Paul Corner
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198730699
- eISBN:
- 9780191741753
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198730699.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
The enigma of how ordinary people related to would-be totalitarian regimes is still far from being resolved. The tension between repression and consensus renders analysis difficult; where one ends ...
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The enigma of how ordinary people related to would-be totalitarian regimes is still far from being resolved. The tension between repression and consensus renders analysis difficult; where one ends and the other begins is never easy to determine. In the case of fascist Italy, recent scholarship has tended to tilt the balance in favour of popular consensus for the regime, identifying in the ideological and cultural aspects of Mussolini's rule a ‘political religion’ which bound the population to the fascist leader. This book presents a different picture. While in no way underestimating the force of ideological factors, the book argues that ‘real existing Fascism’, as lived by a large part of the population, was in fact an increasingly negative experience and reflected few of those colourful and attractive features of fascist propaganda which have induced more favourable interpretations of the regime. Distinguishing clearly between the fascist project and its realisation, the study examines the ways in which the fascist party asserted itself at the local level in the widely-differing areas of Italy, at its corruption and malfunctioning, and at the mounting wave of popular resentment against it during the course of the 1930s which, in effect, signalled the failure of the project. The study, based largely on archival material, concludes by suggesting that the abuse of power by fascists at the local level mirrors a wider problem related to the utilisation of power within Italy, both past and present.Less
The enigma of how ordinary people related to would-be totalitarian regimes is still far from being resolved. The tension between repression and consensus renders analysis difficult; where one ends and the other begins is never easy to determine. In the case of fascist Italy, recent scholarship has tended to tilt the balance in favour of popular consensus for the regime, identifying in the ideological and cultural aspects of Mussolini's rule a ‘political religion’ which bound the population to the fascist leader. This book presents a different picture. While in no way underestimating the force of ideological factors, the book argues that ‘real existing Fascism’, as lived by a large part of the population, was in fact an increasingly negative experience and reflected few of those colourful and attractive features of fascist propaganda which have induced more favourable interpretations of the regime. Distinguishing clearly between the fascist project and its realisation, the study examines the ways in which the fascist party asserted itself at the local level in the widely-differing areas of Italy, at its corruption and malfunctioning, and at the mounting wave of popular resentment against it during the course of the 1930s which, in effect, signalled the failure of the project. The study, based largely on archival material, concludes by suggesting that the abuse of power by fascists at the local level mirrors a wider problem related to the utilisation of power within Italy, both past and present.
Chris Millington
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780719085505
- eISBN:
- 9781781702680
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719085505.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
The most up-to-date and comprehensive English-language study of its kind, From victory to Vichy explores the political mobilisation of the two largest French veterans’ associations during the ...
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The most up-to-date and comprehensive English-language study of its kind, From victory to Vichy explores the political mobilisation of the two largest French veterans’ associations during the interwar years, the Union fédérale (UF) and the Union nationale des combattants (UNC). Drawing on extensive research into the associations’ organisation, policies and tactics, this study argues that French veterans were more of a threat to democracy than previous scholarship has allowed. As France descended into crisis, the UF and the UNC sought to extend their influence into the non-veteran milieu through public demonstrations, propaganda campaigns and the foundation of auxiliary groups. Despite shifting policies and independent initiatives, by the end of the 1930s the UF and the UNC had come together in a campaign for authoritarian political reform, leaving them perfectly placed to become the ‘eyes and ears’ of Marshal Pétain’s Vichy regime.Less
The most up-to-date and comprehensive English-language study of its kind, From victory to Vichy explores the political mobilisation of the two largest French veterans’ associations during the interwar years, the Union fédérale (UF) and the Union nationale des combattants (UNC). Drawing on extensive research into the associations’ organisation, policies and tactics, this study argues that French veterans were more of a threat to democracy than previous scholarship has allowed. As France descended into crisis, the UF and the UNC sought to extend their influence into the non-veteran milieu through public demonstrations, propaganda campaigns and the foundation of auxiliary groups. Despite shifting policies and independent initiatives, by the end of the 1930s the UF and the UNC had come together in a campaign for authoritarian political reform, leaving them perfectly placed to become the ‘eyes and ears’ of Marshal Pétain’s Vichy regime.
