Manchester University Press
6 A town for the cult of the Duce
Abstract
Benito Mussolini transformed his place of birth, the village of Predappio, into a site for the celebration of his own political cult. This chapter examines the first of the three phases of the cult of Predappio. The first, under Fascism, is that of its birth and development as the 'Holy Land' and 'ideal destination of every Italian'. The second phase runs from 1957 to 1983 when, with the return of the Duce's body and the reemergence of the ritual of pilgrimages, Predappio became the object of a 'contested' identity. The third phase began with the celebration of the centenary of the Duce's birth and is characterised by a resurgence of neo-fascist pilgrimages. The chapter focuses on the construction of the town in relation to the myths behind the cult of the Duce. It then analyses the quantitative and qualitative evolution of the rite of mass pilgrimages.
Abstract
Benito Mussolini transformed his place of birth, the village of Predappio, into a site for the celebration of his own political cult. This chapter examines the first of the three phases of the cult of Predappio. The first, under Fascism, is that of its birth and development as the 'Holy Land' and 'ideal destination of every Italian'. The second phase runs from 1957 to 1983 when, with the return of the Duce's body and the reemergence of the ritual of pilgrimages, Predappio became the object of a 'contested' identity. The third phase began with the celebration of the centenary of the Duce's birth and is characterised by a resurgence of neo-fascist pilgrimages. The chapter focuses on the construction of the town in relation to the myths behind the cult of the Duce. It then analyses the quantitative and qualitative evolution of the rite of mass pilgrimages.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- List of illustrations vii
- Notes on contributors ix
- Introduction 1
-
Part I The Origins of a Personality Cult
- 1 Political cults in liberal Italy, 1861–1922 11
- 2 The propagation of the cult of the Duce, 1925–26 27
- 3 Margherita Sarfatti and the invention of the Duce 41
- 4 Sanity from a lunatic asylum 57
- 5 Mass culture and the cult of personality 72
-
Part II The Duce and the Fascist Regime
- 6 A town for the cult of the Duce 93
- 7 Mussolini’s appearances in the regions 110
- 8 The internalisation of the cult of the Duce 129
- 9 Mussolini and the Italian Empire, 1935–41 144
-
Part III The Iconography of the Duce
- 10 Portraits of the Duce 161
- 11 Photographing Mussolini 178
- 12 Mussolini as monument 193
- 13 Mussolini and the city of Rome 209
-
Part IV After the Fall of Fascism
- 14 The destiny of the art and artefacts 227
- 15 The aftermath of the Mussolini cult: history, nostalgia and popular culture 241
- 16 Mussolini and post-war Italian television 257
- Afterword 270
- Index 278
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- List of illustrations vii
- Notes on contributors ix
- Introduction 1
-
Part I The Origins of a Personality Cult
- 1 Political cults in liberal Italy, 1861–1922 11
- 2 The propagation of the cult of the Duce, 1925–26 27
- 3 Margherita Sarfatti and the invention of the Duce 41
- 4 Sanity from a lunatic asylum 57
- 5 Mass culture and the cult of personality 72
-
Part II The Duce and the Fascist Regime
- 6 A town for the cult of the Duce 93
- 7 Mussolini’s appearances in the regions 110
- 8 The internalisation of the cult of the Duce 129
- 9 Mussolini and the Italian Empire, 1935–41 144
-
Part III The Iconography of the Duce
- 10 Portraits of the Duce 161
- 11 Photographing Mussolini 178
- 12 Mussolini as monument 193
- 13 Mussolini and the city of Rome 209
-
Part IV After the Fall of Fascism
- 14 The destiny of the art and artefacts 227
- 15 The aftermath of the Mussolini cult: history, nostalgia and popular culture 241
- 16 Mussolini and post-war Italian television 257
- Afterword 270
- Index 278
