Mussolini

In 1945, disguised in German greatcoat and helmet, Mussolini attempted to escape from the advancing Allied armies. Unfortunately for him, the convoy of which he was part was stopped by partisans and his features, made so familiar by Fascist propaganda, gave him away. Within 24 hours he was executed by his captors, joining those he sent early to their graves as an outcome of his tyranny, at least one million people. He was one of the tyrant-killers who so scarred interwar Europe, but we cannot properly understand him or his regime by any simple equation with Hitler or Stalin. Like them, his life began modestly in the provinces; unlike them, he maintained a traditonal male family life, including both wife and mistresses, and sought in his way to be an intellectual. He was cruel (though not the cruellist); his racism existed, but never without the consistency and vigor that would have made him a good recruit for the SS. He sought an empire; but, in the most part, his was of the old-fashioned, costly, nineteenth century variety, not a racial or ideological imperium. And, self-evidently Italian society was not German or Russian: the particular patterns of that society shaped his dictatorship. Bosworth's __Mussolini__ allows us to come closer than ever before to an appreciation of the life and actions of the man and of the political world and society within which he operated. With extraordinary skill and vividness, drawing on a huge range of sources, this biography paints a picture of brutality and failure, yet one tempered with an understanding of Mussolini as a human being, not so different from many of his contemporaries

exhaustive Study Of Benito Mussolini...leaves No Stone Unturned In Trying To Explain The Complexities Of il Duce And His Times...reveals The Author's Appreciation Of The Complex Ingredients Of Il Duce's Legacy, A Legacy That Still Influences Italian Politics...although His 22-year Dictatorial Reign Brought Misery To Millions, Mussolini Never Bought Into The Racist Fanaticism Of His Nazi Brethren. As Bosworth Infers, Mussolini's Inherent Zest For Life Kept Him From Becoming The Grim Exterminator Hitler Wanted Him To Be...the Definitive Study Of The Italian Dictator And Belongs In Every Public And Academic Library With A Strong European History Collection.—library Journal

library Journal

bosworth (history, Univ. Of West Australia; Italian Dictatorship) Is An Authority On 20th-century Italy, And His Exhaustive Study Of Benito Mussolini, First Published In London, Leaves No Stone Unturned In Trying To Explain The Complexities Of Il Duce And His Times. Bosworth Includes Copious Footnotes And An Impressive Bibliography To Authenticate His Compelling Interpretation Of Italy's Fascist Dictator. This Portrait Of Mussolini Reveals The Author's Appreciation Of The Complex Ingredients Of Il Duce's Legacy A Legacy That Still Influences Italian Politics. Mussolini Was A Man Of Image Whose Virile Charisma Unified A Fractious Nation, But The Ideological Underpinnings Of Fascism Never Sank Very Deeply Into Italian Society. Although His 22-year Dictatorial Reign Brought Misery To Millions, Mussolini Never Bought Into The Racist Fanaticism Of His Nazi Brethren. As Bosworth Infers, Mussolini's Inherent Zest For Life Kept Him From Becoming The Grim Exterminator Hitler Wanted Him To Be. Bosworth's Biography Easily Supersedes Denis Mack Smith's 1982 Mussolini As The Definitive Study Of The Italian Dictator And Belongs In Every Public And Academic Library With A Strong European History Collection. Jim Doyle, Sara Hightower Regional Lib., Rome, Ga Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