Mark Franko
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199777662
- eISBN:
- 9780199950119
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199777662.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, Dance, History, American
Using newly discovered archival sources this book examines the major works of Martha Graham between 1938 and 1953, arguably her most productive period. Graham’s artistic maturation overlaps the ...
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Using newly discovered archival sources this book examines the major works of Martha Graham between 1938 and 1953, arguably her most productive period. Graham’s artistic maturation overlaps the global crisis of fascism, the conflict of World War II, and the post-war period that ushered in the Cold War. It also corresponds to the trajectory of her personal and professional relationship with dancer Erick Hawkins who first appeared with the Martha Graham Dance Company in 1938 when her art was taking on new dramaturgical complexity, political commitment and mytho-graphic dimension. As a relationship between a young man and a mature woman as well as between an established and a fledgling artist, the Graham-Hawkins story was a tormented one. The vicissitudes of this relationship and its emotional tone will be an integral part of the description of Graham’s work undertaken in this study. The sociological axes of seven major works are Graham’s involvement with anti-Fascism prior and during World War Two and her involvement with post-Freudian psychoanalytic theory and Jungian psychoanalysis in the postwar period. This book relates Graham’s original and groundbreaking use of myth to both anti-fascism and psychoanalysis, before and after the war respectively, and thus brings her choreography into direct relationship both to the key events of her time and to her personal life.Less
Using newly discovered archival sources this book examines the major works of Martha Graham between 1938 and 1953, arguably her most productive period. Graham’s artistic maturation overlaps the global crisis of fascism, the conflict of World War II, and the post-war period that ushered in the Cold War. It also corresponds to the trajectory of her personal and professional relationship with dancer Erick Hawkins who first appeared with the Martha Graham Dance Company in 1938 when her art was taking on new dramaturgical complexity, political commitment and mytho-graphic dimension. As a relationship between a young man and a mature woman as well as between an established and a fledgling artist, the Graham-Hawkins story was a tormented one. The vicissitudes of this relationship and its emotional tone will be an integral part of the description of Graham’s work undertaken in this study. The sociological axes of seven major works are Graham’s involvement with anti-Fascism prior and during World War Two and her involvement with post-Freudian psychoanalytic theory and Jungian psychoanalysis in the postwar period. This book relates Graham’s original and groundbreaking use of myth to both anti-fascism and psychoanalysis, before and after the war respectively, and thus brings her choreography into direct relationship both to the key events of her time and to her personal life.
Isaiah Berlin
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199249893
- eISBN:
- 9780191598807
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019924989X.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
This essay examines the origins of three political doctrines of the twentieth‐century—Communism, Fascism, and Marxism—which Berlin linked through attributing to them the assumption that human life ...
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This essay examines the origins of three political doctrines of the twentieth‐century—Communism, Fascism, and Marxism—which Berlin linked through attributing to them the assumption that human life tended in ‘only one direction’. He contrasted this briefly with his own view that human goals were really various and ‘at times incompatible’.Less
This essay examines the origins of three political doctrines of the twentieth‐century—Communism, Fascism, and Marxism—which Berlin linked through attributing to them the assumption that human life tended in ‘only one direction’. He contrasted this briefly with his own view that human goals were really various and ‘at times incompatible’.
Ettore Recchi and Luca Verzichelli
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199260362
- eISBN:
- 9780191601873
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199260362.003.0012
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
Since the early post-war years, parties have been central to Italy's political system and have regulated the recruitment patterns and socialization of members of the large political class, which was ...
