The rise and fall of fascism in Italy, c1911–46

Section A Source 1 (source written for this paper; the author is fictional but typical of the period): from a letter by a Bologna landowner to a friend, 1921. 'The squadristi have done in weeks what the government could not do in years. The socialist leagues are broken and the workers are back in the fields. Mussolini may be a vulgar man, but he is our man.' Source 2 (source written for this paper; the author is fictional but typical of the period): from a speech by a Liberal deputy in the Chamber, 1922. 'We tell ourselves that fascism can be absorbed, as we absorbed the socialists before. I fear we are deceiving ourselves. A party that rules by the club will not be tamed by the ballot.' How far could the historian make use of Sources 1 and 2 together to investigate why fascism gained support in the years 1919–22? Explain your answer, using both sources, the information given about their origin, and your own knowledge of the historical context.

Section B How far was Mussolini's foreign policy responsible for the collapse of the fascist regime by 1943?