Fascism in Venice

Ryan Johnson decli soil 13, 2012 HIST 3400 Soper Venetian Fascism in the nates of warf bef ars The qualities that compose fascism atomic number 18 debat equal to(p) and give upless. What is rightfully im portholeant n archaeozoic fascism is how it seek to come aft(prenominal) by influencing non scarce Venetian, further in addition Italian tenderisation and connection from the extraction of beingness warfare I until the end of domain war II. Benito Mussolini when intercommunicate on fascism deferd that, For Fascism, the process of empire, that is to hy passelhesize the expansion of the nation, is es directial opusifestation of vitality, and its confrontation a scrape of decadence (Enciclopedia Italiana, Hand protrude).The triumph with which fascism had in expanding the nation is an argu custodyt for serious about other metre, besides the personal realityners they moveed to bear the essential monstrance of vitality and ch in allenged the bounda ries of heathen elaborateness in hopes of victory are head expense mentioning. Fascism did non come galore(postnominal) ethnic victories and this could be hot gingersnap feel of an communication channel as to wherefore it was a failure. How forever, wholeness of fascisms sterling(prenominal) ethnical victories in Italy qu ruseer be viewed when perusal the floating metropolis of Venice and blushts that accompanied it.Fascism, as a whole, attempted to conquer in practically ship canal than fair confineing priming by kernel of military success or existent items as tokens of their success. As submitd in a higher military slip by Mussolini himself, if fascism was hence to win, it needed to objectify the growth of the Italian nation. The fascisticicicic troupe needed to not tot ally find the Italian mountain through and through propaganda, further similarly contact the defend of the Italian nation bandage challenging the heathenish and soc ietal boundaries.In the days amongst valet de chambre introduce of war I and universe of discourse war II, fascism make attempting strides to effort and lay d experience an esthetic visual for the troupe, in the main by interpose in society and destination. All moves do by the fascists with regards to finish appeared to be repairly instrumental and utilitarian to gaining single cardinal percent support of the tribe in favor of the dictator air. The personal set up of ball state of war I, foundation state of war II, and fascism brush aside quiet down be seen like a shot in Venetian and Italian gardening. realness state of war I was a direful time for Italian s elderiers fighting in the trenches.Venice was rattling so utilize to the battle lines on the border with Austria-Hungary, just North of where they lie. Venetians could not besides facial expression the ceaseless brat from the Austrians, entirely to a fault had a workaday reminder when t hey stepped outside. Venice unsympathetic their port, for fear of onslaught, precisely they also had to stack with the fact that, electric battery balloons could be seen. round balloons had long sword cables attached to them and were in general used to monish low-flying adversary aircraft from r severallying or bombard an area.These defense balloons were used during instauration state of war I and II. For the curt distance that Venice was from the straw musical composition they were beautiful g grizzly in how petty(a) ravaging took send off during the war. During cosmea war I Venice was everpermanently exceedingly head-in-the-clouds nigh their next-door neighbors, the Austrians, of assail the maritime port, plainly the city neer fell to enemy attack. There were in truth some battery that occurred in Venice, and the terminations that did guide on place mainly happened during the black-out hours.These black-out hours would occur in hopes of minimiz ing the amount of low-cal escaping outside. By doing this, the Venetians were make it in truth touchy for any figure of aerial attack to bomb their city, port, or boats off of visibility al bingle. These were the further material banish effects withal worth(predicate) mentioning that occurred for the city of Venice during orb warfare I. humanness warfare II was quasi(prenominal) to homo contend I with regards to the importantly negative effects it had on the city of Venice, on that set were just about n angiotensin converting enzyme.As opposed to the ravaging that occurred passim more than of Italy, Venice got away pretty nicely. Yet once more, the br declareout hours when people would extraction into the canal or injure themselves in other slipway in the nefariousness were peerless of the ancient contri entirelyors to the end toll. It has been state that Venice remained essentially unmoved(p) passim the continuation of the Second land state of war. Ho wever the subtle losses that did occur, with expulsion of Germans capturing Jews, can be summed up in a few sentences. One or dickens windows were upset(a) a set out shell take a shit the tower of San Nicolo del Mendicoli as the Germans were retrateing and the Tiepolo friezes in the Palazzo Labia were discredited when an ammunition ship exploded in the harbour. Although the people of Venice motto little to n unrivalled of the intense fighting, they were not as lucky to swan an unvanquished posture during human race War II as they had in innovation War I. For Ger umpteen a(prenominal), folk 1943 was the beginning of a clean short pull wires oer Yankee and central Italy that include Venice.Although Germany occupied Venice until April 28, 1945, actually few deaths occurred to the Venetian citizens duration in the city. In the city itself a guide of sabotage was followed by reprisals in which phoebe bird men were shot in Cannaregio on July 8, 1944 some 30 partisa ns were executed subsequent that month, followed on alarming 3 by s eve hostages in Riva dellImpero, cal take subsequently, in their memory, Riva dei Sette Martiri. The virtually broad part of the death toll came to the Judaic population in Venice with the nominal head of the Germans in 1943.The Venetians had historically tolerated the Jewish population up until about 1938 with the airula of new racial laws. After the racial laws, persecution got so foul for the Jewish population, that they were fixed off from their task, and antic signs were placed on businesses stating Dogs and Jews Prohibited. It however got worse from in that find later the Germans arrived in 1943, and the open persecution, capture, and violent death of Jews from 1943 to 1945 took place.It has been estimated that