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Since the early post-war years, parties have been central to Italy's political system and have regulated the recruitment patterns and socialization of members of the large political class, which was quite strictly separated in a national and a sub-national circuit. Consequently, in this so-called age of 'particocrazia', political reforms were mostly intended to strengthen the party control of Italian politics. The drastic change in the party system and the electoral system in beginning of the 1990s has then led to a considerable exchange of the political class' background, composition, and professional status. Yet, it seems that by now a re-professionalization is already under way, albeit not a return to a strictly party-dominated system.Less
Since the early post-war years, parties have been central to Italy's political system and have regulated the recruitment patterns and socialization of members of the large political class, which was quite strictly separated in a national and a sub-national circuit. Consequently, in this so-called age of 'particocrazia', political reforms were mostly intended to strengthen the party control of Italian politics. The drastic change in the party system and the electoral system in beginning of the 1990s has then led to a considerable exchange of the political class' background, composition, and professional status. Yet, it seems that by now a re-professionalization is already under way, albeit not a return to a strictly party-dominated system.
Elaine Fisher
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195394337
- eISBN:
- 9780199777358
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195394337.003.0012
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
In recent decades, a fair amount of controversy has been generated surrounding both Mircea Eliade’s youthful political association and his academic methodology. One particular trend in recent ...
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In recent decades, a fair amount of controversy has been generated surrounding both Mircea Eliade’s youthful political association and his academic methodology. One particular trend in recent critical literature draws a causal connection between Eliade’s scholarship on religion and his association with the Romanian Iron Guard. According to this critique, Eliade’s approach to the study of religion is symptomatic of his Fascist political leanings and continues to encode and circulate a Fascist mentality in the academy today. This chapter argues that, by means of rhetorical fallacy and semiotic inversion, Eliade’s scholarship has been systematically mapped onto Fascist thought through a number of keyword associations. As a result, the sui generis approach to the study of religion, as well as interest in mythology and the esoteric aspects of religion, becomes problematically construed, in and of themselves, as Fascist enterprises.Less
In recent decades, a fair amount of controversy has been generated surrounding both Mircea Eliade’s youthful political association and his academic methodology. One particular trend in recent critical literature draws a causal connection between Eliade’s scholarship on religion and his association with the Romanian Iron Guard. According to this critique, Eliade’s approach to the study of religion is symptomatic of his Fascist political leanings and continues to encode and circulate a Fascist mentality in the academy today. This chapter argues that, by means of rhetorical fallacy and semiotic inversion, Eliade’s scholarship has been systematically mapped onto Fascist thought through a number of keyword associations. As a result, the sui generis approach to the study of religion, as well as interest in mythology and the esoteric aspects of religion, becomes problematically construed, in and of themselves, as Fascist enterprises.
Anne T. Mocko
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195394337
- eISBN:
- 9780199777358
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195394337.003.0013
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter argues that the political position evident in the work of Mircea Eliade is an opposition to Communism. The chapter utilizes a combination of Eliade’s academic, fictional, personal, and ...
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This chapter argues that the political position evident in the work of Mircea Eliade is an opposition to Communism. The chapter utilizes a combination of Eliade’s academic, fictional, personal, and early political writings to trace out (1) an opposition to philosophical Marxism, (2) an opposition to invasive governments generally, and (3) an opposition to specific Communist and Fascist regimes. The chapter contends that the political sensibility available in Eliade’s writing is deeply conservative but not Fascist or paramilitary.Less
This chapter argues that the political position evident in the work of Mircea Eliade is an opposition to Communism. The chapter utilizes a combination of Eliade’s academic, fictional, personal, and early political writings to trace out (1) an opposition to philosophical Marxism, (2) an opposition to invasive governments generally, and (3) an opposition to specific Communist and Fascist regimes. The chapter contends that the political sensibility available in Eliade’s writing is deeply conservative but not Fascist or paramilitary.
Paul Corner
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198730699
- eISBN:
- 9780191741753
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198730699.003.0010
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
The chapter starts with a survey of fascist policies designed to give a fresh dynamism to a stagnant regime in the later part of the 1930s (these included the Racial Laws of 1938) and then passes to ...
