How successful was Mussolini in creating a force of loyal and committed policemen to defend his regime and assist in the creation of a new fascist civilization? How far were the Italian police transformed under Mussolini, and how did policemen experience the dictatorship? This book examines Italy's regular police in the context of fascism's efforts to modernise and establish ideological control over the state. Contrasting the regime's idealised representations with the more humdrum realities of everyday practice, the book considers the impact of the dictatorship on the Italian police and their personnel. Presenting an inside perspective on fascist repression, it focuses particularly on recruitment, training and professionalism in the Interior Ministry Police, as well as officers' ideological orientation, working conditions and quality of life. This book will appeal to students and researchers in police history, Italian fascism and, more generally, conflict and oppression in the twentieth century.

About the Author
Jonathan Dunnage is Senior Lecturer in Twentieth-Century European History at Swansea University

Reviews
It should be widely read not only by those interested in the ventennio but also those interested in authoritarianism more broadly. -- .



Book Information
ISBN 9780719081392
Author Jonathan Dunnage
Format Hardback
Page Count 256
Imprint Manchester University Press
Publisher Manchester University Press
Dimensions(mm) 234mm * 156mm * 19mm