2. The peculiarities of Italian history and the many birthdays of 1932–3

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents ix
3. Plates x
4. Abbreviations xii
5. Introduction 1
6. 1. Mussolini and the ghost of Adolf Hitler 8
7. 2. The peculiarities of Italian history and the many birthdays of 1932–3 32
8. 3. A thriving dictatorship: Fascist, totalitarian or Mussolinian? 58
9. 4. Imagining liberal totalitarianism? 89
10. 5. An Italian dictatorship, its dreams of empire and the enveloping shadow of Nazism 116
11. 6. Populist totalitarianism and/or Fascist mysticism under the Duce 148
12. 7. The Fascist map of Europe moves to Africa: Ethiopia, empire and their consequences 180
13. 8. An Axis of evil, Fascist racism and a waning dictator 1936–40 212
14. Conclusion. Worst of dictators? The meaning of Benito Mussolini and Italian Fascism in the age of Trump and the populists 248
15. Notes 263
16. Further reading 313
17. Acknowledgements 314
18. Index 317