Final answer:
Fascists like Mussolini in Italy used violence, propaganda, and control over the economy to enforce their ideologies. They inspired unquestioning loyalty to the state, suppressed opposition, and dismantled democratic institutions to maintain a totalitarian grip on power.
Step-by-step explanation:
Strategies Used by Fascists
Fascist governments in Europe during the interwar period utilized several tactics to exercise control over their populations and assert their ideologies. In Italy, Benito Mussolini rallied a paramilitary group known as the Blackshirts to violently suppress dissent, particularly against communists and socialists. He capitalized on the fears of the middle and upper classes of a communist revolution, earning their financial and tacit police support. The Fascists also subverted democracy by manipulating elections and eventually abolishing them, promoting a culture of unquestioning loyalty towards the leader.
The fascist movement defined itself not only through violence but also through ideological influence, promoting national pride and co-opting youth movements and recreation clubs to spread their beliefs. To maintain totalitarian control, they restricted free speech, controlled the press, suppressed any political opposition, and promoted propaganda that elevated the state and the leader. This control extended to the economy, where Mussolini's government took control of failing industries and dismantled labor unions to secure industrial development.
In terms of symbolism, fascism derived from the term fascii, which represents collective strength and power, embodying the fascist value of unity at the expense of individual freedoms. Across Europe, these tactics were mirrored by other fascist groups, imposing authoritarianism under the guise of national strength and stability.