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The chapter starts with a survey of fascist policies designed to give a fresh dynamism to a stagnant regime in the later part of the 1930s (these included the Racial Laws of 1938) and then passes to a survey of popular responses to an increasingly ‘totalitarian’ assertion of the regime's authority. It charts mounting hostility to the regime among large sections of the population, tired of fascist rhetoric, disgusted by the behaviour — particularly at the provincial level — of the ‘new caste’ of fascist leaders, and dismayed by the prospect of a generalised European war with fascist Italy fighting alongside Mussolini's ally, Nazi Germany.Less
The chapter starts with a survey of fascist policies designed to give a fresh dynamism to a stagnant regime in the later part of the 1930s (these included the Racial Laws of 1938) and then passes to a survey of popular responses to an increasingly ‘totalitarian’ assertion of the regime's authority. It charts mounting hostility to the regime among large sections of the population, tired of fascist rhetoric, disgusted by the behaviour — particularly at the provincial level — of the ‘new caste’ of fascist leaders, and dismayed by the prospect of a generalised European war with fascist Italy fighting alongside Mussolini's ally, Nazi Germany.
Paul Corner
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198730699
- eISBN:
- 9780191741753
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198730699.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
The chapter examines the formation of the fascist project. It illustrates the objectives of the fascist movement in the light of pre-First World War intellectual currents of both left and right, of ...
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The chapter examines the formation of the fascist project. It illustrates the objectives of the fascist movement in the light of pre-First World War intellectual currents of both left and right, of the experience of the war itself, and of problems of the immediate post-war. It discusses the utopian project of national transformation, to be realised through the transformation of Italians. While arguing that the project, in its utopian form, was bound to fail, the chapter does point to ways in which the aim of social transformation could have been at least partially implemented.Less
The chapter examines the formation of the fascist project. It illustrates the objectives of the fascist movement in the light of pre-First World War intellectual currents of both left and right, of the experience of the war itself, and of problems of the immediate post-war. It discusses the utopian project of national transformation, to be realised through the transformation of Italians. While arguing that the project, in its utopian form, was bound to fail, the chapter does point to ways in which the aim of social transformation could have been at least partially implemented.
Mark Sedgwick
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195152975
- eISBN:
- 9780199835225
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195152972.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter interrupts Gu”non’s biography to look at the development of political Traditionalism. The chapter first considers the involvement of Rudolf von Sebettendorff in the foundation of the ...
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This chapter interrupts Gu”non’s biography to look at the development of political Traditionalism. The chapter first considers the involvement of Rudolf von Sebettendorff in the foundation of the German Nazi Party. It then turns to Julius Evola, the most important political Traditionalist, examining his development of Gu”non’s work and his involvement with Italian Fascism and German Nazism before and during the Second World War. The chapter ends with a consideration of the group of Traditionalists in Romania before the Second World War, a group which combined political and spiritual interests and from which emerged Mircea Eliade (later an important scholar of religions in America).Less
This chapter interrupts Gu”non’s biography to look at the development of political Traditionalism. The chapter first considers the involvement of Rudolf von Sebettendorff in the foundation of the German Nazi Party. It then turns to Julius Evola, the most important political Traditionalist, examining his development of Gu”non’s work and his involvement with Italian Fascism and German Nazism before and during the Second World War. The chapter ends with a consideration of the group of Traditionalists in Romania before the Second World War, a group which combined political and spiritual interests and from which emerged Mircea Eliade (later an important scholar of religions in America).
Marla Stone
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691153599
- eISBN:
- 9781400845248
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691153599.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, World Modern History
This chapter examines how the specter of a demonic Communist enemy came to occupy a central place in the Italian Fascist imaginary during the regime's mobilization of the politics of fear. Two ...
