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Mussolini's Grandchildren: Fascism in Contemporary Italy Spiral-Bound |

David Broder

★★★★☆+ from Up to 30 ratings

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Reveals the direct lineage between Mussolini's fascism and the thriving contemporary Italian far-right

'Fascinating and trenchant, this account of contemporary Italian neo-fascism is both original and shocking' - John Foot, historian

The fastest-rising force in Italian politics is Giorgia Meloni's Fratelli d'Italia - a party with a direct genealogy from Mussolini's regime. Surging to prominence in recent years, it has waged a fierce culture war against the Left, polarised political debate around World War II, and even secured the largest vote share in Italy's 2022 general election. Eighty years after the fall of Mussolini, his heirs, and admirers are again on the brink of taking power. So how exactly has this situation come about?

Mussolini's Grandchildren delves into Italy's self-styled 'post-fascist' movements - rooted in historical fascism yet claiming to have 'transcended' it. David Broder highlights the reinventions of far-right politics since the Second World War and examines the interplay between a parliamentary face aimed at integrating fascists into the mainstream and militant fringe groups which, despite their extremism, play an important role in nurturing the broader far right.

Fratelli d'Italia has retained its hegemony over fascist subcultures whilst embracing a raft of more pragmatic policy positions, fusing harsh Islamophobia and anti-communism with support for the European Union and NATO. As countervailing anti-fascist forces in Italian society wane, the far-right party's mission to redeem historical fascism, legitimize its political heirs, and shift the terrain of mainstream politics is proving alarmingly successful.

Publisher: Pluto Press
Original Binding: Paperback
Pages: 240 pages
ISBN-10: 0745348025
Item Weight: 0.76 lbs
Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches
Customer Reviews: 4 out of 5 stars Up to 30 ratings
'Meticulously researched and engagingly written by an author with a longstanding knowledge of Italy and interest in its politics and culture. This is a must read for all those who want to understand what is happening in the country and what may soon happen elsewhere'
Paolo Gerbaudo, Reader in Digital Politics, Department of Digital Humanities, King's College London

'Fascinating and trenchant, Broder's account of contemporary Italian neo-fascism - which is now in power in Italy - is both original and shocking. Shows through deep research into both the past and present of these politicians that we should take the threat they represent very seriously indeed'
John Foot, author of 'Blood and Power: The Rise and Fall of Italian Fascism'
David Broder is a historian of the Italian far-right. He is a regular contributor to the New Statesman and Internazionale, writing about Italian politics, as well as Europe editor for Jacobin. His writing has also appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian, the Independent, New Left Review and Tribune. He is the author of The Rebirth of Italian Communism: Dissident Communists in Rome, 1943-44 and First They Took Rome: How the Populist Right Conquered Italy.