Mussolini In Myth And Memory

MUSSOLINI IN MYTH AND MEMORY

After Mussolini

After Mussolini explores the genesis of the 'myth of the good Italian.' This myth was deliberately promoted by the Italian Foreign Ministry, which aimed to obtain a non-punitive peace treaty by distancing the nation from German guilt. Through in-depth research, the book illustrates how Italian Jews, in their efforts to reintegrate in the country after the Second World War, contributed to shaping and legitimizing a representation of Fascist persecutions which drastically downplayed Italian responsibilities in the Holocaust. In addition, the book focuses on community reconstruction and social reintegration, and it is the first comprehensive history of post-war Italian Jewry between 1945 and 1961. *** "...a thoroughly researched, sophisticated volume of great value for advanced students. Highly recommended." - M. A. Meyer, emeritus, Hebrew Union College, Jewish Institute of Religion, Choice, February 2013, Vol. 50, No. 6. *** "Guri Schwarz is an Italian Jewish historian, academician and, since 2005, a member and coordinator of the scientific board of the Center for Contemporary Jewish Documentation of Milan. This book is a scholarly work that contributes to a more realistic view of life in Italy; it will provide greater knowledge of the historical facts for Jewish readers in particular. - Nira G. Wolfe, Independent researcher; Head Librarian, Hebrew Theological College (retired), Skokie, IL

Mussolini and Italian Fascism

Fascism was one of the defining experiences of the European 20th Century. Within it many of the economic, political, social and cultural contradictions that had been brewing in the unprecedented transformation that European society underwent in the 19th and early 20th century came to a head. Mussolini, the man who most fashioned Italian Fascism, dramatically expressed the unease and the hopes of his age. To what extent can we compare Mussolini's Italy to Hitler's Germany or Stalin's Russia? What legacy has the experience of Fascism left behind in Italy and in Europe? These and many more important questions are explored in Finaldi's introduction to one of the most important movements of the European 20th Century.