Synopses & Reviews
From one of the greatest historians in the field, a vivid, brilliant history of Fascist Italy, rulers and ruled
life the period in which Italians participated in one of the twentieth century's largest, most notorious, and ultimately most ruinous political experiments-Fascism-under their dictator, Benito Mussolini, and his henchmen. The Fascists were the first totalitarians, and they provided a model for many other twentieth-century dictatorships, Hitler's first among them.
A regime based on a cult of violence and obedience, Fascism made immense demands on its subjects, killing many within Italy and its empire and ruining the lives of more. And yet one of R.J.B. Bosworth's most striking accomplishments is to show the gap that yawned between rhetoric and reality. Mussolini's Italy is lumped together with Hitler's Germany as a nightmarish totalitarian state that brutally reengineered an entire society. In fact, Bosworth argues, Fascism, though monstrous enough, had a far shallower impact on Italy because Italy was still such a traditional, undeveloped country, organized around family, tribe, and region, and because Italy's leaders were less ruthlessly ideological than the Nazis. Italians found many and ingenious ways of adapting, limiting, undermining, and ridiculing Mussolini's ambitions for them. The heart of this book is its engagement with the life of these ordinary Italians, struggling through terrible times.
Review
"Until now, books about Mussolini's Italy have focused primarily upon Mussolini and his inner circle. Bosworth's book, however, bucks that trend. Mussolini's Italy is not necessarily a study of politics and how the Fascists eventually rose to power, although this is an important part of the work. Instead it focuses on how the Fascist regime affected the everyday life of Italians. Bosworth has discovered that Italians did not surrender themselves wholeheartedly to the will of the state, but instead maintained very strong local, regional, and familial ties. He argues that these local relationships were just as responsible as the state, if not more so, for shaping the opinions and ideas of Italians. Bosworth does not contend that Italians weren't pro-Fascist; rather, he says that during the regime's lifetime, being Italian certainly also meant being Fascist. He argues, however, that regionalism was an obstacle to absolute ideological control that the Fascists were never completely capable of overcoming. The book is an impressive piece of scholarship, but many parts often come across as apologetic, especially when Italy is directly compared to Germany. Although the Italian regime was not as brutal as the German one, the book in certain points borders on playing down the crimes Italian Fascists committed on the grounds that they were not as cruel as the Nazi's horrors. Comparisons to Hitler's regime are inevitable, but such comparisons are troublesome when presented in a relativistic manner such as Bosworth's. This fault is only a minor one, however, and does not depreciate the overall value of a truly important work." Reviewed by Michael Callahan, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)
Review
Shrewd, lucid, exhaustively documented and totally unsentimental. (David Schoenbaum,
The New York Times)
With this insightful, comprehensive study, Bosworth secures his place as one of the two leading historians in the English-speaking world . . . of twentieth-century Italy. (Publishers Weekly, starred and boxed review)
A powerful work of scholarship, beautifully written, which should be read by anyone interested in twentieth-century Europe. (The Economist)
Synopsis
The author brings to life the period in which Italians participated in one of the 20th century's largest, most notorious, and ultimately ruinous political experiments--Fascism--under Benito Mussolini and his henchmen.
Synopsis
With
Mussolini s Italy, R.J.B. Bosworththe foremost scholar on the subject writing in Englishvividly brings to life the period in which Italians participated in one of the twentieth centurys most notorious political experiments. Il Duces Fascists were the original totalitarians, espousing a cult of violence and obedience that inspired many other dictatorships, Hitlers first among them. But as Bosworth reveals, many Italians resisted its ideology, finding ways, ingenious and varied, to keep Fascism from taking hold as deeply as it did in Germany. A sweeping chronicle of struggle in terrible times, this is the definitive account of Italys darkest hour.
Synopsis
With
Mussolini and#146;s Italy, R.J.B. Bosworthand#151;the foremost scholar on the subject writing in Englishand#151;vividly brings to life the period in which Italians participated in one of the twentieth centuryand#146;s most notorious political experiments. Il Duceand#146;s Fascists were the original totalitarians, espousing a cult of violence and obedience that inspired many other dictatorships, Hitlerand#146;s first among them. But as Bosworth reveals, many Italians resisted its ideology, finding ways, ingenious and varied, to keep Fascism from taking hold as deeply as it did in Germany. A sweeping chronicle of struggle in terrible times, this is the definitive account of Italyand#146;s darkest hour.
Synopsis
With
Mussolini and#146;s Italy, R.J.B. Bosworthand#151;the foremost scholar on the subject writing in Englishand#151;vividly brings to life the period in which Italians participated in one of the twentieth centuryand#146;s most notorious political experiments. Il Duceand#146;s Fascists were the original totalitarians, espousing a cult of violence and obedience that inspired many other dictatorships, Hitlerand#146;s first among them. But as Bosworth reveals, many Italians resisted its ideology, finding ways, ingenious and varied, to keep Fascism from taking hold as deeply as it did in Germany. A sweeping chronicle of struggle in terrible times, this is the definitive account of Italyand#146;s darkest hour.
About the Author
R.J.B. Bosworth's prizewinning Mussolini was greeted on publication in 2002 as the definitive life of Il Duce. Bosworth is professor of history at the University of Western Australia and has been a Visiting Fellow at a number of institutions, including the Italian Academy at Columbia University, Clare Hall (Cambridge), Balliol College (Oxford), All Souls College (Oxford), and the University of Trento.
Table of Contents
Mussolini's Italy
List of illustrations List of abbreviations
Note on further reading
Maps
Preface
Introduction
1. One Italy or another before 1914
2. Liberal and dynastic war
3. Popular and national war
4. 1919
5. Becoming a Fascist
6. Learning to rule in the provinces
7. Learning to rule from Rome
8. Building a totalitarian dictatorship
9. Forging Fascist society
10. Placing Italy in Europe
11. Going to the people
12. Dictating full-time
13. Becoming imperialists
14. Embracing Nazi Germany
15. Lurching into war
16. The wages of Fascist war
17. Losing all the wars
18. The Fascist heritage
Conclusion
Notes
Index