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This chapter examines how the specter of a demonic Communist enemy came to occupy a central place in the Italian Fascist imaginary during the regime's mobilization of the politics of fear. Two critical periods in Italian Fascism's wars are discussed: the military participation on the Nationalist side in the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), framed by the Fascist regime as a “holy war” against communism, and Nazi Germany's war against the Soviet Union (1941–1943). The chapter shows how Fascist propaganda depicted Italy's wartime enemies in a way that tapped into the deepest fears of many Italians and their feelings of uncertainty about issues such as family, morality, and the Church. Facing waning support and growing resistance, the regime found that terror and anxiety were more effective in forging a connection between it and the population than a defense of Fascism.Less
This chapter examines how the specter of a demonic Communist enemy came to occupy a central place in the Italian Fascist imaginary during the regime's mobilization of the politics of fear. Two critical periods in Italian Fascism's wars are discussed: the military participation on the Nationalist side in the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), framed by the Fascist regime as a “holy war” against communism, and Nazi Germany's war against the Soviet Union (1941–1943). The chapter shows how Fascist propaganda depicted Italy's wartime enemies in a way that tapped into the deepest fears of many Italians and their feelings of uncertainty about issues such as family, morality, and the Church. Facing waning support and growing resistance, the regime found that terror and anxiety were more effective in forging a connection between it and the population than a defense of Fascism.
Mark Sedgwick
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195152975
- eISBN:
- 9780199835225
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195152972.003.0010
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter completes the history of political Traditionalism and covers Evola’s biography from the end of the Second World War until his death. It considers Evola’s postwar modifications of ...
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This chapter completes the history of political Traditionalism and covers Evola’s biography from the end of the Second World War until his death. It considers Evola’s postwar modifications of political Traditionalism, and the terrorist activities of the various “neo-fascist” and Extreme Right groups that took their inspiration from Evola’s Traditionalism, especially as modified by Franco Freda. It ends with a discussion of contemporary political Traditionalism in countries other than Russia.Less
This chapter completes the history of political Traditionalism and covers Evola’s biography from the end of the Second World War until his death. It considers Evola’s postwar modifications of political Traditionalism, and the terrorist activities of the various “neo-fascist” and Extreme Right groups that took their inspiration from Evola’s Traditionalism, especially as modified by Franco Freda. It ends with a discussion of contemporary political Traditionalism in countries other than Russia.
Sean Burke
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748618309
- eISBN:
- 9780748652075
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748618309.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
Beginning amidst the tombs of the ‘dead’ God, and the crematoria at Auschwitz, this book confronts Nietzsche's legacy through the lens of Plato. The key question is how authors can protect against ...
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Beginning amidst the tombs of the ‘dead’ God, and the crematoria at Auschwitz, this book confronts Nietzsche's legacy through the lens of Plato. The key question is how authors can protect against the possible ‘deviant readings’ of future readers and assess ‘the risk of writing’. The author recommends an ethic of ‘discursive containment’. The ethical question is the question of our times. Within critical theory, it has focused on the act of reading. This study reverses the terms of inquiry to analyse the ethical composition of the act of writing. What responsibility does an author bear for his legacy? Do ‘catastrophic’ misreadings of authors (e.g. Plato, Nietzsche), which played a part in the establishment of totalitarian regimes such as Nazism, Fascism, and Communism, testify to authorial recklessness? These and other questions are the starting point for a theory of authorial ethics.Less
Beginning amidst the tombs of the ‘dead’ God, and the crematoria at Auschwitz, this book confronts Nietzsche's legacy through the lens of Plato. The key question is how authors can protect against the possible ‘deviant readings’ of future readers and assess ‘the risk of writing’. The author recommends an ethic of ‘discursive containment’. The ethical question is the question of our times. Within critical theory, it has focused on the act of reading. This study reverses the terms of inquiry to analyse the ethical composition of the act of writing. What responsibility does an author bear for his legacy? Do ‘catastrophic’ misreadings of authors (e.g. Plato, Nietzsche), which played a part in the establishment of totalitarian regimes such as Nazism, Fascism, and Communism, testify to authorial recklessness? These and other questions are the starting point for a theory of authorial ethics.
