Fascism is riding the tiger (trained population turning against it)

[AsiaCel]

In my opinion, the traits that Italian fascism promoted, such as:

-Military training
-Warrior ethos
-Struggle rhetoric
-Unity
-Highly efficient and interconnected organizations for gathering people (youth clubs etc)

Are dual edged swords that can easily be turned against the state overnight.

Believe, obey, fight!

Can easily morph into

Believe in resistance, obey the will, fight the fascists

A state's grip on power relies on its military willing to pull the trigger, workers willing to make ammo, and farmers willing to plant food.

Therefore, a fascist regime is essentially riding the tiger, the second that they lose a war or popular support, the very same tools that they forged, can easily be turned into tools of resistance movements, as seen in Italy.

In addition, aggressive state rhetoric create a situation that the state cannot easily walk back on.

For example in Italy, Mussolini attacked Slavs and Ethiopians; but what if the state now needs the former enemies to become geopolitically aligned (remember that in politics, there are no forever friends and enemies).

It would mean that if the state needed to compromise, it would risk looking weak and if the state needed to train the former enemies, the former enemies would be socially unwelcomed and possibly be subject to beating by crowds — a diplomatic disaster!

 

[tired as fuck]

Highly efficient and interconnected organizations for gathering people (youth clubs etc)

this is criminally underrated in any analysis of Fascist Italy. Society was much more connected: schools had a club culture of sorts, resembling that of modern day Japan, and Dopolavoro made it so adults could socialize and had a net. Nowadays Italy is a scum nation.

These can easily turn against the state overnight.

Believe, obey, fight!

Can easily morph into

Believe in resistance, obey the will, fight the fascists

I'm not sure man. You get people resisting governments in all forms of totalitarianism, not just italian fascism. From day one (1922) you had people resisting it. Political opponents were mocking it as far back as 1919-1920. Acts of violence were a daily occurrence and culminated with the killing of Matteotti. It's not like the state propaganda turned its own subjects into resistance fighters, they were always there and were more or less organized throughout. Socialist/Communist movements helped many high-value people escape from imprisonment (Filippo Turati, founder of the Socialist Party for instance). When the Allies entered Sicily and started liberating the south, resistance fighters took the opportunity and started guerrilla fighting against the Salò Republic.