength. Both sides lost lives as a result. Russia suffered more from the concentration camps in their country than Italy. It is evident that Stalin believed in communism, while Mussolini focused on fascism. Both leaders established a single-party dictatorship.

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  • rubywatson

    I am a 27-year-old educational blogger and volunteer and student. I love writing and sharing knowledge with others. I believe that education is the key to unlocking opportunities and achieving our goals. I also believe that it's important to give back to the community and volunteer my time to help others.

rubywatson Written by:

I am a 27-year-old educational blogger and volunteer and student. I love writing and sharing knowledge with others. I believe that education is the key to unlocking opportunities and achieving our goals. I also believe that it's important to give back to the community and volunteer my time to help others.

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