Paul Corner
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198730699
- eISBN:
- 9780191741753
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198730699.003.0012
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
The concluding chapter summarises the various ways in which the fascist party failed in its objectives of national transformation. It argues that the party was central to fascist objectives and that ...
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The concluding chapter summarises the various ways in which the fascist party failed in its objectives of national transformation. It argues that the party was central to fascist objectives and that the failure of the party signified, in effect, the failure of Fascism. Lack of success is linked to a weak political message and to the unhappy relationship between local and national, with local fascists following narrow, parochial, and personal priorities rather than national, public, objectives, usually to the detriment of the regime, and the central authorities unable to dominate totally these tendencies. The chapter ends with some observations on the fact that, in Italy, use of political power for private ends has not been confined to the fascist period.Less
The concluding chapter summarises the various ways in which the fascist party failed in its objectives of national transformation. It argues that the party was central to fascist objectives and that the failure of the party signified, in effect, the failure of Fascism. Lack of success is linked to a weak political message and to the unhappy relationship between local and national, with local fascists following narrow, parochial, and personal priorities rather than national, public, objectives, usually to the detriment of the regime, and the central authorities unable to dominate totally these tendencies. The chapter ends with some observations on the fact that, in Italy, use of political power for private ends has not been confined to the fascist period.
Joshua Arthurs
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801449987
- eISBN:
- 9780801468841
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801449987.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
The cultural and material legacies of the Roman Republic and Empire in evidence throughout Rome have made it the “Eternal City.” Too often, however, this patrimony has caused Rome to be seen as ...
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The cultural and material legacies of the Roman Republic and Empire in evidence throughout Rome have made it the “Eternal City.” Too often, however, this patrimony has caused Rome to be seen as static and antique, insulated from the transformations of the modern world. This book revises this perception, arguing that as both place and idea, Rome was strongly shaped by a radical vision of modernity imposed by Benito Mussolini's regime between the two world wars. Italian Fascism's appropriation of the Roman past—the idea of Rome, or romanità—encapsulated the Fascist virtues of discipline, hierarchy, and order; the Fascist “new man” was modeled on the Roman legionary, the epitome of the virile citizen-soldier. This vision of modernity also transcended Italy's borders, with the Roman Empire providing a foundation for Fascism's own vision of Mediterranean domination and a European New Order. At the same time, romanità also served as a vocabulary of anxiety about modernity. Fears of population decline, racial degeneration and revolution were mapped onto the barbarian invasions and the fall of Rome. Offering a critical assessment of romanità and its effects, the book explores the ways in which academics, officials, and ideologues approached Rome not as a site of distant glories but as a blueprint for contemporary life, a source of dynamic values to shape the present and future.Less
The cultural and material legacies of the Roman Republic and Empire in evidence throughout Rome have made it the “Eternal City.” Too often, however, this patrimony has caused Rome to be seen as static and antique, insulated from the transformations of the modern world. This book revises this perception, arguing that as both place and idea, Rome was strongly shaped by a radical vision of modernity imposed by Benito Mussolini's regime between the two world wars. Italian Fascism's appropriation of the Roman past—the idea of Rome, or romanità—encapsulated the Fascist virtues of discipline, hierarchy, and order; the Fascist “new man” was modeled on the Roman legionary, the epitome of the virile citizen-soldier. This vision of modernity also transcended Italy's borders, with the Roman Empire providing a foundation for Fascism's own vision of Mediterranean domination and a European New Order. At the same time, romanità also served as a vocabulary of anxiety about modernity. Fears of population decline, racial degeneration and revolution were mapped onto the barbarian invasions and the fall of Rome. Offering a critical assessment of romanità and its effects, the book explores the ways in which academics, officials, and ideologues approached Rome not as a site of distant glories but as a blueprint for contemporary life, a source of dynamic values to shape the present and future.
