British diplomats rationalized Fascist electoral violence as typical Italian behavior

Evidence

Th e electoral violence was largely downplayed (“there were relatively few serious cases of violence and bloodshed,” April 18, 1924, ibid., fol. 61) and once more understood as a typical trait in Italian aff airs: “Th at the sweeping Fascista victory was due in some degree to improper measures of coercion is no doubt the case, but it must be born in mind that violence and corruption have always been widely prevalent in Italian elections, particularly in the south” (April 11, 1924, FO 371/9938, fol. 51). Ultimately what mattered was that Mussolini represented political stability. He commented that, if the English electoral system (i.e., a majoritarian voting system) were adopted, “practically the whole chamber would be Fascista” (ibid.). — Clara E. Mattei, The Capital Order, 1726

Categorization

• SEED: Article angle: ‘The colonial/exoticist alibi for authoritarianism’ — how framing political violence as ‘just how those people do things’ let British elites bless Italian fascism.
• XREF: Connects to the pattern of western elites excusing violence in the global South as cultural — resonates with postcolonial scholarship on how ‘they’re just like that’ defeated moral scrutiny. — connects to: British diplomats saw Italian Fascism as authority reasserting itself against liberty — Clara E. Mattei, The Capital Order: How Economists…, 1369; British observers blamed parliamentarism, not Fascism, for Italy’s troubles — Clara E. Mattei, The Capital Order: How Economists…, 1370; British diplomats justified Italian repression as a fair liberty-for-order tradeoff — Clara E. Mattei, The Capital Order: How Economists…, 1723 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Foreign observers endorsed fascism through its claimed practical achievements #exemplifies (0.75)