Fascist voices An intimate history of Mussolini's Italy

Review by Choice Review

Drawing on letters to Mussolini from the Italian Central Archives and on published and unpublished diaries, Duggan (Univ. of Reading, UK) analyzes what fascism meant "in terms of their emotions, ideas, values, practices and expectations" to fascists, antifascists, and people simply caught up in current events. One flaw is the absence of the diary of Enrico Rocca, a Jewish fascist who was a party member from the very beginning. Most sources date from the 1930s and 1940s, when state and society made vocal opposition impossible or self-immolative. Duggan warns that he is not writing a history of fascist Italy, nor trying to understand what "ordinary" Italians or popular opinion thought about the regime--a wise choice, given that the term "public opinion" is a recent invention of mass democracy and mass marketing and is, in itself, problematic. Ultimately, Duggan provides a valuable companion to courses on fascism and for anyone interested in the topic. He demonstrates the need to understand "Mussolini" as a fetish--an invented modern saint to many, whose hagiography could be inscribed in public and private writing, whose image could be venerated in time of plenty, and whose name could be invoked in times of need. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries. P. Arpaia Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.

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Review by Booklist Review

In Germany, the ideology of National Socialism has been relegated to the fringes of the political and cultural landscape. In Italy, however, so-called new Fascism retains some mainstream appeal, and there has been a concerted effort to reexamine and even resurrect the reputation and legacy of Mussolini. To explore this issue, Duggan has presented numerous letters written to Mussolini by a variety of Italian citizens. The letters are arranged chronologically, which allows the reader to gauge the evolving sentiments toward Mussolini and the Fascist government. The letters from the 1920s and 1930s are generally laudatory and sometimes worshipful. Mussolini is praised by some as a savior and by others as a wise politician. As the fortunes of war turn sour in the 1940s, letters attack the government but, surprisingly, many continue to praise Mussolini, as if he stands apart from the government he dominates. This is an interesting and revealing glimpse into the workings and appeal of a Fascist government.--Freeman, Jay Copyright 2010 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

In this thoroughly engaging history, Duggan (The Force of Destiny: A History of Italy Since 1796), an expert on Italian history, chronicles Mussolini's rise, reign, and fall through a close examination of journals, letters, telegrams, and other textual artifacts from before and during WWII. Taken together, they capture by turns the Italian people's love and hatred of their leader, as well as the sheer strangeness of living in a fascist state. Mussolini's "broad church" of fascism brought many of his countrymen and women into the fold, and Duggan's account presents jaw-dropping examples of their attachment to Il Duce. One author wrote a book called The Imitation of Mussolini; schoolchildren were taught a poem about Mussolini and his mother; female admirers wrote love letters. Others, however, furtively recorded their principled opposition to the violence of the fascist regime. In a powerful shift to the present, Duggan ends the book with a selection of laudatory entries recently penned in the guestbook at Mussolini's tomb-a sobering reminder that though Il Duce is dead, his strange and mercurial allure lives on. 2 maps. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

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Review by Library Journal Review

Using vast archives of letters sent to the fascist leader of Italy during his tenure from 1922 to 1943, as well as portions of unpublished diaries, Duggan (modern Italian history, Univ. of Reading; The Force of Destiny: A History of Italy Since 1796) explores why the totalitarian Mussolini experienced such long and widespread support in his country. Duggan interweaves these primary-source excerpts into a readable narrative, which includes a discussion of why this topic has largely gone unexplored by scholars of Italian history. In postwar Italy, there was no cycle of trials and retribution, together with the sense of some healing, as there was in Germany. Many of Italy's civil servants under Mussolini stayed in their positions in the aftermath of World War II. Duggan also notes the unique role of the Catholic Church in Mussolini's own rhetoric, which reinforced iconographies familiar to Italians. The Catholic Church, needless to say, remained a strong component of the post-fascist Italian state. Italians with fascist sympathies to this day flock to Mussolini's grave. VERDICT With an intriguing cast of characters derived from his primary sources, Duggan's work is both accessible to readers of World War II history and an important new work in the historiography of modern Italy.-Kelsey Berry Philpot, Holderness Sch., NH (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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