Fascism: An Informal Introduction to Its Theory and Practice

by Renzo De Felice, NISO Staff (Editor), Michael A. Ledeen (Introduction)

For Italian Intellectuals, the terms fascist and antifascist continue to be the hard currency of contemporary political debate-to the point that if you are not one, you must be the other. When professor Renzo de Felice suggests that fascism describes a moment in the Italian past-and only that-he is challenging the very heart of current orthodoxy. The nature of his analysis of the recent Italian past is itself at odds with the traditional version, and represents a radical departure from conventional wisdom. De Felice's ideas about fascism have a broad significance, quite apart from their importance in the contemporary Italian scene. Perhaps no one knows as much about fascism, and no one has given the subject such a rigorous historical analysis.

This dialogue between de Felice and American scholar Michael Ledeen has been on the best-seller list in Italy for nearly a year-an uncommon event for a book of its type for any country. This knowledgeable discussion ranges from empirical research on the history of Mussolini and the Fascist Regime in Italy to seeking a definition of fascism and determining its general characteristics. It also includes a comparative analysis with nazism and totalitarianism and concludes with observations of fascism today and the need for a new focus for future research.

About the Author:
Renzo de Felice (1929-1996) was a professor of history at the University of Rome

Genres: Politics, History, Italy, Nonfiction

128 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1976

About the author

Renzo De Felice (8 April 1929 – 25 May 1996) was an Italian historian, who specialized in the Fascist era, writing, among other works, a 6000-page biography of Benito Mussolini (4 volumes, 1965–1997). He argued that Mussolini was a revolutionary modernizer in domestic issues but a pragmatist in foreign policy who continued the Realpolitik policies of Italy from 1861 to 1922.
Historian of Italy Philip Morgan has called De Felice's biography of Mussolini "a very controversial, influential and at the same time problematic re-reading of Mussolini and Fascism" and rejected the contention that his work rose above politics to "scientific objectivity", as claimed by the author and his defenders.

Reviews

[Russ Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting. I knew Germany, Italy and Spain embraced fascism but I’d never thought of Japanese culture as fascist. Well worth a read.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this before "Interpretations of Fascism" by De Felice and it helped me better understand. Through the interview you find out characteristics of De Felice such as his Italian nationalistic tendency and that he is a Mussolini biographer. Overall this was an interesting piece and a quick read that helped outline the concept of Fascism but would not serve as a good reference to fully comprehend the Fascist ideology.