The social and economic policies of the fascists up to 1939 significantly aided their control of Italy, but cannot be cited as the only cause. The social and economic policies of the fascist party along with other factors attributed to the overall control of Italy. Through such policies it was a certainty that the fascist party would hold complete power over the Italian population in every aspect of an individual's life, whether it was leisure time through the Dopolavoro or work under the corporate state system that was formally introduced in 1934. It could be argued that this complete domination of the lives of the Italian people was the determining factor behind the fascists' control of Italy until 1939. Other factors that furthered the fascists' control of Italy include the censorship of anti-fascist ideologies and criticism of anti-fascist ideologies. the party, the OVRA secret police, the political reforms and the personality of Mussolini. Censorship and intimidation of those who opposed the fascist regime meant that the majority were too scared to speak out against the government and the press was also heavily censored, ensuring that only a positive image of the fascists was conveyed. The OVRA, the secret police, terrorized the Italian population and this reinforced the idea that criticism would not be tolerated and that severe punishment would be meted out if opposition was discovered. The reform of the electoral system of July 1923 provided that to obtain 2/3 of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies a party had to receive only 25% of the votes. This system almost guaranteed the fascist party a majority of seats and therefore ultimate control over Italy. It could be argued that Mussolini's personality is an important reason behind the fascists' control of Italy; he……middle of paper……of the fascist regime” (Tobias Asbe, The Fascism Reader page 395). The Dopolavoro was highly appreciated because thanks to its organisation, free time activities and holidays were offered to all employees in Italy. While not strongly fascist, this organization was simply another way in which the fascist government regulated the lives of the Italian people and therefore it could be argued that control of those employed until 1939 was achieved through the Dopolavoro and therefore, this organization was of high relevance for fascist control. The fascist control of Italy until 1939 could also be attributed to their economic policies. After the First World War, Italy was afflicted by serious economic problems; all war related industry ceased causing mass unemployment and trade union membership soared meaning strikes were commonplace Works Cited Tobias Asbe, The Fascism Reader pg 395