In 1922, Benito Mussolini became the official leader of the fascist regime in Italy. Mussolini is reported to have said that “cinema is the most powerful weapon,” although his government did not immediately interfere with the commercial industry (Bondanella, p. 22). It was only in 1934, under the direction of Luigi Freddi, that fascism came into play in Italian cinema. However, after the end of the Second World War and the fall of fascism, Italians wanted to forget the fascist years, so many of the films made during this period were ignored or lost. Of the more than seven hundred films made in this period, only a small portion contained actual fascist propaganda. The directors also wanted to move forward and portray a more realistic vision of Italian life after the Second World War. Here begins the beginning of the neorealist movement of Italian cinema based on the daily conditions of many Italian citizens after the decline of fascism. Italian fascism is deeply rooted in nationalism because Italian fascists saw it as a necessity for their country to assert its dominance and power. to avoid accessing decay (Kallis, pg.41). At first, Italian citizens loved fascism because they thought it did wonders for their country. However, after Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler became friends, people began to turn away from their fascist ways. Now, the Italian people did not always despise Mussolini because he did some good things for the state. He restored stability after the end of World War I, solved some of Italy's economic problems, and even established some welfare programs after the Great Depression. Fascism also played an important role in the art of cinema. At first Mussolini was reluctant to support the industry, but eventually changed... middle of paper ......ito Mussolini had many effects on the neorealist movement such as the LUCE Institute and the magazine “Cinema”. The Telefoni Bianchi, prominent during fascism, were too unrealistic for many Italian neorealist directors. Therefore, in reaction to Telefoni Bianchi, these directors wanted to show more of the raw and simple side of post-war Italian life. Just as fascism impacted neorealist cinema, neorealism also impacted new movements such as new wave films and modern cinema. Pier Paolo Pasolini summed up neorealism when he said “…The passions were so strong in the immediate post-war period that they really pushed us, forced us towards this type of cinematic truth. And this truth has been transfigured by poetry and lyricism. It was because of its lyricism that neorealism captured the world so much because there was poetry in our reality” (Gallagher).