Historia del fascismo

The aesthetic appeal of Italian fascism came to assimilate it to the vanguards of the early twentieth century. Like all nationalism, it was experienced by its followers as a secular religion, coming from leftist socialism but at the same time with clear rightist antecedents. The study of fascism, its aesthetics, its language, its power of suggestion, has not lost its relevance and continues to attract the interest of numerous historians. To speak properly about fascism requires knowing its intellectual and political origins. The rise of fascism would not be understood without knowing why Benito Mussolini amassed such a large following and how he knew how to take advantage of the discontent of an entire country with a potent mixture of nationalism and populism. Giovanni Giolitti, of the Liberal Union and Prime Minister in 1922, was in charge of doing the rest: his political weakness and his misjudgment of Mussolini's intentions allowed him to seize power. His best tools: the political instability of postwar Italy; his national unity speech; the skilful handling of propaganda, sports and culture; the use of the myth of the woman-mother as a symbol of security and promoter of the regeneration of the country; and the appeal to young people as courageous builders of a New Italy. When the Partito Nazionale Fascista comes to power, those young people, so moved by the ideas of bravery and courage, will believe they have been the makers of the New Italy, a new Rome. This work delves into the internal structure of the party -which ends up identifying with the State-, its international policy and its alleged vocation for empire. The author recalls that fascism was a phenomenon with rapid international repercussions and the rise of mimetic groups in Europe, America and Asia.