TRIUMPH OF YOUTH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18276, 18 December 1922, Page 9

TRIUMPH OF YOUTH.

THE FASCISTI IN ITALY.

DEFENCE AGAINST BOLSHEVISM.

MUSSOLINI AND HIS " LEGIONS."

All the. world has heard of the Fascisti —vet, few people outside Italy have any preciso knowledge of tho mighty organisation which, created only a littlo more than two years ago, has reconquered Italy for tho Italians, in a new Rieorgimento which in a sense is a pendant and completion of the movement of the 'sixties, writes Mr. F. Britten Austin in tho London Daily Mail.

There are more than a million declared and organised Fascisti in Italy to-day— and few of thein are over 30- And, moreover, the movement has passed out. of its initial "class"' phase. Seven hundred thousand of these Fascisti are workmen who have seceded from the virulently anti-pat riot ic. ('ommunist -cont rolled trade unions—for as tho revolutionaries have been unpleasantly reminded, even workmen prefer to be allowed to love, and be proud of, their native country. Two years ago Lenin announced that the Italian social revolution was an accomplished fa-ct. It looked like it. More than 2000 municipalities flew the red Soviet flag. To show tho Italian national colours almost, anywhere in North Italy meant death. Tho factories were in the occupation of the Communists. The railwavmen revolted and refused to move troops. The Government- acquiesced, afraid in any case to use the army. Government, fact, seemed at an end. It would take'a book to relate all the anti-patriotic and savage outrages perpetrated by r the triumphant Communists in their almost insane hatred of all that stood for Italy as a nation.

To-day that stato of things has vanished like a bad dream. The young men of Italy resolved to have dono with it. They organised themselves. They met violence by violence—they out-terrorised the Terrorists. Communism was extirpated by fire and extinguished in blood. The imbecile general strike of August 1 offered them the occasion for a last overwhelming offensive. They stand unquestioned victors. Communism in Italy is dead.

What Fascismo Wants. But what do they want now? It would need an essay on Italian politic to make it fullv comprehensible. Briefly, there have hitherto been no groat political parties in Italy. The country has been governed by politicians who secure a Parliamentary" majority by _ tho temporary and interested combination of several personal groups. And Italy has been profoundly dissatisfied with tho results. It has passed from contempt for its politicians to active dislike.

At the elections in 1919 Fascismo was scarcely born. Now it is master of the country, and vet st. is unrepresented in Parliament. Tlie Fascisti said "Give us the new elections which will return us to power—or, like Caesar and his legionaries, we will crocs tho Rubicon and march on Rome."

The glory of ancient Rome Ls indeed their dream, and their armj-j is modelled on the ancient legions. It is a fighting force of something like 300,000. «.part from the 700,000 workmen enrolled in the Fascisti trade unions. This force is divided into two categories-—Principes and Triarii. like the soldiers of old Rome. The Principes, largely young exeonibatants in tho war, form the first line. The. Triarii aro the general reserve.

The unit is the squad, 30 to 50 strong, several squads constituting a cohort and several cohorts a legion. They are uniformed in a black shirt and tassel led cap, and fullv armed except, perhaps for artillery. There are Fascisti oorps of cavalry, aviation, and mechanical trans port.. A triumvirate of military chiefs, directly tinder the orders of Mussolini, controls this enthusiastic army, whoso rigid discipline is beyond question.

The Guiding Hand. And Mussolini—the creator of this formidable force, the most, idolised man in Italy to-day—who and what is he? He u a young man of 37 —one of the most remarkable young men in. Europe. To him alone is due tho creation, j organisation, and growth of this amateur army, in which t' e youth of Italy flocked, as it once flocked to Garibaldi, to enrol itself.' He founded it in 1919 with three squadri —a few score men who took their lives in their hands. : In addition to controlling the wide- ] flung ramifications of Fasci.smo, he personally edits his newspaper, the Popolo ' d'ltalia. I But journalism is only a means to an end. He writes in his newspaper, as Napoleon penned his bulletins to his j army, to communicate his ardent, spirit to those who will obey his orders. Ho is primarily the man of action, " Violence'?'' He is sitting at his heaped-np desk, turns with an amused; smile of eyes and mouth, a gesture of Just tolerant impatience with those who make that objection to his method.-;, i " Mv dear friend, remember that 1 knew all the Socialist, leaders personally. I| knew them to be a lot of bullying | cowards. They were ruining Italy—but. I knew that if I attacked they would run. It was the only way to deal with them. I was That episode is finished." " And the next ?" The Next " Episode." "The next is that. Fascismo " —he refers rarely to himself, always to the entity lie called into being—" must take over the government of the country. Fascismo represents the national consciousness of Italy. Wo are determined that Italy shall be a gerat nation, respected beyond our frontiers, and proud of itself within. It shall not. longer be gov-, emed by prttty political factions for j their sectional interests. Either thev | will give us that government or " j He made a significant gesture. That. w r as a month ago. There are; those who see in Mussolini the first President of an Italian Republic. _ He himself proclaims a conditional' allegiance to the monarchy Napoleon before the 18t!i Brumaire did lip-servree io the Directory. But Napoleon is not an exact parallel." Tho Fascisti see it in Caesar as. by "cohorts" and "legions," tho Principe? and Triarii mobilise at their leader's orders. ——I