Paul Corner
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198730699
- eISBN:
- 9780191741753
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198730699.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
The Introduction points first to the persistence of strong local and regional differences in Italy after Unification and to the ways in which the powerful centrifugal forces in respect of the Italian ...
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The Introduction points first to the persistence of strong local and regional differences in Italy after Unification and to the ways in which the powerful centrifugal forces in respect of the Italian State generated by these differences were reflected in the early fascist movement and in its later organisation and functioning. It suggests that the preference given to local priorities was in persistent conflict with the nationalising and centralising project of the fascist regime. The Introduction also presents the second aspect of the book, that of the inefficiency of local fascist officials and their abuse of power, factors which provoke an extremely negative popular reaction.Less
The Introduction points first to the persistence of strong local and regional differences in Italy after Unification and to the ways in which the powerful centrifugal forces in respect of the Italian State generated by these differences were reflected in the early fascist movement and in its later organisation and functioning. It suggests that the preference given to local priorities was in persistent conflict with the nationalising and centralising project of the fascist regime. The Introduction also presents the second aspect of the book, that of the inefficiency of local fascist officials and their abuse of power, factors which provoke an extremely negative popular reaction.
Paul Corner
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198730699
- eISBN:
- 9780191741753
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198730699.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
The chapter stresses the provincial origins of the fascist movement and underlines the degree to which the first Fascism was made up of a constellation of local initiatives, often with little contact ...
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The chapter stresses the provincial origins of the fascist movement and underlines the degree to which the first Fascism was made up of a constellation of local initiatives, often with little contact between them. The unifying element was the reaction against central government in Rome, thus reflecting the strong centrifugal thrust of the movement. The chapter examines the ways in which local strongholds were established by fascist leaders (the intransigent ras) — leaders often more concerned with their own personal positions of provincial power than with the establishment of a strong central government — and discusses the tensions between centre and periphery which become evident with the murder of Matteotti in 1924.Less
The chapter stresses the provincial origins of the fascist movement and underlines the degree to which the first Fascism was made up of a constellation of local initiatives, often with little contact between them. The unifying element was the reaction against central government in Rome, thus reflecting the strong centrifugal thrust of the movement. The chapter examines the ways in which local strongholds were established by fascist leaders (the intransigent ras) — leaders often more concerned with their own personal positions of provincial power than with the establishment of a strong central government — and discusses the tensions between centre and periphery which become evident with the murder of Matteotti in 1924.
Paul Corner
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198730699
- eISBN:
- 9780191741753
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198730699.003.0009
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
The chapter examines the popular reactions to the many kinds of abuse of power within the provincial fascist organisations during the 1930s and seeks to illustrate the diverse expressions of ...
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The chapter examines the popular reactions to the many kinds of abuse of power within the provincial fascist organisations during the 1930s and seeks to illustrate the diverse expressions of political disaffection in a context of increasing apathy. It argues that the discontent with the functioning of the fascist party was also evident among fascists themselves, as is made clear by the open criticisms of the malfunctioning of the local federations and the arguments about the direction Fascism should take in the future. The chapter also looks at the role of the so-called ‘second generation’ of young fascists and examines their attitudes towards the regime.Less
The chapter examines the popular reactions to the many kinds of abuse of power within the provincial fascist organisations during the 1930s and seeks to illustrate the diverse expressions of political disaffection in a context of increasing apathy. It argues that the discontent with the functioning of the fascist party was also evident among fascists themselves, as is made clear by the open criticisms of the malfunctioning of the local federations and the arguments about the direction Fascism should take in the future. The chapter also looks at the role of the so-called ‘second generation’ of young fascists and examines their attitudes towards the regime.
Jean‐Charles Asselain and Alain Plessis
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198288039
- eISBN:
- 9780191596230
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198288034.003.0007
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Macro- and Monetary Economics, Economic History
France and Italy both stabilized their currencies relatively late. Although the French franc was initially undervalued and the lira overvalued, there were significant similarities in subsequent ...
