Book description
Christopher Duggan's new history of fascist Italy explores how the
movement became embodied in the person of Benito Mussolini who
occupied for many an almost divine status and gave millions of men and
women a sense of pride and hope, offering the prospect of national
regeneration after decades of disappointment.
A work of exceptional authority and originality, Fascist Voices
makes use of rarely examined sources - letters and private
diaries, newspaper reports and secret police files - to uncover how
ordinary people experienced fascism on a daily basis and how its
ideology influenced their beliefs, values, language and lifestyle.
Tracing fascism from its conception to its legacy, Christopher
Duggan unpicks why the regime enjoyed so much support among the
majority of the Italian population. He examines the extraordinary
personal relationships that millions of Italians had with Mussolini,
explores the religious dimensions of totalitarianism, and discusses
why the 'cult of the Duce' still resonates in contemporary Italy.
Fascist Voices is a fresh and disturbing look at a country in
thrall to a charismatic dictator.
a highly readable history Publisher's Weekly 20080929 Christopher
Duggan is Professor of Italian History at Reading University. He has
written several books on modern Italian history, including
History of Sicil
y, with M. I. Finley and D. Mack Smith,
Fascism and the Mafia
,
A concise history of Italy
and
Francesco Crispi: From Nation to Nationalism
. His most recent book is
The Force of Destiny: a History of Italy
Since 1796
.