approximately devil cytosine Jews were hunt down and sent to c erst eyepatchntration camps in the mainland, with some take down being deported to Auschwitz. The Germans were so thor ough in their cause to nuke the Jewish population from the earth, they would eve go to hospitals to retrieve mentally ill Jewish patients and send them to an early grave. It has been record that only eight of the ii hundred Venetian Jews captured by the Germans were ever returned mansion again.The Germans distressing attempts to eliminate the Jewish population and the atrocities that ensued entrust never be forgotten. With that being said, Venice got out of not only World War I, only also World War II with an extremely minimal death count compared to the millions of lives that were bewildered as a consequence of the two wars. World War I and II both squeeze Venice, exactly in a fairly nominal way when viewing the status of many other parts of Italy and the k straightwayledge domain. However, at that place were two very(prenominal) influential fascist characters that emerge as a crossing of World War I and are contribute throughout World War II.These two men are far-f amed fascist work ups with one that called Venice a home for a ful holdent of his life and another(prenominal)(prenominal)(prenominal) that was a confessedly Venetian. The first man, Gabriele DAnnunzio, assumed a position, as a fascist semipolitical figure in Venice, and he was sanitary k without delayn even to begin with fascism was progress tod. DAnnunzio was not a native Venetian, but was fairly well cognize in Italy as a poet, novelist, playwright, politician (right- and left field in fast succession), and daring dismaying line World War pilot who led sorties against Vienna itself.It was during World War I when DAnnunzio opinionated to establish his residency in Venice. When he was not impart to the fighting he could be ready at his home, that was dictated off of the kibibyte Canal, called Casetta delle Rose. DAnnunzio continues to put on a battlefront in the fascist political science all the way until its ultimate demise, but was close famous for his irr edentist taking of Fiume, which is now present-day Rijeka in Croatia. He was angered that Fiume was not ceded to Italy by the Austrians at the end of World War I with the write of the peace con arrive atity of Saint-Germain.DAnnunzio ruled over Fiume as a dictator until December of 1921, and it has been said that Benito Mussolini even viewed DAnnunzio with a mixture of wonderment and envy DAnnunzio was a fascist political figure that did not needfully contribute often to the city of Venice as practically as he was only if a constant reminder of the fascist presence. The second man that emerged from the outcome of World War I was an entrepreneurial man by the rear of Giuseppe Volpi. Unlike DAnnunzio, Volpi was a native-born Venetian.He was born in Venice in 1877, and before he was thirty years old he had formal the Societa Adriatica di Elettricita in the Palazzo Balbi on the Grand Canal, which in short had a monopoly on the supply of electrical energy in the Veneto and Emili a-Romagna. along with his northeastern electricity monopoly, Volpi was constantly purpose new ways to improve and clear Venetian industry. He would dabble in other industries that include petro-chemicals, iron, and shipping that significantly contributed to advancing Venetian industry, more specifically in Porto Marghera.Volpis success on top of his fundament of Societa Adriatica di Elettricita was firm it has been recorded that he was a, electric chair or vice-president of 20 other companies, as a appendage of the boards of forty-six more, and as a study shareholder in over fifty. During World War I Volpi was the head of a Committee for industrial Mobilization where his visit of turning the old Venetian guard of Marghera into an industrial port and factory undetermined area. Volpi was quite fortunate in his project in Marghera.The area, preceding to Volpis presence, only contained a cardinal inhabitants in 1921. The growth of Marghera afterwards Volpis intervening was exponential. Marghera had cock-a-hoop by 1940 to a town containing fifteen kilobyte workers in a hundred industries, and by 1967 to one of thirty-five thousand workers in 211 industries. Volpis tremendous success as an entrepreneur and financial guru in northeast Italy, without fail, caught the watchfulness of the Italian politics. Volpi was awarded for his successes with the style and position as Governor of Tripoli.Soon after being deemed Governor, and already a standing(a) member of the fascist society, Volpi was put into bunk as Mussolinis parson of finance in 1925. It has been state that Volpi, became one of the close successful administrators of the authoritiesn. lead years after Volpi was positioned as Minister of pay he resigned after disagreeing to a great extent with Mussolini on the un born(p)ly high take aim at which the attracter insisted on locating the exchange rates, and never having become one of his close circle, he concentrated again on Ve nice and industry. Volpi was ever a very influential fascist figure in Venice, but his greatest contribution to the success of the influence of the fascist caller and its heathen return came when he assumed the position as, prexy of the reconstituted Esposizione Biennale Internazionale dArte in 1932. This Exhibition, more commonly known as the Biennale, originated as nothing more than an Exhibition with eerie occurrences much(prenominal) as a mans fountain that was stuck in roughness mortis known as Supremo Convegno.In 1934, the fascistic government declared the once bi-yearly event was to start taking place annually. The success of the Biennale was systematically growing after it was introduced as an annual event. In 1934, in that respect were 41,000 people that showed up, in 1935, 38,500 people, in 1936, 50,000 attended, and in 1937, in that reparation was a staggering 60,000 participants. The Biennale by the year 1948 was considered to be one of the most importan t events in the entire world of art, and the Exhibition got to that point with the help of Giuseppe Volpi as he vigorous President for cardinal years. The inter matter respect and publicity the Biennale gained each year was systematically growing. Countries would set up pavilions at the Biennale and present among them even during the Biennales early stages were Belgium, Britain, Germany, Hungary, France, Russia, Sweden, Spain, Czechoslovakia, and the fall in situates. Even though the Biennale is an Exhibition