All is well that ends well eh CJ?

That anyone would or even could defend Mussolini! Ok, lets say he is soley responsible for getting the rail system to run on time, That gives him the right to commit genocide? I can't even call him a true Italian, he wanted to change the whole Italian culture and their way of life, he turned his back on countless Italians who would not back him, hmmm sounds familiar. Mussolini was a coward by all accounts, he invaded Ethiopia to give himself a strong hold on Africa, he also had a grudge against them for driving troops out in WW1, hmmm sounds familiar. He may have done some good at one time to build up the Italian ecomony but at a cost of many human lives, Italians, Ethiopians and others, hmmm sounds familiar. I have living Italian relatives that where alive during his dictatorship, they tell me how scared they were of that crazy man as they put it. World leaders never pay attention to history, some try to repeat it and fail just as they did throughout history. Maybe I can't blame you for backing him, you just see a glorified figure and can't resist his powerfully empty speeches. History doesn't exactly show him to be a great leader and neither do the people who lived through his madness. Learn more before you back a madman.

Absolutely! So why don't we all March on Rome?
Better still ... why not get Aliena's spaceship out of the garage and we can fly there instead!

__________________
CJ
Magical Marche &
Luchetti & Partners Studio Legale Tributario

I agree Villa. There are far more important issues to think about. However, most of you seem to be missing my point and I am surpirsed by this.

You will find that I actually said he was not a good man. I also said that it is debatable whether he did make the trains run on time and that although he was hostlie to the Jews, he was not not anti-semitic.

"Maybe I can't blame you for backing him, you just see a glorified figure and can't resist his powerfully empty speeches. History doesn't exactly show him to be a great leader and neither do the people who lived through his madness. Learn more before you back a madman".

Where does it say in my post that I am backing him or that I cannot resist his speeches? What utter rubbish Giovanni! Yes, a lot of writings show him not to have been a great leader. Yes, he did make some fatal errors - but show me who is infallible. If you bother to do you your research (and there is plenty of lietrature out there if you look), you will find that he was not as evil as you portay him to be. For your benefit Giovanni, I did put up some of the underlying reasons for his move on Ethiopia. Perhaps you haven't fully read my post. It is not that simple or as open and shut as you believe, so please do not lecture me on Italian history, especially Political and Legal History.

I also did say that my grandfather worked on the railways during that era and that despite the hardships of those times, he and his family did benefit from some of Mussolini's programmes. This does not mean to say that I approve of everything that he said or did.

Finally, I agree with Bubbles that it is time to move on. However, I would like to make this final point that I wouldn't consider any emotion-based position or preconceived bias to be necessarily correct without substantative debate. Moreover, I certainly wouldn't allow my judgement to be clouded without fully examining and weighing up all the evidence that is nowadays so readily available.

__________________
CJ
Magical Marche &
Luchetti & Partners Studio Legale Tributario

Spaceship is grounded due to technical mishandling - am awaiting delivery of new model from Alitalia after I kick the French and Germans up the backside and takeover. Watch share prices climb once I'm in power!

"That anyone would or even could defend Mussolini!"

"I can't even call him a true Italian, he wanted to change the whole Italian culture and their way of life, he turned his back on countless Italians who would not back him, hmmm sounds familiar. Mussolini was a coward by all accounts, he invaded Ethiopia(one of the poorest countries in the world) to give himself a strong hold on Africa, he also had a grudge against them for driving troops out in WW1, hmmm sounds familiar. He may have done some good at one time to build up the Italian ecomony but at a cost of many human lives, Italians, Ethiopians and others, hmmm sounds familiar. I have living Italian relatives that where alive during his dictatorship, they tell me how scared they were of that crazy man as they put it. World leaders never pay attention to history, some try to repeat it and fail just as they did throughout history. Maybe I can't blame you for backing him, you just see a glorified figure and can't resist his powerfully empty speeches. History doesn't exactly show him to be a great leader and neither do the people who lived through his madness. Learn more before you back a madman."

The link below is about the ethiopian empire. Thats right Empire

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopia#Ethiopian_Empire.




I also read something about "one of the poorest countries"!


Not then it wasn't.

Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world. Some regions of the country are prone to famine and weak government policies have long harmed progress. During Haile Selassie's imperial government of the mid 1900s, around 200,000 Ethiopians died due to famine.[72] And during Mengistu Haile Mariam's 1980 government over 300,000 Ethiopians died due to famine.

fascism : A system of government that promotes extreme nationalism, repression, anticommunism, and is ruled by a dictator.

"Fascism: Any program for setting up a centralized authcratic national regime with severely nationalistic policies, exercising regimentation of industry, commerce, and finance, rigid censorship, and forcible suppression of opposition." --Merriam-Webster Dictionary


20 Characteristics Of A Fascist Political Party


1. Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism. From the prominent displays of flags and bunting to the ubiquitous lapel pins, the fervor to show patriotic nationalism, both on the part of the regime itself and of citizens caught up in its frenzy, was always obvious. Catchy slogans, pride in the military, and demands for unity were common themes in expressing this nationalism. It was usually coupled with a suspicion of things foreign that often bordered on xenophobia. Support Our Troops!

