Table of ContentsMussolini's Rise to PowerThe Fascist StateWorks Cited:Mussolini's Rise to PowerAfter serving in the Italian army during World War I, Mussolini returned home, seeking a way to unify the Italian people. In 1918, he began giving moving speeches, calling for a dictator to rule the country. He argued that only a strong leader could unite the people to overcome post-war mass unemployment, chaotic conflicts between political parties, and strikes by socialists and communists. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayIn 1919, Mussolini organized his fascist movement in the northern city of Milan. He formed squads of street fighters who wore black shirts. His “blackshirts” beat up socialists and communists and expelled them from local governments. The communist revolution in Russia had begun only two years earlier. Mussolini's fascist movement quickly gained the support of anti-communist businessmen, landowners, and middle-class professionals like teachers and doctors. In 1921, Mussolini formed the National Fascist Party. But it still lacked a clear fascist program. He was only sure of one thing: he wanted to rule Italy. In a speech to thousands of his supporters in October 1922, Mussolini declared: "Either the government will be given to us, or we will seize it by marching on Rome." “A few days later, he launched a massive march towards the Italian capital. As tens of thousands of people converged on Rome, government leaders became so nervous that they resigned. King Victor Emmanuel had a constitutional obligation to appoint a new Prime Minister, who would form the next government. With his Blackshirts and other supporters flooding the streets of Rome, Mussolini demanded that the king appoint him prime minister. The king is gay and, at 39, Mussolini became the youngest Prime Minister of Italy on October 29, 1922. Fascist state Mussolini Giovanni Gentile, a noted Italian philosopher, is appointed Minister of Education. Gentile reorganized the Italian school system. He also wrote numerous articles and books clarifying the fundamental ideas of fascism. Gentile held that the private desires and interests of the individual came second to the “common will” of the people. The fascist state, he said, put this will of the people into action. Gentile believed that the “common will” of the people is the law of the state. Therefore, individuals must submit to the fascist state to be truly free. Later, Mussolini would express it this way: “Far from crushing the individual, the fascist state multiplies its energies, just like a soldier in a regiment. . . multiplied by the number of his comrades. Building on the ideas of an earlier European philosopher like Friedrich Nietzsche, Gentile asserted that the world's people are engaged in the survival of the fittest. He declared that the stronger have the natural right to conquer and rule the weaker. Gentile said war had another function in the fascist state: it united the people and proved their superiority as a nation. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Gentile, sometimes called the philosopher of Italian fascism, believed he could combine philosophy and raw power. He once praised Mussolini as dedicated to Italy in "its honor, its glory, its security and its prosperity, and, therefore, in its power, 25(100), 533-551.