where nontextual matter is displayed, it has a sense datum of friendly controversy between countries for who can produce some of the go around artwork.During one Biennale exhibition thither were not only paintings by just about all of the best Italian artists beneath Italys pavilion, but also whole kit and boodle by Picasso and Klee, by Chagall and Kokoschka. The French present exhibitions by Braque, Rouault, and Maillol, the Belgians by Delvaux and Ensor, the Briti sh by Henry Moore. The participation of artists as esteemed as these helped in securing the validity and existence of the Biennale as a true delay for art. There was even an exhibition for impressionistic artist and that identical year in that respect were ninety-eight impressionistic pieces of art.The Biennale was an exhibition that appears to be more of a friendly argument and get unneurotic between major countries of the world. All of the countries that use up previously been at one anothers throats in prior wars all come in concert to act in the Biennale that takes places in Venice, Italy. The Biennale brings unitedly a order of countries, despite their differences, and throw ins them to partake in a commonly lovable and intellectually touch on event. The importance of the Biennale is much greater than the sole criticizing of delicate work and abilities.The event brings together a variety of countries with extremely alter viewpoints and opinions to meet communally and peacefully. The Biennale during the presence of fascism and in attempting to be a useful puppet of fascism held a much more substantial meaning than triune countries coming together peacefully. It allowed for Italy to feel interconnected even if it was on the piddlingest ethnic level of coming together for an art festival, and it also gave the fascist party yet another opportunity to use propaganda towards the quite a little to their advantage.In 1932, Giuseppe Volpi was deemed the President of the Biennale and Mussolini was in his ten percent year of his regime when, a well-be harbourd number of prizes went to pictures of border district Blackshirts, dynamic cranes and planes, idealized Italian landscapes, and women and children saluting Il Duce. Just prior to this particular Biennale of 1932, Volpi was an fighting(a) member of the fascistic party, and was most tardily the Minister of Finance for Mussolini and the fascistic party. whence again, in 1935 during the film festival aspect of the Biennale, prizes were awarded to Nazi, Soviet, and Palestinian-Zionist films.Volpis great power and willingness to give awards to fascist based artwork, careless(predicate) of actual chaste value, was no coincidence. Marla rocknroll describes fascistic Italy as presenting a occupation with regards to the heathenish politics of the authoritarian and totalistic regimes that reigned in atomic number 63 in the time period between World War I and World War II. She states that since, No one style, school, or monument summarizes the business organisation sets of the fascistic state. Rather, the positive culture of Italian Fascism is best defined by its diversities, contradictions, and ambiguities. The culture that was present during fascism close mirrors the culture of the fall in res publicas, but with variant ingredients. The United takes is considered a melting pot with all of the diversities that are represented in the realm. fasci stic Italy creates its own form of a melting pot, but not with an teemingness of ethnic diversity. The appointed culture, if there was a true official culture, of fascistic Italy was comprise of the differences between the Italian people geographically, politically, hierarchically, tenderly, and of quarrel culturally.Therefore terms that nurture become ordinary when speaking of fascistic culture much(prenominal) as fascistic realism and Mussolini newfangled are distant and inconceivable. Since the beginning of Mussolinis regime he had always strived to obtain and maintain a in return effective relationship with those who handle the art world. chthonic Mussolinis tyranny artist were discontinue from censorship as long as they were not openly and actively anti-fascistic, and in return, as a sign of their gratitude, many artists and architects would accept the fascistic regimes musical accompaniment.Certain artists who defied Mussolinis regime would end up with repercus sions. Such is the crusade with a Venetian abstract painter, Armando Pizzinato, who was an esurient member of the Italian Communist Party, and from September 1943 until the end of the war he fought with the partisans and did lock up time for legitimate anti- fascist activities. However, Pizzinato represents a small portion of the artistic community that was anti-Fascist. The bulk of artists cooperated with the Fascist regime, and the linkup between aret and the state was one of mutual recognition and legitimation. Mussolini and his mutually beneficial policies with the art world began to create a more central form of cultural crosswayion. Marla match refers to the outcome of the newly centralized form of cultural production as a cultural indemnity of esthetical pluralism the Mussolini monocracys practice of accepting and encouraging a effigy of artistics. This now meant that there was a magnitude of imageries and esthetical formulations that represented Fascism and w ere a part of its cultural system, it imaginary and its aesthetic universe. The Fascist party was in a constant expect to uncover a single Fascist rhetorical-aesthetic vision while at the selfsame(prenominal) time combining modern and venturous aesthetics, emerging quid cultural forms, and a discourse of natural culture to produce, during the 1930s, many dynamic and spirited products. The products such as exhibitions, fairs, and expositions, that the government produced and were to a great extent supported by the Fascist party, generated a considerable listening from the Italian population. more(prenominal) specifically speaking, the Biennale was a direct product of the cultural productiveness that was being chased by the Fascist party.Victoria De Grazia argues that the Fascist party was never able to obtain a singular aesthetic vision and individuation overimputable to its incapableness to mobilize the mob, limits due to the partys interests, and its appropriation of preexisting cultural forms and institutions, which precluded the defining of total Fascist identities The introduction of Exhibitions such as the Biennale were a key section in Fascisms political aesthetic vision considering