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T
HE GREAT W AR
is
over. Four brut a l ,
bloody years of con–
flict leave Europe dev–
astated.
The armistice is signed on
November 11, 1918. Yoices
around the world proclaim this
was "the war to end all wars." 1t
is a joyous day for the victors.
But for the vanquished, it is a
dark and painful time. The victo–
rious Allied nations dictate a
peace treaty they will live to
regret.
On June 28, 1919,
the Treaty of Yer–
sailles is signed in the
H all of Mirrors at
Versailles Pa lace, near
París. Germany is for–
mally given all blame
for the war. She is
stripped of all her
overseas colonies,
demilitarized, and
strapped with near
impossible reparations
payments.
The harsh terms of
surrender imposed on
defeated Germany will
prove to be the seeds of
a greater, more horri–
ble war to come.
11 Duce
1n 1tal y, a trou bled
postwar period has be–
gun.
Despite her membership in the
Triple Alliance, ltaly had declared
her neutrality on the outbreak of
World War
l.
In the spring of
1915, h aly joined the Allies and
declared war on Germany and Aus–
tria. Victory in 1918 fueled ltalian
hopes for territorial rewards.
But Italy's expectations are bit–
terly disappointed. Though a victor,
the country gains little from the
Treaty of Versailles. ltalians com–
plain that they have been robbed of
their rightful share of the spoils. A
sense of injury and frustration g rips
the country.
Among the discontented is Beni–
to Mussolini. Son of a poor b1ack–
smith, Musso1ini was born in 1883
in the north Ita1ian town of Predap–
pio. An aggressive. and ambitious
10
THE
HISTORY
OF
EUROPE
&
THE
CHURCH
PARTNINE
THE
THIRD
REICH
by
Keith W. Stump
Editor 's Note: We continue our series
examining the cerzturies-long re/ation–
ship between Europe and the Church.
Our first eight installments covered
the story to the defeat of the German
Empire in World War
l.
Part Nine
surveys the tumultuous events of the
subsequent quarter century.
child, he once declared to his star–
t1ed mother, "One day
J
shall make
the whole earth tremble!"
Formerly a journalist and school–
master, Mussol ini fought as a cor–
poral in World War
l.
He was seri–
ous1y wounded in February 1917.
After the war, Mussolini
launches a movement that be–
comes, in 1921 , the Fascist party.
Mussolini is
i/
Duce- "the
lead–
er"-of the u1tranationalist, anti–
Communist organization. His fol-
lowers are mostly jobless, disgr.un–
tled war veterans. They adopt the
black shirt as their uniform.
The Fascists derive their name
from the
fasces
of I mperial
Rome- an ax wrapped in a bundle
of rods symbolizing unity and
power. The
fasces
was carried by
Roman consuls as the sign of their
authority.
March on Rome
ltaly is p1agued by increasing disor–
der. Unemployment, strikes, riots
and general unrest tear at the fabric
of society. The government is
unable to establish arder. Italians
look for a way out.
Mussolini- now a
member of the l talian
parliament- seizes the
opportunity. A gifted
orator, he catches the
imagination of the
crowds. Posing as a
defender of law and
order, he capitalizes on
the fears of middle–
class l talians.
Late
1
n October
1922, the blackshirted
Fascist militia makes
its dramatic march on
the city of Rome. King
Víctor Emmanuel
lll
permits them to enter
the city on October 28.
The government i s
brought down.
On October 29 the
king calls on Mussolini
to forma new government.
JI
Duce
makes his entry into Rome on the
30th. The next day he becomes the
youngest prime minister in Italian
history at age 39.
Mussolini 's play for power has
succeeded. Tired of strikes and
riots, the ltalian people give him
complete support. Mussolini is
handed full emergency powers.
Fascism has come to power in
Italy. By degrees, Mussolini tight–
ens his grip on the country and
transforms his government into a
dictatorship.
Weimar Republic
Meanwhile, in defeated Germany,
a democratic government has
replaced the old Empire.
lt
is
referred to as the Weimar Repub–
lic, because the assembly that
The PLAIN TRUTH