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  The
Effect of Mussolini's Pronatalist
View on Women By
Cynthia Dinsmore 9 October 1999 Professor
Stephens |
A
Chronology of
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Articles Baths of Baiae; Observations and Inferences The Casamari Abbey Christianity- The First 400 Years Agriculture in the Roman Empire Pope Julius II Fonseca The Parthenopean Republic |
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(Appendix A) Mussolini's "Speech of the
Ascension," May 26, 1927
It is therefore necessary to take great care of the future of the race,
starting with measures to look after the health of mothers and infants.
This is the purpose of the National Organization for the Protection of
Mothers and Children…
Throughout the country there exist 5,700
branches…for which there still is not enough money.
Hence the tax on bachelors and perhaps in the future there will be a
tax on childless marriages.
This tax brings in between 40 and 50 million
lire: but do you really believe that this is why I introduced the tax?
I have used the tax to give a demographic prod to the nation.
This may surprise you and someone will ask: "But why? Is it really
necessary?"
Yes, it is really necessary…
I tell you that the most fundamental,
essential element in the political, and therefore economic, and moral,
influence of a nation lies in its demographic strength.
Let us be quite clear: what are 40 million
Italians compared to 90 million Germans and 200 million Slavs? What are 40 million Italians compared to 40 million
Frenchmen, plus 90 million inhabitants of their colonies, or 46 million
Englishmen plus 450 million people who live in their colonies?
Gentlemen!
Italy, if she is to count for anything in the
world, must have a population of not less than 60 million inhabitants by the
middle of this century.[i] Source: Il Popolo d'Italia, 26 May
1927 [i] J. Pollard, The Fascist Experience in Italy, London , 1998, pp. 78-9.
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