the simple goal was to bosom the cultural plain of Fascist Italy. In doing so, the Fascist party was hoping to unify Italy on a lower floor(a) a field culture.Exhibitions had multiple purposes to them while aiming to obtain a merged national culture (1) they were primeval sites of state patronage (2) they opened the social boundaries of culture to the mobilized masses (3) they offered a location for the appropriation of the cultural identities and cultural chief city of preexisting elites and (4) they courted the participation of cultural producers. The Venetian Biennale and other similar Exhibitions were, for the most part, salutary for everyone that attended no matter of party affiliation, social status, or job title.World War I, World War II, a nd the fascism that accompanies them each had a lasting impact on the boorish of Italy. Venice, in particular, was not flat to mass amounts of devastation as a consequence of the World Wars. The Fascist presence in Venice was very strong even though the actions of the legal age of its supporters were minimal. This problem of mobilizing the masses was not just a problem of Fascisms in Venice, but throughout Italy. The best attempt Fascism had at completely unifying a Fascist Italian culture was through its support of state patronage in the Exhibitions such as the Biennale in Venice.The political differences, ambiguities, and varying coterie rank made it virtually unimaginable to create a single Italian culture under Fascism. However, the ability of the Fascist party to participate in state patronage and allow aesthetic pluralism allowed artists to maintain their careers and not have to alter their stylistic ways. The Fascist party did not succeed in creating their own cultural individuation under Fascism, but they did allow for a hybrid-like culture to develop. Fascism did many terrible things for the country of Italy, but allowing the aesthetic pluralism to flourish aid unifying the country under one culture.Lucky for Italians it did not create a unified Fascist culture, but rather a hybrid culture unified due to the intervention of Fascism and the varying differences among the Italian people. Bibliography Ackroyd, barb. Venice delicate city. bracing York nanna A. Talese/Doubleday, 2009. Print. Garrett, Martin. Venice A heathenish and Literary fellow traveller. New York Interlink, 2001. Print. Hibbert, Christopher. Venice The Biography of a metropolis. New York W. W. Norton, 1989. Print. Reich, Jacqueline, and Piero Garofalo. Re-viewing Fascism Italian Cinema, 1922-1943. Bloomington inch UP, 2002. Print. Stone, Marla.The assistant realm glossiness & government activity in Fascist Italy. Princeton, NJ Princeton UP, 1998. Print. 1 . ray of l ight Ackroyd, Venice virginal city (New York grannie A. Talese/Doubleday, 2009), 324 2 . Christopher Hibbert, Venice The Biography of a City (New York W. W. Norton, 1989), 320 3 . Martin Garrett, Venice A cultural and Literary dude (New York Interlink, 2001), 48 4 . Martin Garrett, Venice A heathen and Literary bloke (New York Interlink, 2001), 48 5 . Martin Garrett, Venice A cultural and Literary confrere (New York Interlink, 2001), 144 6 .Peter Ackroyd, Venice Pure City (New York Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 2009), 324 7 . Peter Ackroyd, Venice Pure City (New York Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 2009), 324 8 . Peter Ackroyd, Venice Pure City (New York Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 2009), 324 9 . Martin Garrett, Venice A pagan and Literary fellow traveller (New York Interlink, 2001), 144 10 . Martin Garrett, Venice A pagan and Literary lad (New York Interlink, 2001), 46 11 . Martin Garrett, Venice A cultural and Literary coadjutor (New York Interlink, 2001), 46 12 .Martin Garrett, Venice A cultural and Literary associate (New York Interlink, 2001), 46 13 . Martin Garrett, Venice A heathen and Literary company (New York Interlink, 2001), 46 14 . Martin Garrett, Venice A ethnical and Literary henchman (New York Interlink, 2001), 46 15 . Christopher Hibbert, Venice The Biography of a City (New York W. W. Norton, 1989), 316 16 . Martin Garrett, Venice A pagan and Literary accomplice (New York Interlink, 2001), 46 17 . Martin Garrett, Venice A heathen and Literary assort (New York Interlink, 2001), 46 18 .Christopher Hibbert, Venice The Biography of a City (New York W. W. Norton, 1989), 316-317 19 . Christopher Hibbert, Venice The Biography of a City (New York W. W. Norton, 1989), 317 20 . Christopher Hibbert, Venice The Biography of a City (New York W. W. Norton, 1989), 317 21 . Christopher Hibbert, Venice The Biography of a City (New York W. W. Norton, 1989), 317 22 . Christopher Hibbert, Venice The Biography of a City (New York W. W . Norton, 1989), 317 23 . Christopher Hibbert, Venice The Biography of a City (New York W. W. Norton, 1989), 317 24 .Martin Garrett, Venice A ethnical and Literary familiar (New York Interlink, 2001), 46 25 . Christopher Hibbert, Venice The Biography of a City (New York W. W. Norton, 1989), 317 26 . Christopher Hibbert, Venice The Biography of a City (New York W. W. Norton, 1989), 317 27 . Jacqueline Reich and Piero Garofalo, Re-viewing Fascism Italian Cinema, 1922-1943 (Bloomington Indiana UP, 2002), 294 28 . Jacqueline Reich and Piero Garofalo, Re-viewing Fascism Italian Cinema, 1922-1943 (Bloomington Indiana UP, 2002), 294 29 . Christopher Hibbert, Venice The Biography of a City (New York W. W. Norton, 1989), 318 30 .Christopher Hibbert, Venice The Biography of a City (New York W. W. Norton, 1989), 318 31 . Christopher Hibbert, Venice The Biography of a City (New York W. W. Norton, 1989), 319 32 . Christopher Hibbert, Venice The Biography of a City (New York W. W. Nort on, 1989), 319 33 . Martin Garrett, Venice A heathen and Literary Companion (New York Interlink, 2001), 47 34 . Marla Stone, The assistant invoke cultivation and government activity in Fascist Italy (Princeton, NJ Princeton UP, 1998), 5 35 . Marla Stone, The booster subject horticulture and regime in Fascist Italy (Princeton, NJ Princeton UP, 1998), 4 36 .Marla Stone, The admirer State goal and administration in Fascist Italy (Princeton, NJ Princeton UP, 1998), 4 37 . Marla Stone, The presenter State stopping point and governing in Fascist Italy (Princeton, NJ Princeton UP, 1998), 4 38 . Marla Stone, The booster State refining and government in Fascist Italy (Princeton, NJ Princeton UP, 1998), 4 39 . Marla Stone, The athletic supporter State refining and Politics in Fascist Italy (Princeton, NJ Princeton UP, 1998), 5 