2 - National History as Retrospective Illusion

Summary

Italian Fascism is identified with the years 1923–45, from the consolidation of the regime to its defeat. Numerous accounts trace its evolution to the immediate post–World War I era and to latent and long-standing dissatisfactions inherent to Italian culture and society, between different classes and political parties, arising from economic, social, and political conditions endemic to the interwar era. Much has been written about the rise of Fascism, tracing it to a significant and changing moment in capital formation, to ultranationalism, to anticommunism, to the status of interwar European politics, to the trials and tribulations of modernity, and to the failure of the Left. In any assessment of the character of Fascism, however, the popular media are key.

Benito Mussolini's role as I1 Duce (modeled partially on the personality and politics of Gabriele D'Annunzio) was central to the movement and regime. Starting as a socialist but later abandoning his ties to socialism, Mussolini was impatient of liberalism and of intellectualism. An advocate of revolutionary action rather than reflection, he surrounded himself with individuals and groups, later called “The Fascists of the First Hour,” who by means of intimidation and force undertook to alter Italy. Integral to the Fascist's evolving program were increasing the power of the state, enhancing the image and power of Italy as a nation to be reckoned with internationally, destroying the socialists and communists, breaking the power of the labor unions, and moving Italy into the modern world through an emphasis on increased capitalist productivity, imperialism, colonialism, and war.