This 1989 book is a detailed study of the social origins of the fascist reaction in Tuscany, which played a key role in the rise of Italian fascism to power. Tuscan fascism was second to none in its violence, organisational strength, intransigence and missionary zeal. The central question is who supported fascism, and why. To what extent did Tuscany, a major agricultural region, conform to national patterns? What are the implications of the pattern of support for fascism in Tuscany for the wider interpretation of the movement? Dr Snowden offers a thematic approach, discussing in turn agrarian fascism, industrial and urban activity, and relations between the black-shirts and state officials. Thus the significance of the fascist militancy of particular social groups and classes can be assessed for the period between the mass strikes in 1919 and the end of labour militancy marked by the beginning of the fascist dictatorship.

As the first mass movement of the radical right to assume power in the wake of World War I, Italian Fascism became the model and inspiration for violent anti-democratic and anti-socialist forces that swept Europe between 1919 and 1945. In this volume Marla S. Stone provides an essential introduction to the rise and fall of Benito Mussolinis Fascist dictatorship. Drawing on the most recent historical scholarship, Stone explores the multifaceted nature of Fascist rule, which drew strength not only from its terror apparatus but also from popular support for its social programs. More than 35 primary sources, including speeches, decrees, memoirs, telegrams, songs, and artwork, demonstrate how Fascism shaped all aspects of Italian life. More than a dozen Italian documents are translated into English for the first time. Photographs, maps, document headnotes, a chronology, questions for consideration, and a selected bibliography provide pedagogical support.

This book shows how the seemingly immutable Tuscan landscape was largely shaped by modern conflicts over economic resources and cultural meanings.

This book explores, from a transnational viewpoint, the historical relationship between war veterans and fascism in interwar Europe. Until now, historians have been roughly divided between those who assume that 'brutalization' (George L. Mosse) led veterans to join fascist movements and those who stress that most ex-soldiers of the Great War became committed pacifists and internationalists. Transcending the debates of the brutalization thesis and drawing upon a wide range of archival and published sources, this work focuses on the interrelated processes of transnationalization and the fascist permeation of veterans' politics in interwar Europe to offer a wider perspective on the history of both fascism and veterans' movements. A combination of mythical constructs, transfers, political communication, encounters and networks within a transnational space explain the relationship between veterans and fascism. Thus, this book offers new insights into the essential ties between fascism and war, and contributes to the theorization of transnational fascism.