 | Mussolini''s Decennale: Aura and Mythmaking in Fascist Italy Subjects: Fascism and culture -- Italy -- History -- 20th century; Fascism -- Italy -- History -- 20th century; Italy -- Intellectual life -- 20th century; Italy -- Politics and government -- 1922–1945; The year 1932, the tenth anniversary of Mussolini's March on Rome, was fascism's Decennale. Commemorating Italian fascism's seizure of power, the Decennalewas celebrated by the regime in a deliberate attempt to radicalize the original movement and develop it into an imperial and racist regime. In Mussolini's Decennale, Antonio Morena explores a cross-section of Italian culture during the Decennale. Studying literature, speeches, documentaries, films, textbooks, and the 1932 Exhibition, he discusses how the regime, its patrons, and even its critics all appropriated the historical events of 1922 for their political advantage. Positioning the 1932 anniversary celebrations as the crux of the fascist transition from conservatism to totalitarianism, Mussolini's Decennalebroadens our understanding of fascist ideology, cultural politics, and Realpolitik. MorenaAntonio: Antonio Morena received his PhD in Romance Languages and Letters from Harvard University. |
