Chapter 10 Be Rich and Strong, Not Freedom
"The main problem of contemporary Italy is not that democracy is not sufficient, that freedom is not sufficient, but that democracy in Italy at this stage has long since exceeded what is actually needed and that freedom has exceeded what is necessary...... It is precisely because we have so much democracy and freedom that even Italians have their own political ideas, and they can't help but dictate the country's political and development strategies, thinking this way today, thinking like that tomorrow, this group of politicians came to power and did this, that group of politicians came to power and did that, the prime minister of the cabinet changed like a marquee, and never formed a clear, long-term and constructive strategy, 40 million Italians are like a plate of scattered sand, and the whole country is like dancing rumba in a dance hall, taking two steps forward and three steps back, always standing still! Every time democracy and freedom are like a stab in the body of the country! ”
"There are three of the most important problems in contemporary Italy: the first is prosperity! The second is prosperity! The third is to be rich and strong! We don't have strong science and technology, we don't have strong national defense, we don't have strong economy...... All the powerful countries in the world are called powerful countries by virtue of science and technology, economy, and national defense, and they have never heard of becoming powerful countries by virtue of democracy and freedom. We always claim to be a European power, but at the Paris Peace Conference, at the Washington Conference, which of the three countries, Britain, France, or the United States, regarded us as a great power? They treat Italy like a clown, like a child, do we have the courage to fight? Do we dare to say no out loud? ”
“…… You used to attack Germany for being a dictatorship, a dictatorship, no democracy, no freedom, but now the Germans are free – they have the freedom to lose their homeland! There is freedom to disband the army! There is the freedom to be financially monitored! There is the freedom of the economy to plummet! The people have the freedom to starve and be unemployed! No patriotic German wants this kind of freedom and democracy, preferring to return to the autocracy and dictatorship of the Second Reich, and to say that the suffering of Germany is not about to end, but about to fall into an even greater abyss! ”
"I have asked many young people, soldiers, intellectuals and even university professors the same question – 'What price are you willing to pay for the prosperity and rise of Italy?' Every patriot told me with tears in his eyes that as long as the motherland is strong, it doesn't matter if they are broken to pieces, then I have to say, if they are not even afraid to sacrifice their lives, why are they afraid to temporarily restrict some democracy and freedom, and restrict those that hinder the prosperity and strength of the country? When Italy becomes one of the world's leading powers, when the Italian people can stand tall and speak loudly in any country in the world, there will be hope for our democracy and freedom, and true democracy and freedom will come. ”
“…… The connotation and essence of an ism, a political party, and a leader are very clear, that is, to unite the broadest masses of the Italian people, and to concentrate the overwhelming majority of forces to win for Italy's national living space and international status, not that this party must be non-fastic, and this leader must be Mr. Mussolini, but at this stage, in this historical period, there is no political party that can better embody the aspirations of the Italian people and better represent the strength of Italy than fascist. No political leader has been more desirable than Mr. Mussolini and has led the Italian people to the prosperity, stability and order that the country needs most! ”
"We support Mr. Mussolini, and if he is given 3-4 years, he will surely bring us an unprecedented and incredible national miracle......"
On the morning of November 12th, thousands of League students went to Rome to distribute the inaugural issue of "Italian Youth" to the citizens free of charge, and the biggest visual impact was this article written by Contini, in order to expand the influence of the newspaper, the League not only did its best to distribute, but also set up a podium at the most prosperous crossroads, focusing on the article "One Doctrine, One Party, One Leader", and the students who wore the emblem and armband of the Italian Youth Union gave a great impact to the citizens of Rome. Nearly 30,000 copies of the inaugural issue were scattered in one day.
Ordinary citizens mainly watch the excitement, but for the intellectuals, petty bourgeoisie, and middle class with a certain cultural base, the article resonates with them, who are tired of the endless changes of political parties and cabinets, of the political chaos that you sing and I come on, and desperately want stability and order, and of course, a strong country.
By the afternoon of the same day, more than 1,000 people had confirmed their subscriptions to the newspaper.
The first hit of the "Youth Daily" also lies in Contini's strategy, because he stormed several printing houses, those leftist newspapers could not find a place to print, even if they temporarily found other printing houses to replace them, they were also taken down by Potilian people with paper - this news spread all over the printing industry, although press control is the work of other departments of the Ministry of the Interior, but it is the right of the police to seize the printing house, even if there is no conclusive evidence, it is always okay to arrest and go to the bureau for interrogation, right?
In order to avoid trouble, the bosses simply rejected the printing needs of other leftist newspapers, and the police made it clear anyway that this temporary measure would only last for a week, and after a week it would be ignored.
As for the printing of certain newspapers in other cities, the clandestine transport to Rome was also closely watched by the police, and even the newspapers and vehicles were confiscated, so that at first all newspapers except the newspapers of the "Youth Daily" and the fascist camp could not be distributed.
Even if other newspapers want to use force, they are not afraid, Contini has already connected with the old Ciano, mobilized more than 1,000 people, heavily armed black shirts to defend the youth newspaper, not to mention that ordinary ruffians dare not approach, even the police station has to take a detour.
This argument of "wanting to be rich and strong, not to be free" immediately shook the political circles, and the fascist series of newspapers such as the Italian Volvo and other right-wing newspapers published the full text of the newspaper the next day and launched it nationwide, and the Italian Volksteau also wrote a long editorial commenting commenting: ...... This is an epoch-making and weighty article, which expresses the voice of the Italian people, reflects the expectations of the Italian people for the fascist movement, and reflects the support of the Italian youth for the leader, we are not fighting for personal power and interests, not for illusory democracy and freedom, we are fighting for the prosperity and rise of Italy!
In the newspaper the day after the inaugural issue, Youth Daily did an ingenious random survey and asked, "Who takes precedence between national prosperity and individual freedom?" Statistics show that 95.4% of the people choose the country's prosperity and strength, of which 98.4% of young students think that the country's prosperity and strength are given priority, even among the most liberal and loose petty bourgeois class, there are 92% of people who think that "the country's prosperity and strength are first", which is of course a small trick designed by Contini, which opposes the country and the individual, prosperity and freedom, no matter what everyone really thinks in their hearts, at least the superficial "political correctness" will not be wrong.
As if to confirm the correctness of the newspaper Youth, Mussolini also took the brilliant step of organizing a mixed cabinet under the absolute leadership of Fascist to dispel the impression that he was a "one-party dictatorship". He himself served as Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs. Among the ministers and vice-ministers, there are 15 members of the Black Shirts, 3 nationalists, 3 right-wing Liberal parties, 6 Catholic parties, and 3 Social Democratic parties, but all important positions such as deputy prime minister, interior affairs, foreign affairs, justice, finance, etc., are members of the Black Shirts.
The Minister of War was former Army Admiral Diaz, who supported the seizure of power, and the Secretary of the Navy was the pro-Blackshirts former Admiral Daonde Revere. Immediately after the formation of the cabinet, Mussolini posted a notice announcing the disbandment of the Blackshirts, declaring:
“…… Our movement has won, the leader now controls the state power, and domestic and foreign affairs are in the hands of one person. For the sake of peace, the new government also includes members of other political parties – all politicians loyal to the country. Our party has the courage to advance and retreat, and now that it has won victory, it will devote all its energy to realizing the prosperity and strength of the country and striving for national interests! ”
With this argument, there was no need for other refutations, questions and debates, and Contini not only secured his position as the young leader of Italy, but also gained a little reputation in the political arena as a whole......