What was Italian Fascism? Was it the ideology and experience of the trenches brought to political authority? Or did it express the hopes and ideals of an emerging middle class which had done well out of the First World War? To what extent was fascism a boys' ideology? And to what degree did Mussolini lead - and to what extent follow - public opinion? 'The Italian Dictatorship' offers a skilful probing of the central debates in the area and a detailed critique of the ways in which the history of fascism has been given meaning in Italy and in the wider world since 1919. Beginning in the 1990s, with the political, cultural and historiographical crisis of the collapse of the 'First Republic' in Italy, the account then returns to the inter-war period to review fascist, conservative, liberal and Marxist understandings of fascism, examining not only the more traditional sources but also film, 'memory', music and other arenas in which history is crafted.

The first thorough analysis of how the histories of Italian Fascism were crafted Provides a detailed, engaging and witty account of history writing about Mussolini and his regime Covers a wide time span - from 1917 to 1997 - in a highly accessible form Looks at the culture (film, music, literature) as well as the politics of fascism The author is one of the foremost anglophone scholars of Fascist Italy

About the Author
Richard Bosworth is one of the world's leading authorities on modern Italian history. He has been a Visiting Fellow at a number of institutions, including the Italian Academy at Columbia University, Clare Hall (Cambridge), Balliol (Oxford), and the Humanities Research Centre (Canberra). He is currently Professor of History at the University of Western Australia and the author of The Italian Dictatorship:Problems and Perspectives in the Interpretation of Mussolini and Fascism (Arnold/Oxford, 1998).

Reviews
'It is immensely learned yet also witty, wise and humane. A marvelous book.' Dr Patrick Finney, University of Wales Lampeter, U '...fills a yawning gap.' Professor R A H Robinson, University of Birmingham 'Bosworth brilliantly analyses an expansive and exhaustive bibliography with extraordinary lucidity.' Choice 'Written with great verve and humour, it constitutes a very lively tour through some of the most important historical works on the period...Written in such an easy-to-read and engaging style should make it accessible to and popular with students.' History Journal



Book Information
ISBN 9780340677278
Author Dr Richard J. B. Bosworth
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint Hodder Arnold
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Weight(grams) 414g
Dimensions(mm) 236mm * 158mm * 21mm