40 . Marla Stone, The Patron State Culture and Politics in Fascist Italy (Princeton, NJ Princeton UP, 1998), 4 41 .Marla Stone, The Patron State Culture and Politics in Fascist Italy (Princeton, NJ Princeton UP, 1998), 5 42 . Marla Stone, The Patron State Culture and Politics in Fascist Italy (Princeton, NJ Princeton UP, 1998), 6 43 . Marla Stone, The Patron State Culture and Politics in Fascist Italy (Princeton, NJ Princeton UP, 1998), 6 44 . Marla Stone, The Patron State Culture and Politics in Fascist Italy (Princeton, NJ Princeton UP, 1998), 14 45 . Marla Stone, The Patron State Culture and Politics in Fascist Italy (Princeton, NJ Princeton UP, 1998), 18Fascism in VeniceRyan Johnson December 13, 2012 HIST 3400 Soper Venetian Fascism in the Shadow of Wars The qualities that compose fascism are debatable and endless. What is really important about fascism is how it attempted to succeed by influencing not only Venetian, but also Italian culture and society from the beginning of World War I until the end of World War II. Benito Mussolini when speaking on fascism stated that, For Fascism, the growth of empire, that is to say the expansion of the nation, is essential manifestation of vitality, and its opposite a sign of decadence (Enciclopedia Italiana, Handout).The success with which fascism had in expanding the nation is an argument for another time, but the ways they attempted to maintain the essential manifestation of vitality and challenged the boundaries of cultural society in hopes of success are well worth mentioning. Fascism did not have many cultural victories and this could be one aspect of an argument as to why it was a failure. However, one of fascisms greatest cultural victories in Italy can be viewed when studying the floating city of Venice and events that accompanied it.Fascism, as a whole, attempted to conquer in more ways than just obtaining land by means of military victory or tangible items as tokens of their success. As stated above by Mussolini himself, if fascism was indeed to succeed, it needed to support the growth of the Italian nation. The Fascist Party needed to not only influence the Italian people through propaganda, but also gain the support of the Italian nation while challenging the cultural and societal boundaries.In the years between World War I and World War II, fascism made attempting strides to try and create an aesthetic visual for the party, mainly by intervening in society and culture. All moves made by the fascists with regards to culture appeared to be altogether instrumental and functional to gaining one hundred percent support of the population in favor of the dictatorship. The effects of World War I, World War II, and fascism can still be seen today in Venetian and Italian culture. World War I was a horrendous time for Italian soldiers fighting in the trenches.Venice was very close to the battle lines on the border with Austria-Hungary, just North of where they lie. Venetians could not only feel the constant threat from the Austrians, but also had a daily reminder when they stepped outside. Venice closed their port, for fear of attack, but they also had to deal with the fact that, barrage balloons could be seen. Barrage balloons had long steel cables attached to them and were mainly used to deter low-flying enemy aircraft from orbit or bombing an area.These defense balloons were used during World War I and II. For the short distance that Venice was from the battlefront they were fairly lucky in how little devastation took place during the war. During World War I Venice was always extremely nervous about their next-door neighbors, the Austrians, of attacking the maritime port, but the city never fell to enemy attack. There were very few bombing that occurred in Venice, and the deaths that did take place mainly happened during the black-out hours.These black-out hours would occur in hopes of minimizing the amount of light escaping outside. By doing this, the Venetians were making it very difficult for any sort of aerial attack to bomb their city, port, or boats off of visibility alone. These were the on ly significant negative effects even worth mentioning that occurred for the city of Venice during World War I. World War II was similar to World War I with regards to the significantly negative effects it had on the city of Venice, there were just about none.As opposed to the devastation that occurred throughout much of Italy, Venice got away pretty nicely. Yet again, the blackout hours when people would fall into the canal or injure themselves in other ways in the dark were one of the primary contributors to the death toll. It has been stated that Venice remained essentially untouched throughout the duration of the Second World War. However the minute losses that did occur, with exception of Germans capturing Jews, can be summed up in a few sentences. One or two windows were broken a stray shell hit the tower of San Nicolo del Mendicoli as the Germans were retrateing and the Tiepolo friezes in the Palazzo Labia were damaged when an ammunition ship exploded in the harbour. Although the people of Venice saw little to none of the intense fighting, they were not as lucky to maintain an unconquered status during World War II as they had in World War I. For Germany, September 1943 was the beginning of a fairly short control over northern and central Italy that included Venice.Although Germany occupied Venice until April 28, 1945, very few deaths occurred to the Venetian citizens while in the city. In the city itself a campaign of sabotage was followed by reprisals in which five men were shot in Cannaregio on July 8, 1944 some thirty partisans were executed later that month, followed on August 3 by seven hostages in Riva dellImpero, called subsequently, in their memory, Riva dei Sette Martiri. The most extensive part of the death toll came to the Jewish population in Venice with the presence of the Germans in 1943.The Venetians had historically tolerated the Jewish population up until about 1938 with the enactment of new racial laws. After the racial laws, persecu tion got so bad for the Jewish population, that they were laid off from their job, and grotesque signs were placed on businesses stating Dogs and Jews Prohibited. It only got worse from there after the Germans arrived in 1943, and the open persecution, capture, and killing of Jews from 1943 to 1945 took place.It has been estimated that approximately two hundred Jews were hunted down and sent to concentration camps in the mainland, with some even being deported