2. Disdain for the importance of human rights. The regimes themselves viewed human rights as of little value and a hindrance to realizing the objectives of the ruling elite. Through clever use of propaganda, the population was brought to accept these human rights abuses by marginalizing, even demonizing, those being targeted. When abuse was egregious, the tactic was to use secrecy, denial, and disinformation.

3. Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause. The most significant common thread among these regimes was the use of scapegoating as a means to divert the people's attention from other problems, to shift blame for failures, and to channel frustration in controlled directions. The methods of choicerelentless propaganda and disinformationwere usually effective. Often the regimes would incite 'spontaneous' acts against the target scapegoats, usually communists, socialists, liberals, Jews, ethnic and racial minorities, traditional national enemies, members of other religions, secularists, homosexuals, and 'terrorists.' Active opponents of these regimes were inevitably labeled as terrorists and dealt with accordingly.

4. The supremacy of the military/avid militarism. Ruling elites always identified closely with the military and the industrial infrastructure that supported it. A disproportionate share of national resources was allocated to the military, even when domestic needs were acute. The military was seen as an expression of nationalism, and was used whenever possible to assert national goals, intimidate other nations, and increase the power and prestige of the ruling elite.

5. Rampant sexism. Beyond the simple fact that the political elite and the national culture were male-dominated, these regimes inevitably viewed women as second-class citizens. They were adamantly anti-abortion and also homophobic. These attitudes were usually codified in Draconian laws that enjoyed strong support by the orthodox religion of the country, thus lending the regime cover for its abuses.

6. A controlled mass media. Under some of the regimes, the mass media were under strict direct control and could be relied upon never to stray from the party line. Other regimes exercised more subtle power to ensure media orthodoxy. Methods included the control of licensing and access to resources, economic pressure, appeals to patriotism, and implied threats. The leaders of the mass media were often politically compatible with the power elite. The result was usually success in keeping the general public unaware of the regimes excesses.

7. Obsession with national security. Inevitably, a national security apparatus was under direct control of the ruling elite. It was usually an instrument of oppression, operating in secret and beyond any constraints. Its actions were justified under the rubric of protecting 'national security,' and questioning its activities was portrayed as unpatriotic or even treasonous.

8. Religion and ruling elite tied together. Unlike communist regimes, the fascist and protofascist regimes were never proclaimed as godless by their opponents. In fact, most of the regimes attached themselves to the predominant religion of the country and chose to portray themselves as militant defenders of that religion. The fact that the ruling elites behavior was incompatible with the precepts of the religion was generally swept under the rug. Propaganda kept up the illusion that the ruling elites were defenders of the faith and opponents of the godless. A perception was manufactured that opposing the power elite was tantamount to an attack on religion.

9. Power of corporations protected. Although the personal life of ordinary citizens was under strict control, the ability of large corporations to operate in relative freedom was not compromised. The ruling elite saw the corporate structure as a way to not only ensure military production (in developed states), but also as an additional means of social control. Members of the economic elite were often pampered by the political elite to ensure a continued mutuality of interests, especially in the repression of have-not citizens.

10. Power of labor suppressed or eliminated. Since organized labor was seen as the one power center that could challenge the political hegemony of the ruling elite and its corporate allies, it was inevitably crushed or made powerless. The poor formed an underclass, viewed with suspicion or outright contempt. Under some regimes, being poor was considered akin to a vice.

11. Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts. Intellectuals and the inherent freedom of ideas and expression associated with them were anathema to these regimes. Intellectual and academic freedom were considered subversive to national security and the patriotic ideal. Universities were tightly controlled; politically unreliable faculty harassed or eliminated. Unorthodox ideas or expressions of dissent were strongly attacked, silenced, or crushed. To these regimes, art and literature should serve the national interest or they had no right to exist.

12. Obsession with crime and punishment. Most of these regimes maintained Draconian systems of criminal justice with huge prison populations. The police were often glorified and had almost unchecked power, leading to rampant abuse. 'Normal' and political crime were often merged into trumped-up criminal charges and sometimes used against political opponents of the regime. Fear, and hatred, of criminals or 'traitors' was often promoted among the population as an excuse for more police power.

13. Rampant cronyism and corruption. Those in business circles and close to the power elite often used their position to enrich themselves. This corruption worked both ways; the power elite would receive financial gifts and property from the economic elite, who in turn would gain the benefit of government favoritism. Members of the power elite were in a position to obtain vast wealth from other sources as well: for example, by stealing national resources. With the national security apparatus under control and the media muzzled, this corruption was largely unconstrained and not well understood by the general population.

14. Fraudulent elections. Elections in the form of plebiscites or public opinion polls were usually bogus. When actual elections with candidates were held, they would usually be perverted by the power elite to get the desired result. Common methods included maintaining control of the election machinery, intimidating and disenfranchising opposition voters, destroying or disallowing legal votes, and, as a last resort, turning to a judiciary beholden to the power elite.