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Emmel #3A

Cassels, Alan. Fascist Italy. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co., 1968.

Fascist Italy is a synthesis of the works detailing Mussolini's Italy from its early
beginnings to Mussolini's execution by communist partisans in 1945. The sources are mostly
secondary with some diary entries (most notably Ciano's) and newspaper reports. References are
not cited by footnote and, rather than a standard bibliography, Cassels has a historiographical
essay that is up to date for the year of publication (1968). This essay is strong on English
sources but does include the more important Italian sources as well.
Cassels presents the two prominent views of the development of Italian fascism. First is
the view that Mussolini alone is responsible for the rise of fascism and that it was his creation.
Cassels points out that this view is more popular in the United States (with a strong ItalianAmerican electorate) and in Italy. The other is that fascism was a direct outgrowth of the
environment of early twentieth century Italy.
Cassels view is that the Mussolini had little impact on the people of Italy and that he did
not create a truly totalitarian state. The attitude of the Italian people was one of acceptance of
fascism, but not enthusiasm. All of his goals were either inevitable, such as the Lateran Accords
with the Church, or later proven to be false, the result of a propaganda machine that even
Mussolini himself fell victim to. He shows that Mussolini was blinded by his own rhetoric
concerning the economy and military strength of the country that was under his guidance, and in
the end Italy became a mere satellite state of the true fascist power in Europe, Hitler's Germany.
His final assertion is that fascism had no lasting impact on Italy or the Italian people.

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