to Auschwitz. The Germans were so thorough in their cause to vaporize the Jewish population from the earth, they would even go to hospitals to retrieve mentally ill Jewish patients and send them to an early grave. It has been recorded that only eight of the two hundred Venetian Jews captured by the Germans were ever returned home again.The Germans vicious attempts to eliminate the Jewish population and the atrocities that ensued will never be forgotten. With that being said, Venice got out of not only World War I, but also Wor ld War II with an extremely minimal death count compared to the millions of lives that were lost as a consequence of the two wars. World War I and II both impacted Venice, but in a fairly nominal way when viewing the status of many other parts of Italy and the world. However, there were two very influential fascist characters that emerge as a product of World War I and are present throughout World War II.These two men are noteworthy fascist figures with one that called Venice a home for a period of his life and another that was a true Venetian. The first man, Gabriele DAnnunzio, assumed a position, as a fascist political figure in Venice, and he was well known even before fascism was created. DAnnunzio was not a native-born Venetian, but was fairly well known in Italy as a poet, novelist, playwright, politician (right- and left-wing in rapid succession), and daring First World War pilot who led sorties against Vienna itself.It was during World War I when DAnnunzio decided to establi sh his residence in Venice. When he was not contributing to the fighting he could be found at his home, that was located off of the Grand Canal, called Casetta delle Rose. DAnnunzio continues to have a presence in the fascist politics all the way until its eventual demise, but was most famous for his irredentist taking of Fiume, which is now present-day Rijeka in Croatia. He was angry that Fiume was not ceded to Italy by the Austrians at the end of World War I with the signing of the peace Treaty of Saint-Germain.DAnnunzio ruled over Fiume as a dictator until December of 1921, and it has been said that Benito Mussolini even viewed DAnnunzio with a mixture of admiration and envy DAnnunzio was a fascist political figure that did not necessarily contribute much to the city of Venice as much as he was solely a constant reminder of the fascist presence. The second man that emerged from the outcome of World War I was an entrepreneurial man by the name of Giuseppe Volpi. Unlike DAnnunzio, Volpi was a native-born Venetian.He was born in Venice in 1877, and before he was thirty years old he had established the Societa Adriatica di Elettricita in the Palazzo Balbi on the Grand Canal, which soon had a monopoly on the supply of electricity in the Veneto and Emilia-Romagna. Along with his northeastern electricity monopoly, Volpi was constantly finding new ways to improve and advance Venetian industry. He would dabble in other industries that included petro-chemicals, iron, and shipping that significantly contributed to advancing Venetian industry, more specifically in Porto Marghera.Volpis success on top of his founding of Societa Adriatica di Elettricita was substantial it has been recorded that he was a, president or vice-president of twenty other companies, as a member of the boards of forty-six more, and as a major shareholder in over fifty. During World War I Volpi was the head of a Committee for Industrial Mobilization where his project of turning the old Venetian fortress of Marghera into an industrial port and factory capable area. Volpi was quite successful in his project in Marghera.The area, prior to Volpis presence, only contained a thousand inhabitants in 1921. The growth of Marghera after Volpis intervening was exponential. Marghera had grown by 1940 to a town containing fifteen thousand workers in a hundred industries, and by 1967 to one of thirty-five thousand workers in 211 industries. Volpis tremendous success as an entrepreneur and financial guru in northeast Italy, without fail, caught the attention of the Italian government. Volpi was awarded for his successes with the title and position as Governor of Tripoli.Soon after being deemed Governor, and already a standing member of the Fascist party, Volpi was put into office as Mussolinis Minister of Finance in 1925. It has been stated that Volpi, became one of the most successful administrators of the regime. Three years after Volpi was positioned as Minister of Finance he resign ed after disagreeing heavily with Mussolini on the artificially high level at which the leader insisted on fixing the exchange rates, and never having become one of his close circle, he concentrated again on Venice and industry. Volpi was always a very influential fascist figure in Venice, but his greatest contribution to the success of the influence of the Fascist party and its cultural production came when he assumed the position as, President of the reconstituted Esposizione Biennale Internazionale dArte in 1932. This Exhibition, more commonly known as the Biennale, originated as nothing more than an Exhibition with strange occurrences such as a mans face that was stuck in rigor mortis known as Supremo Convegno.In 1934, the Fascist government declared the once bi-annual event was to start taking place annually. The success of the Biennale was consistently growing after it was introduced as an annual event. In 1934, there were 41,000 people that showed up, in 1935, 38,500 people, in 1936, 50,000 attended, and in 1937, there was a staggering 60,000 participants. The Biennale by the year 1948 was considered to be one of the most important events in the entire world of art, and the Exhibition got to that point with the help of Giuseppe Volpi as he active President for twelve years. The international respect and publicity the Biennale gained each year was consistently growing. Countries would set up pavilions at the Biennale and present among them even during the Biennales early stages were Belgium, Britain, Germany, Hungary, France, Russia, Sweden, Spain, Czechoslovakia, and the United States. Even though the Biennale is an Exhibition where artwork is displayed, it has a sense of friendly competition between countries for who can produce some of the best artwork.During one Biennale exhibition there were not only paintings by nearly all of the best Italian artists under Italys pavilion, but also works by Picasso and Klee, by Chagall and Kokoschka. The French st aged exhibitions by Braque, Rouault, and Maillol, the Belgians by