Mussolini did not rule with hand of iron in Italy and he was much more into propaganda and his own popularity. Yet he did achieve some victories for Italy. The substance Vs style issue can be looked at in a number of places e.g. social policy, cult of Mussolini etc

Mussolini came to power in 1922 without any clear ideas about foreign policy but in just under a few months he had established a general aim, to make Italy ìgreat, respected and fearedî. Italy would achieve this through a military strengthening diplomatic intrigue and if necessary war. Yet he did not have the opportunity to expand because there were no suitable opportunities and domestic issues required close attention. Mussolini was attempting to take Yugoslavia and In 1926 Albania became a satellite state for Italy and was threatening Yugoslavia with greater force. This maintained Italyis aggressive foreign policy was a promising start. Yet he was improving European relations in the west by signing such treaties as the Lucerne pact and the Kellogg- Briand pact. These meant little to Mussolini who often would not even read them. He was interested being taken seriously as a

Therefore, Mussoliniis policy on education was, to an extent, revolutionary, although thousands of potential scientists were impeded.

European statesman and hoped it would enhance his prestige at home. He often made extravagant entrances at international conferences which were always extensively covered by the press. This is an obvious example of style over substance. The Italians were led to believe that Mussolini was equal in Europe his input was crucial. This was a gross exaggeration. He only attended one session at the Lucerne pact and did not even read the final treaty.

In education, Mussolini aimed to teach young people the subjects considered to be important in growing up to be a loyal fascist. Men taught Latin, history, and philosophy, which were considered to be the more important subjects. Women, however, were thought of by Mussolini to only be good for having children and looking after the home. They therefore taught the subjects considered to be not so important, such as science and mathematics.

The myth was that Mussolini managed to establish a working relationship with the church, a feat not managed by any government since 1871. This was true at first. However, the reality was that he could not maintain this relationship. Mussolini had tried to suppress the Catholic Action Youth Organisation despite promising the opposite in the Lateran Pacts. The crisis point came in 1939 when the Church provided on of the main sources of opposition to the war.

Mussolini was never brave enough to war with another country of similar status and therefore did not do much. His foreign policy was one of myth rather than substance. He would not dare fight against Hitler or the Western Democracies and so never became great respected or feared although he made many Italians believe otherwise.

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Approximate Word count = 2043
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)