The 1920's saw significant changes in society under this new totalitarian regime. Many aspects of Italians' lives were controlled and censored. The Rivoluzione Fascista aimed to change the way people thought, their behaviour, and even the way they dress. The aim therefore was to eliminate any trace of the individual and their fundamental civil rights such as freedom of speech and the right to vote. Fascism was the turning of people into things' so as the individual only had value as part of the mass. Mussolini's aim, first of all, was to eradicate any opposition, which seemed to come about easily. He then decided to run the newspapers himself and so public opinion would be what the government said it was'. Mussolini gradually built up the legend of the Duce using his absolute control over the press. Politics became something sacred under Mussolini's fascist regime. His skill in propaganda and rhetoric was such that he had surprisingly little opposition. Dialect was banned and the Italian language had to be used. Mussolini saw this as a way of unifying the country and encouraging conformity. Fascism's most effective experiments in consent building were concerned with leisure. In 1925, Mussolini set up the Opera Nazionale Dopo Lavoro, which comprised a huge network of clubs and recreational facilities for adults. Film and sport were the most popular forms of mass entertainment, and the fascist regime exploited their potential as instruments of social control. The emphasis that was put on sport and recreation typified the Fascist obsession with physical fitness and vigour, and more generally with the cult of the youth. A youth organisation was set up in 1926 and was called the Opera Nazionale Balilla. The children were organised into different age groups up to the age of twenty-one with the inclusion of military training.
The education system had been similarly controlled under Mussolini.