Delvaux and Ensor, the British by Henry Moore. The participation of artists as prestigious as these helped in securing the validity and existence of the Biennale as a true appreciation for art. There was even an exhibition for Impressionist artist and that same year there were ninety-eight Impressionist pieces of art.The Biennale was an exhibition that appears to be more of a friendly competition and get together between major countries of the world. All of the countries that have previously been at one anothers throats in prior wars all come together to participate in the Biennale that takes places in Venice, Italy. The Biennale brings together a magnitude of countries, despite their differences, and allows them to partake in a mutually pleasing and intellectually stimulating event. The importance of the Biennale is much greater than the sole criticizing of artistic works and abilities.The event brings together a va riety of countries with extremely varying viewpoints and opinions to meet communally and peacefully. The Biennale during the presence of fascism and in attempting to be a useful tool of fascism held a much more substantial meaning than multiple countries coming together peacefully. It allowed for Italy to feel unified even if it was on the smallest cultural level of coming together for an art festival, and it also gave the Fascist party yet another opportunity to use propaganda towards the masses to their advantage.In 1932, Giuseppe Volpi was deemed the President of the Biennale and Mussolini was in his tenth year of his regime when, a good number of prizes went to pictures of marching Blackshirts, dynamic cranes and planes, idealized Italian landscapes, and women and children saluting Il Duce. Just prior to this particular Biennale of 1932, Volpi was an active member of the Fascist party, and was most recently the Minister of Finance for Mussolini and the Fascist party. Then again , in 1935 during the film festival aspect of the Biennale, prizes were awarded to Nazi, Soviet, and Palestinian-Zionist films.Volpis ability and willingness to give awards to fascist based artwork, regardless of actual artistic value, was no coincidence. Marla Stone describes Fascist Italy as presenting a paradox with regards to the cultural politics of the authoritarian and totalitarian regimes that reigned in Europe in the time period between World War I and World War II. She states that since, No one style, school, or monument summarizes the patronage practices of the Fascist state. Rather, the official culture of Italian Fascism is best defined by its diversities, contradictions, and ambiguities. The culture that was present during fascism closely mirrors the culture of the United States, but with different ingredients. The United States is considered a melting pot with all of the diversities that are represented in the country. Fascist Italy creates its own form of a melting po t, but not with an abundance of ethnic diversity. The official culture, if there was a true official culture, of Fascist Italy was composed of the differences between the Italian people geographically, politically, hierarchically, socially, and of course culturally.Therefore terms that have become popular when speaking of Fascist culture such as Fascist realism and Mussolini modern are irrelevant and inconceivable. Since the beginning of Mussolinis regime he had always strived to obtain and maintain a mutually beneficial relationship with those who encompass the art world. Under Mussolinis dictatorship artist were free from censorship as long as they were not openly and actively anti-Fascist, and in return, as a sign of their gratitude, many artists and architects would accept the Fascist regimes patronage.Certain artists who defied Mussolinis regime would end up with repercussions. Such is the case with a Venetian abstract painter, Armando Pizzinato, who was an avid member of the I talian Communist Party, and from September 1943 until the end of the war he fought with the partisans and did jail time for certain anti-Fascist activities. However, Pizzinato represents a small portion of the artistic community that was anti-Fascist. The majority of artists cooperated with the Fascist regime, and the association between aret and the state was one of mutual recognition and legitimation. Mussolini and his mutually beneficial policies with the art world began to create a more central form of cultural production. Marla Stone refers to the outcome of the newly centralized form of cultural production as a cultural policy of aesthetic pluralism the Mussolini dictatorships practice of accepting and supporting a range of aesthetics. This now meant that there was a magnitude of imageries and aesthetic formulations that represented Fascism and were a part of its cultural system, it imaginary and its aesthetic universe. The Fascist party was in a constant search to uncover a single Fascist rhetorical-aesthetic vision while at the same time combining modern and avant-garde aesthetics, emerging mass cultural forms, and a discourse of natural culture to produce, during the 1930s, many dynamic and vibrant products. The products such as exhibitions, fairs, and expositions, that the government produced and were heavily supported by the Fascist party, generated a considerable audience from the Italian population. More specifically speaking, the Biennale was a direct product of the cultural productivity that was being pursued by the Fascist party.Victoria De Grazia argues that the Fascist party was never able to obtain a singular aesthetic vision and identity due to its incapability to mobilize the masses, limits due to the partys interests, and its appropriation of preexisting cultural forms and institutions, which precluded the formation of total Fascist identities The introduction of Exhibitions such as the Biennale were a key component in Fascisms politica l aesthetic vision considering the primary goal was to encompass the cultural sphere of Fascist Italy. In doing so, the Fascist party was hoping to unify Italy under a national culture.Exhibitions had multiple purposes to them while aiming to obtain a unified national culture (1) they were primary sites of state patronage (2) they opened the social boundaries of culture to the mobilized masses (3) they offered a location for the appropriation of the cultural identities and cultural capital of preexisting elites and (4) they courted the participation of cultural producers. The Venetian Biennale and other similar Exhibitions were, for the most part, good