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France and Italy both stabilized their currencies relatively late. Although the French franc was initially undervalued and the lira overvalued, there were significant similarities in subsequent developments. Both countries remained on the gold standard after the departure of Britain in 1931, and both were eventually forced to devalue after a difficult period of deflation in the mid‐1930s. This study examines the effects of these decisions on trade and growth in the two countries. Italy was more successful than France in holding down the rate of inflation and also achieved a more rapid rate of economic growth. The authors attribute this primarily to the ability of the Fascist dictatorship to impose a consistent policy on the Bank of Italy and the commercial banks, to maintain effective exchange controls, and to enforce wage reductions on the labour force.Less
France and Italy both stabilized their currencies relatively late. Although the French franc was initially undervalued and the lira overvalued, there were significant similarities in subsequent developments. Both countries remained on the gold standard after the departure of Britain in 1931, and both were eventually forced to devalue after a difficult period of deflation in the mid‐1930s. This study examines the effects of these decisions on trade and growth in the two countries. Italy was more successful than France in holding down the rate of inflation and also achieved a more rapid rate of economic growth. The authors attribute this primarily to the ability of the Fascist dictatorship to impose a consistent policy on the Bank of Italy and the commercial banks, to maintain effective exchange controls, and to enforce wage reductions on the labour force.
Tiago Saraiva
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780262035033
- eISBN:
- 9780262335706
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262035033.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Political History
“Fascist Pigs” investigates the breeding of new animals and plants embodying fascism. It details the role of technoscientific organisms in the national battles for food independence launched by ...
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“Fascist Pigs” investigates the breeding of new animals and plants embodying fascism. It details the role of technoscientific organisms in the national battles for food independence launched by Mussolini, Salazar, and Hitler, the first large scale mobilizations of the three fascist regimes. The narrative transforms the fascist “back to the land” into a modernist experiment involving geneticists and their organisms (wheat, potatoes, pigs), mass propaganda for peasants and urban consumers, and overgrown bureaucratic structures. In contrast to the generalized emphasis on race, it brings food to the forefront of a renewed understanding of fascism.The fascist obsession with land translated also into violent imperial quests for Lebensraum in Europe and Africa. The book unveils how agricultural experiment stations in Ethiopia, Mozambique and Auschwitz were central for putting in place colonial forced labor schemes for the production of coffee, cotton, and rubber. The story of karakul sheep standardized by scientists at the University of Halle goes a step further. It follows sheep around into Germany, Ukraine, South West Africa, Libya, and Angola, connecting through the travels of a single organism the white settler stories and frontier genocide of the three fascist regimes.This is not a study about what happened to scientists under fascism, but one that by following the historical trajectories of technoscientific organisms reveals how new forms of life intervened in the formation and expansion of fascism.Less
“Fascist Pigs” investigates the breeding of new animals and plants embodying fascism. It details the role of technoscientific organisms in the national battles for food independence launched by Mussolini, Salazar, and Hitler, the first large scale mobilizations of the three fascist regimes. The narrative transforms the fascist “back to the land” into a modernist experiment involving geneticists and their organisms (wheat, potatoes, pigs), mass propaganda for peasants and urban consumers, and overgrown bureaucratic structures. In contrast to the generalized emphasis on race, it brings food to the forefront of a renewed understanding of fascism.The fascist obsession with land translated also into violent imperial quests for Lebensraum in Europe and Africa. The book unveils how agricultural experiment stations in Ethiopia, Mozambique and Auschwitz were central for putting in place colonial forced labor schemes for the production of coffee, cotton, and rubber. The story of karakul sheep standardized by scientists at the University of Halle goes a step further. It follows sheep around into Germany, Ukraine, South West Africa, Libya, and Angola, connecting through the travels of a single organism the white settler stories and frontier genocide of the three fascist regimes.This is not a study about what happened to scientists under fascism, but one that by following the historical trajectories of technoscientific organisms reveals how new forms of life intervened in the formation and expansion of fascism.
