Giuseppe Finaldi is a lecturer in History at the University of Western Australia. He has worked extensively on Italian social and cultural history in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Part One: background. 1. Perspectives on modern Italian history. 2. Perspectives on the study of Fascism. Part Two: Mussolini and Italian Fascism. 3. The Origins of Italian Fascism 1870-1917. 4. Fascism as movement 1917-1921. 5. The road to dictatorship 1921-1926. 6. The Fascist Regime 1926-1936. 7. Mussolini and Hitler 1936-1938. 8. The Second World War and the end of fascism, 1938-45. Part Three: Conclusion. 9. The place of Italian fascism in European history. Part Four: Documents. Further reading. References. Index.

Mussolini and Italian Fascism

Giuseppe Finaldi

Mussolini and Italian Fascism plots the life of a man and a nation seeking to find a role in a continent wracked by poverty, resentment, conflict and war yet awash with contradictory hopes for earthly utopia and a better future. Tracing the rise and ultimately grisly fall of the Italian dictator, Finaldi explores:

- The reasons why fascism developed such a strong following in Italy at this time

- The First World War and its impact on Italy

- The complex connection between Catholicism and Fascism

- The causes and consequences of the war in Ethiopia

- The twists and reversals that characterised the bond between Hitler and Mussolini

- The gap between the regime's military ethos and the country's performance in the Second World War

With a rich collection of Documents, Who's Who, Chronology, Glossary and a Guide to Further Reading, this study is a perfect way for students to get a grip on the experience of Italian Fascism and will, through its fresh reading of a crucial facet of Europe's 20th century, also merit the attention of those already familiar with the subject.

Giuseppe Finaldi is a lecturer in History at the University of Western Australia. He has worked extensively on Italian social and cultural history in the 19th and 20th centuries.