Images of a "Thriving" Italy
Benito Mussolini and his Fascist party went to great lengths to reassure the population of Italy that their nation was a prospering country of honorable struggle and industrial might. Newspapers and radio broadcasts spread the idea to the Italians that working was a social sacrifice and duty that would help the country grow economically. Mussolini went as far as to create elaborate media depicting "Il Duce" working in a field or "taming wild animals". By seeing their leader doing physical labor, the people of fascist Italy found inspiration and faith in their laboring leader. Furthermore, to subdue critics of the Fascist regime, Mussolini took advantage of the industrial advances that had been made before he rose to power in 1922 by taking full credit for the improvements. Finally, Mussolini famously claimed that he made the trains run on time, which had been a long-standing difficulty for the Italian transportation system. Napoleon's regime did the same in Animal Farm, primarily by lying about the production of the farm.
Restoration of the Roman Empire
The aim of Fascism was primarily to restore the glory and honor of the Roman Empire. Mussolini made this clear by using an ancient Roman symbol, the fasces, to represent the Fascist party. The fasces is a bundle of sticks with a blade attached, which used to be carried around by someone in a position of power. The symbol was used by Mussolini to represent the power and strength of the Fascist party. Furthermore, this idea of power and strength was instilled in the Italian people and many Italians rallied around this projected image of Italian strength.