ADULT EDUCATION

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXX, 15 June 1936, Page 10

ADULT EDUCATION

“ITALY, PAST AND PRESENT” ADDRESS TO WORKERS’ EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION The local Workers’ Education Association held its first class meeting for the 1936 season in the Nelson Institute. In spite of the bad weather an encouraging number were present. Mr A. J. Gray M.A., presided and stated the committee’s activities since the general meeting last month. The lecture for the evening was given by Mr W. T. Conibear upon “Italy past and present, and the Abyssinian conflict.” In giving the history of the Italian Fascist movement he explained how various conservative organisations got together with force of arms to crush what was in Italy a strong Socialist and Syndicalist movement, which had at this period taken over many of the industries. The Socialists, never expecting an armed opposition, were not prepared for such; neither did they expect that the leader, after the fighting, would be Mussolini. Mussolini at the outbreak of the 1914 World War was an active militant Socialist, who escaped to Switzerland to evade the then existing laws of Italy. He became editor of a Socialist international paper, and wrote some very strong statements against war. In fact the Mussolini of 1914 was the complete opposite of the Mussolini of 1932 or 1936. The dictatorship of the Fascist regime was held by extreme methods. •Many Liberal and Socialist Italian statesmen had to flee, and thousands of citizens were transported to the penal islands off the Italian coast. The elections were anything but democratic, and the Workers’ Co-operative and Industrial Unions were wrecked and their funds confiscated. When one remembered the promises made by the Allies in 1914 to win Italy to their side, said the speaker, and considered the settlement of the spoils of the 1914 war in respect to , what Italy really received, one could realise why the populace adopted the national outlook which was contained in Fascism. One must realise that Fascism became a factor in Germany, because there was a strong element of Commuhistn in Germany. It might be stated that if there had not been that feature in Germany and Italy there would not have been what to-day is known as fascism. The ■ lecturer stated that he had in vain tried to find if their had been any organised attempt by Mussolini and the Italian Fascists to stir up an anti-Abyssinian feeling prior to the : year 1933, but could not trace any. One had to remember that Mussolini came into power when the economic drend of the industrial world was rising, Conditions and prices were better, and Italy’s export and import trade was increasing. Then came Japan’s drive for world trade and it was Japan that, crippled Italy’s export and internal trade in textile goods. Then the world trade crisis developed and Italy lost a tremendous amount of shipbuilding and motor-car building. Italians who had migrated to the United States and other.- countries met with adverse circumstances. Consequently the credit that these oversea Italians sent to their homeland dwindled tremendously. Oversea Italians came back to Italy by the thousands and this naturally made the internal complications rather awkward for Mussolini. The internal-improvements such as the rebuilding of a portion of Rome, and the growing of wheat by irrigating methods instead of improving it had practically come to an end. Naturally the Italian budget became somewhat envolved. The unemployed insurance inaugurated with a few industries became almost non-existent. Public servants’ salaries were drastically reduced and along with this taxation became unbearable. Things were not looking too bright for Fascism. The agricultural labourers, with the everincreasing army of unemployed, were becoming restless. But when the exposure of the American and then the British financial schemes for exploiting Abyssinia became, public information Mussolini had his chance. The old. wound of Adowa was exploited. Britain and France found themselves in rather awkward positions because of the different- diplomatic intrigues that had arisen with regard to Egypt, Soudan, Somaliland etc., with the result that Abyssinia became an inland country, without any port, . The jealousy between Britain, France and Italy was very real, because of the capital invested in Abyssinia. This the lecturer believed, was the real reason for the dilly-dallying with regard to the sanctions. Mussolini himself had stated that he did not expect to conquer Abyssinia until. 1937, but Italy had proved otherwise. The sanctions that became operative turned the cotton looms into rayon producing. Imports were cut still further. The decline of the tourist trade was equally disastrous to Italy. Commerce with Austria. Hungary, Jugoslavia and Albania gradually increased. Payment by frozen credits was resorted to where possible. On the other hand the payment to Rumania for oil was in gold. Night life in hotels except for the miliary disappeared. A meeting of the Fascist Supreme Council on 4th February, 1936, indicated the seriousness of Italy’s internal position. Hence the desire of Mussolini for French and British friendship. The Assembly of Corporations met on 29th February, 1936, and it was decided to draft recommendations for the Fascist Government. The speaker said he personally thought that the Abyssinians would have just as good a deal as they would receive from France or Britain. The Abyssinian, as well as the Somali, would have to be bribed to work. Of course the Fascist organisation of the youth of Abyssinia may mean a menace in the near future if there is any likelihood of other wars.