Manchester University Press
3 Margherita Sarfatti and the invention of the Duce
Abstract
This chapter examines how, by presenting an image of the leader imbued with mythical culture, Margherita Sarfatti attempted to define the notions of the state, the leader and his relationship with the people. Sarfatti presented a variety of descriptions of Mussolini, which were intended to locate his image both in the popular imagination and in the notion of race and lineage which the Duce was meant to encapsulate. Sarfatti's contribution to the presentation of Mussolini as a myth was born from her perceived need to construct his image as that of a charismatic leader. The image of Mussolini as Homo Romanus was elaborated within a multiple discourse. One distinctive quality that Sarfatti uses to indicate Mussolini's capacity as a leader able to unite the Italian people across class divisions is that of the 'aristocratico plebeo'.
Abstract
This chapter examines how, by presenting an image of the leader imbued with mythical culture, Margherita Sarfatti attempted to define the notions of the state, the leader and his relationship with the people. Sarfatti presented a variety of descriptions of Mussolini, which were intended to locate his image both in the popular imagination and in the notion of race and lineage which the Duce was meant to encapsulate. Sarfatti's contribution to the presentation of Mussolini as a myth was born from her perceived need to construct his image as that of a charismatic leader. The image of Mussolini as Homo Romanus was elaborated within a multiple discourse. One distinctive quality that Sarfatti uses to indicate Mussolini's capacity as a leader able to unite the Italian people across class divisions is that of the 'aristocratico plebeo'.
Chapters in this book
- 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
Chapters in this book
- 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