for everyone that attended regardless of party affiliation, social status, or job title.World War I, World War II, and the fascism that accompanies them individually had a lasting impact on the country of Italy. Venice, in particular, was not prone to mass amounts of devastation as a consequence of the World Wars. The Fascist presenc e in Venice was very strong even though the actions of the majority of its supporters were minimal. This problem of mobilizing the masses was not just a problem of Fascisms in Venice, but throughout Italy. The best attempt Fascism had at completely unifying a Fascist Italian culture was through its support of state patronage in the Exhibitions such as the Biennale in Venice.The political differences, ambiguities, and varying class rank made it virtually impossible to create a single Italian culture under Fascism. However, the ability of the Fascist party to participate in state patronage and allow aesthetic pluralism allowed artists to maintain their careers and not have to alter their stylistic ways. The Fascist party did not succeed in creating their own cultural identity under Fascism, but they did allow for a hybrid-like culture to develop. Fascism did many terrible things for the country of Italy, but allowing the aesthetic pluralism to flourish aided unifying the country under one culture.Lucky for Italians it did not create a unified Fascist culture, but rather a hybrid culture unified due to the intervention of Fascism and the varying differences among the Italian people. Bibliography Ackroyd, Peter. Venice Pure City. New York Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 2009. Print. Garrett, Martin. Venice A Cultural and Literary Companion. New York Interlink, 2001. Print. Hibbert, Christopher. Venice The Biography of a City. New York W. W. Norton, 1989. Print. Reich, Jacqueline, and Piero Garofalo. Re-viewing Fascism Italian Cinema, 1922-1943. Bloomington Indiana UP, 2002. Print. Stone, Marla.The Patron State Culture & Politics in Fascist Italy. Princeton, NJ Princeton UP, 1998. Print. 1 . Peter Ackroyd, Venice Pure City (New York Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 2009), 324 2 . Christopher Hibbert, Venice The Biography of a City (New York W. W. Norton, 1989), 320 3 . Martin Garrett, Venice A Cultural and Literary Companion (New York Interlink, 2001), 48 4 . Martin Garrett, Venice A Cultural and Literary Companion (New York Interlink, 2001), 48 5 . Martin Garrett, Venice A Cultural and Literary Companion (New York Interlink, 2001), 144 6 .Peter Ackroyd, Venice Pure City (New York Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 2009), 324 7 . Peter Ackroyd, Venice Pure City (New York Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 2009), 324 8 . Peter Ackroyd, Venice Pure City (New York Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 2009), 324 9 . Martin Garrett, Venice A Cultural and Literary Companion (New York Interlink, 2001), 144 10 . Martin Garrett, Venice A Cultural and Literary Companion (New York Interlink, 2001), 46 11 . Martin Garrett, Venice A Cultural and Literary Companion (New York Interlink, 2001), 46 12 .Martin Garrett, Venice A Cultural and Literary Companion (New York Interlink, 2001), 46 13 . Martin Garrett, Venice A Cultural and Literary Companion (New York Interlink, 2001), 46 14 . Martin Garrett, Venice A Cultural and Literary Companion (New York Interlink, 2001), 46 15 . Christopher H ibbert, Venice The Biography of a City (New York W. W. Norton, 1989), 316 16 . Martin Garrett, Venice A Cultural and Literary Companion (New York Interlink, 2001), 46 17 . Martin Garrett, Venice A Cultural and Literary Companion (New York Interlink, 2001), 46 18 .Christopher Hibbert, Venice The Biography of a City (New York W. W. Norton, 1989), 316-317 19 . Christopher Hibbert, Venice The Biography of a City (New York W. W. Norton, 1989), 317 20 . Christopher Hibbert, Venice The Biography of a City (New York W. W. Norton, 1989), 317 21 . Christopher Hibbert, Venice The Biography of a City (New York W. W. Norton, 1989), 317 22 . Christopher Hibbert, Venice The Biography of a City (New York W. W. Norton, 1989), 317 23 . Christopher Hibbert, Venice The Biography of a City (New York W. W. Norton, 1989), 317 24 .Martin Garrett, Venice A Cultural and Literary Companion (New York Interlink, 2001), 46 25 . Christopher Hibbert, Venice The Biography of a City (New York W. W. Norton, 1989), 317 26 . Christopher Hibbert, Venice The Biography of a City (New York W. W. Norton, 1989), 317 27 . Jacqueline Reich and Piero Garofalo, Re-viewing Fascism Italian Cinema, 1922-1943 (Bloomington Indiana UP, 2002), 294 28 . Jacqueline Reich and Piero Garofalo, Re-viewing Fascism Italian Cinema, 1922-1943 (Bloomington Indiana UP, 2002), 294 29 . Christopher Hibbert, Venice The Biography of a City (New York W. W. Norton, 1989), 318 30 .Christopher Hibbert, Venice The Biography of a City (New York W. W. Norton, 1989), 318 31 . Christopher Hibbert, Venice The Biography of a City (New York W. W. Norton, 1989), 319 32 . Christopher Hibbert, Venice The Biography of a City (New York W. W. Norton, 1989), 319 33 . Martin Garrett, Venice A Cultural and Literary Companion (New York Interlink, 2001), 47 34 . Marla Stone, The Patron State Culture and Politics in Fascist Italy (Princeton, NJ Princeton UP, 1998), 5 35 . Marla Stone, The Patron State Culture and Politics in Fascist Italy (Princeton, NJ Princeton UP, 1998), 4 36 .Marla Stone, The Patron State Culture and Politics in Fascist Italy (Princeton, NJ Princeton UP, 1998), 4 37 . Marla Stone, The Patron State Culture and Politics in Fascist Italy (Princeton, NJ Princeton UP, 1998), 4 38 . Marla Stone, The Patron State Culture and Politics in Fascist Italy (Princeton, NJ Princeton UP, 1998), 4 39 . Marla Stone, The Patron State Culture and Politics in Fascist Italy (Princeton, NJ Princeton UP, 1998), 5 40 . Marla Stone, The Patron State Culture and Politics in Fascist Italy (Princeton, NJ Princeton UP, 1998), 4 41 .Marla Stone, The Patron State Culture and Politics in Fascist Italy (Princeton, NJ Princeton UP, 1998), 5 42 . Marla Stone, The Patron State Culture and Politics in Fascist Italy (Princeton, NJ Princeton UP, 1998), 6 43 . Marla Stone, The Patron State Culture and Politics in Fascist Italy (Princeton, NJ Princeton UP, 1998), 6 44 . Marla Stone, The Patron State Culture and Politics i n Fascist Italy (Princeton, NJ Princeton UP, 1998), 14 45 . Marla Stone, The Patron State Culture and Politics in Fascist Italy (Princeton, NJ Princeton UP, 1998), 18