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out of Mussolini’s desire to wed the efficiency of traditional<br />

market capitalism with the enlightened planning<br />

of a powerful state. After his ascension to power with the<br />

March on Rome in 1922, Mussolini initially allowed the<br />

established liberal economic regime to continue functioning<br />

without major interventions by the state. Frustrated<br />

by the uncontrolled outcomes of competitive production,<br />

in 1926 Mussolini enacted reforms that entrusted more<br />

power in economic planning to state agents. Mussolini’s<br />

vision of state capitalism consisted of segmented corporate<br />

entities owned by private interests that were beholden to<br />

the state’s goals. 6 Mussolini therefore aimed to rein in the<br />

undisciplined outcomes of competitive capitalism by blurring<br />

the lines between state and market. In consolidating<br />

and cartelizing entire structures of production under the<br />

hierarchy of an authoritative corporation, Mussolini’s corporatism<br />

incentivized individuals to expend their energy<br />

navigating the numerous and confusing corporatist chains<br />

of command instead of developing productive ways to<br />

create value for consumers.<br />

In practice, Italian corporatism did not significantly<br />

differ from traditional fascism and can accurately be<br />

considered a subset of fascism. Like fascism, corporatism<br />

prioritizes the good of the nation-state above all<br />

other considerations, including individual well-being.<br />

Mussolini was very clear about his vision for Italy when<br />

he wrote in his 1928 autobiography that<br />

the citizen in the Fascist State is no longer a selfish<br />

individual who has the anti-social right of<br />

rebelling against any law of the Collectivity. The<br />

Fascist State with its corporative conception<br />

46 LIBERALISM AND CRONYISM

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