TSR Wiki > Study Help > Subjects and Revision > Revision Notes > History > Mussolini - School, University and Propaganda
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.
