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How did the Fascists use Schools & Universities for propaganda purposes?

• No major change in structure.

• Mussolini appointed the renowned Gentile as Education Minister to reassure the elite.

• Mussolini also encouraged Grammar schools, as they were favoured by the Middle Class and led to professions.

• 30% illiteracy rate in 1921.

• Gentile discriminated against women.

• School attendance dropped by 100,000 in the first 4 years of Fascist rule.

• Gentile and his system of “fewer but better schools” angered many Fascists and was dismantled in July 1924, when he departed.

• The Government increasingly laid down what was to be taught.

• In the 1930’s the Government started to seriously attempt to control education.

• Standard textbook – Libro Unico. Mussolini claimed this was to mould in children “a real awareness of their duties as Fascist citizens”.

• Teachers required to swear loyalty to the regime.

• Bottai’s 1939 school charter – he wanted to establish an organic union of the Party and the schools, and break down the class barriers in the system, and focus on science and technology more.

• Hence manual work became part of the curriculum, and so did military training.

• But this radical idea worried the middle classes.

• Gov. control over what you learnt declined as you went higher up the education ladder – possibly due to the fact people are more impressionable when young, so only occasional reminders as to who the Duce was were needed with older pupils?

• Ditto control over teachers – University lecturers were not as strictly “policed” for their values as primary/secondary schoolteachers.

• More courses added, e.g. weapons training, rather than totally changing the curriculum.

• Not all teachers were committed Fascists despite the oath!

• Indeed, the oath prevented a much-needed purge of teachers, which was really needed for the state to achieve its aims.

• The limited extent to which the Fascists controlled education is surprising for a regime claiming to be Totalitarian!

Comments

These notes are aimed at Edexcel A Level history students for Unit 4 on Mussolini.

Originally written by Forgotmytea on TSR Forums.