AUTHOR: Benito Mussolini was a member of the Italian Socialist Party prior to WWI, when he disagreed with the parties advocacy for neutrality during the war he was kicked out. He denounced the party and began to work on his fascist movement.
CONTEXT: At the time of writing What is Fascism in 1932 Mussolini had already been in power for 10 years. He wrote a entry for an Italian encyclopedia at this time defining what exactly fascism was.… Read the rest here
In Three New Deals, author Wolfganf Schivelbusch argues how three powerful states were all led by common ideals leading up to WWII. This is not to confuse with ‘same’ ideals in any sense. While these terms may seem alike, Schivelbusch clearly states there is a difference. He argues that while the United States, Germany, and Italy had common features the three cannot be considered identical in any way. It is difficult to place the United States, a democratic society, in the same category as two authoritative countries, but Schivelbusch continues to explain how they represent one another while being different at the same time.… Read the rest here
Bread and Wine by Ignazio Silone is a historical novel that follows the journey of Pietro Spina, a young communist revolutionary. Pietro Spina returns to Italy from exile and is being hunted by police, so he takes on the identity of Don Paolo Spada, a priest, to avoid capture. It is clear that this novel’s goal is to denounce fascism and praise communism, while portraying a sympathy for peasants and landowners.
Cristina, Don Paolo’s love interest, is the character that intrigued me the most.… Read the rest here