Fascist Italy, 1911-48

About this Course

About the Course

In this course, Professor Guido Bonsaver (University of Oxford) explores Italian Fascism, looking at its origin, ideology, and its end. In the first module, we establish the social and political context of Fascist Italy, looking at Italy’s position and status in Europe during the period when a fascist movement first began to grow under the leadership of Benito Mussolini (1883-1945). In the second module, we turn to focus on Mussolini himself, and his rise to power, tracing his early influences and how these had developed into a violent fascist campaign by 1921. In the third module, we shift to look at fascist ideology and propaganda, considering the core tenets of Italian fascism, before in the fourth module comparing these to the form of fascism established in Germany under the Nazis. In the fifth and final module, we trace Italy’s involvement in the Second World War, ending with the surrender of Nazi Germany to the Allies and the execution of Mussolini, which signaled the ending of fascism in Italy.

About the Lecturer

Professor Guido Bonsaver is Professor of Italian Cultural History at the University of Oxford. He specialises in propaganda and culture in Fascist Italy, in particular censorship during the Fascist regime and literature and cinema in Fascist Italy. Some of his recent publications include, America in Italian Culture: The Rise of a New Model of Modernity, 1861-1943 (2023) and Censorship and Literature in Fascist Italy (2007).