Figure 1.--This is a news wire stock photo titled: "Children in Arms". The caption read, "Huge models of rifles form the entrance to a Fascist youth camp near Rome where 5,000 boys receive military training." It was distributed by the Keystone View Co. Keystone was best known for the production od stereoscopic view cards. The image was undated, but looks to have been taken before World war II in the 1930s.

Glorification of the military and war was a basic feature of Fascism and Italian Fascism was no exception. Musolini like Hitler served in the World War I military. Italy entered the War on the Allied side attracted by Allied offers of territory to be won. The War aversely affected the economy and Italy did not get all of the territiory they expected. Fascist attitudes toward the military were in part an expression of the xenephobic nationalism which was also a feature of Fascism. If Fascist countries were to achieve their nationalistic goals, it could only be done through war. The primary Fascist objective was to seize territory. Here a factor was that because of the rule of multi-ethnic empires like the Hapsburg Austrian-Hungarian and Ottomon Empires there was a great mixing of ethnic groups. Even after the territory gained in Woirld war I, there were Italians in neigbiring countries. The same of course was true of Germany and other countries like Hungary. Nussolini not only wanted the territory where Italians lived, but also a large empire to govern. And only military prowess could gain Italian Fascists such an empire. But the Fascist nindset was also a stidently male could be expressed on a national basis through agressive militarism. And the Fascist Council set up institutional links between the youth groups and the military. We do not yet havevmuch information on the links, but the Decree mobiliing youth sescribes a 'liason body' between the armed forces and all organizationsoperating in thec'formation of ana rmed nation'. An army corps general was given this assignment.

Sources

AP report. 'Italy's little boys to discard their marbles and study machine guns,' The Spartangburg Herald (September 18, 1934), p. 1.