In 1945, disguised in German greatcoat and helmet, Mussolini attempted to escape from the advancing Allied armies. Unfortunately for him, the convoy of which he was part was stopped by partisans and his features, made so familiar by Fascist propaganda, gave him away. Within 24 hours he was executed by his captors, joining those he sent early to their graves as an outcome of his tyranny, at least one million people. He was one of the tyrant-killers who so scarred interwar Europe, but we cannot properly understand him or his regime by any simple equation with Hitler or Stalin. Like them, his life began modestly in the provinces; unlike them, he maintained a traditonal male family life, including both wife and mistresses, and sought in his way to be an intellectual. He was cruel (though not the cruellest); his racism existed, but never without the consistency and vigor that would have made him a good recruit for the SS. He sought an empire; but, in the most part, his was of the old-fashioned, costly, nineteenth century variety, not a racial or ideological imperium. And, self-evidently Italian society was not German or Russian: the particular patterns of that society shaped his dictatorship. Bosworth's Mussolini allows us to come closer than ever before to an appreciation of the life and actions of the man and of the political world and society within which he operated. With extraordinary skill and vividness, drawing on a huge range of sources, this biography paints a picture of brutality and failure, yet one tempered with an understanding of Mussolini as a human being, not so different from many of his contemporaries.'The definitive study of the Italian dictator.'- Library Journal In 1945, disguised in German greatcoat and helmet, Mussolini attempted to escape from the advancing Allied armies. Unfortunately for him, the convoy of which he was part was stopped by partisans and his features, made so familiar by Fascist propaganda, gave him away. Within 24 hours he was executed by his captors, joining those he sent early to their graves as an outcome of his tyranny, at least one million people. He was one of the tyrant-killers who so scarred interwar Europe, but we cannot properly understand him or his regime by any simple equation with Hitler or Stalin. Like them, his life began modestly in the provinces; unlike them, he maintained a traditional male family life, including both wife and mistresses, and sought in his way to be an intellectual. He was cruel (though not the cruelest); his racism existed, but never without the consistency and vigor that would have made him a good recruit for the SS. He sought an empire; but, in the most part, his was of the old-fashioned, costly, nineteenth century variety, not a racial or ideological imperium. And, self-evidently Italian society was not German or Russian: the particular patterns of that society shaped his dictatorship. Bosworth's Mussolini allows us to come closer than ever before to an appreciation of the life and actions of the man and of the political world and society within which he operated. With extraordinary skill and vividness, drawing on a huge range of sources, this biography paints a picture of brutality and failure, yet one tempered with an understanding of Mussolini as a human being, not so different from many of his contemporaries Bosworth's Mussolini allows us to come closer than ever before to an understanding of the life and actions of the dictator and of the political world and society within which he operated. This biography paints a picture of brutality and failure in governance with insight into Mussolini as a human being shaped by the particular patterns of Italian society which were so vastly different from Axis partners Germany and Japan. Mussolini was a brutal tyrant who added untold numbers to the dead of war torn Europe but we cannot understand his regime by equating it with Hitler or Stalin. His life began modestly in the provinces and he maintained a traditional family life for a man of his time including both a wife and mistresses. He sought in his way to be an intellectual but was capable of cruelty and was a racist with the consistency and vigor which would have made him a good recruit for the SS. He sought an empire but, for the most part, was more of an old-fashioned nineteenth century despot not a racial or ideological imperium. His end came in 1945 in the closing days of World War II. Disguised in German greatcoat and helmet, Mussolini attempted to escape from the advancing Allied armies but was stopped by partisans who recognized his features, made so familiar by Fascist propaganda which eventually gave him away, and within 24 hours he was publicly executed. Machine generated contents note: I The Furies and Benito Mussolini, I944-I945 2 First of his class? The Mussolinis and the young Benitc 1883-I902 3 Emigrant and socialist, I902-I9IO 4 The class struggle, I9IO-I9I4 5 War and revolution, I914-I9I9 6 The first months of Fascism, 1919-1920 7 The Fascist rise to power, 1920-1922 8 Government, 1922-1924 9 The imposition of dictatorship, 1924-1925 io The Man of Providence, 1926-1929 ii Mussolini in his pomp, 1929-1932 12 The challenge of Adolf Hitler, I932-1934 13 Empire in Ethiopia, I935-I936 14 Crisis in Europe, 1936-1938 I5 The approach of a Second World War, I938-I939 16 Germany's ignoble second, 1939-1941 17 First fall and feeble resurrection, 1942-1943 I8 The ghost of Benito Mussolini, I945-200I Notes Select bibliography Index. Content: The furies and Benito Mussolini, 1944-1945 -- First of his class? The Mussolinis and the young Benito, 1883-1902 -- Emigrant and socialist, 1902-1910 -- The class struggle, 1910-1914 -- War and revolution, 1914-1919 -- The first months of Fascism, 1919-1920 -- The Fascist rise to power, 1920-1922 -- Government, 1922-1924 -- The imposition of dictatorship, 1924-1925 -- The man of providence, 1926-1929 -- Mussolini in his pomp, 1929-1932 -- The challenge of Adolph Hitler, 1932-1934 -- Empire in Ethiopia, 1935-1936 -- Crisis in Europe, 1936-1938 -- The approach of a Second World War, 1938-1939 -- Germany's ignoble second, 1939-1941 -- The first and feeble resurrection, 1942-1943 -- The ghost of Benito Mussolini, 1945-2001. "In 1945, disguised in German greatcoat and helmet, Mussolini attempted to escape from the advancing Allied armies. Unfortunately for him, the convoy of which he was part was stopped by partisans and his features, made so familiar by Fascist propaganda, gave him away. Within 24 hours he was dead, executed by his captors. He joined those sent early to their graves as an outcome of his dictatorship - at least a million people, and probably more." Bosworth tegner et brutalitetens og fejltagelsernes billede af den italienske fører, der forvoldte én million af sine medborgeres død. En gribende beskrivelse af et ambitiøst og intellektuelt menneske fra landet, som opbyggede et fascistisk imperium, men endte i unåde, henrettet af sit eget folk R.j.b. Bosworth. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [520]-563) And Index.