The Fascist Party And Popular Opinion In Mussolinis Italy Why Fascism Failed

The question of how ordinary people related to totalitarian regimes is still far from being answered. The tension between repression and consensus makes analysis difficult; where one ends and the other begins is never easy to determine. In the case of fascist Italy, recent scholarship has tended to tilt the balance in favour of popular consensus for the regime, identifying in the novel ideological and cultural aspects of Mussolini's rule a 'political religion' which bound the population to the fascist leader.__The Party and the People__ presents a different picture. While not underestimating the force of ideological factors, Paul Corner argues that 'real existing Fascism', as lived by a large part of the population, was in fact an increasingly negative experience and reflected few of those colourful and attractive features of fascist propaganda which have induced more favourable interpretations of the regime. Distinguishing clearly between the fascist project and its realisation, Corner examines the ways in which the fascist party asserted itself at the local level in the widely-differing areas of Italy, at its corruption and malfunctioning, and at the mounting wave of popular resentment against it during the course of the 1930s - resentment and hostility which, in effect, signalled the failure of the project. __The Party and the People__, based largely on unpublished archival material, concludes by suggesting that the abuse of power by fascists mirrors much wider problems in Italy related to the relationship between the public and the private and to the modes of utilisation of power, both in the past and in the present. Cover 1 Contents 8 List of Abbreviations and Glossary of Terms 10 Introduction 12 I. THE PROJECT, THE PARTY, AND THE FASCIST STATE 22 1. Postwar Palingenesis: Forming the Fascist Project 24 2. The Rise of Provincial Fascism: Periphery and Centre in the Years before 1925 34 2.1. Centrifugal Forces 34 2.2. Towards Centralization? 47 2.3. The Ras and Revisionism 50 2.4. Provincial Power and Personal Position 56 3. Stabilization in the Provinces: the Party Adapts 62 3.1. The Problem of the Intransigents 62 3.2. Stabilization: Act One. Farinacci as Party Secretary 64 3.3. Stabilisation: Act Two. Turati Takes Over 73 3.4. The View from the Ranks 79 4. Party and State 84 4.1. Party and State: Hierarchies of Authority 84 4.2. Party and State: Hierarchies Contested 93 4.3. Poor Personnel 99 5. Provincial Battles: Problems in the Party 108 5.1. Infighting and Factionalism 108 5.2. The Response of the Party 113 5.3. Provincial Factionalism in Action 118 5.4. Pure, Undiluted Cannibalism 130 5.5. PNF and NSDAP Compared 135 6. The Provincial Party: Activity and Reputation 139 6.1. Boundless Numbers, Endless Activity 139 6.2. Dislocation and Paralysis 148 6.3. Loss of Reputation 156 6.4. Party and Personnel 169 6.5. Beyond the Party 173 II. THE PARTY AND THE PEOPLE IN THE 1930s 180 7. Growing Disjunctions: PNF Rule and Popular Reaction 182 7.1. Sources, Spies, and Surveillance 183 7.2. Party and People: Growing Apart 191 7.3. Ethiopia and Enthusiasm 203 8. Perceptions of the Party 212 8.1. Discontent, Disaffection, Disgust 212 8.2. A Second Generation? 226 8.3. Friction Among the Faithful 231 9. The Crisis of the late 1930s and the ‘Totalitarian Phase’ of Fascism 238 9.1. Popular Unrest in the Pre-war Years 238 9.2. The ‘New Caste’ 248 9.3. The Prospect of War 251 10. The Flight from the Enchanter 256 10.1. Love the Singer, Hate the Song 256 10.2. Non-Belligerence 1939–1940 264 10.3. Into the War 275 11. The Failure of the Party 286 Select Bibliography 300 Index of Names 310 A 310 B 310 C 310 D 310 E 311 F 311 G 311 H 311 I 311 J 311 K 311 L 311 M 311 N 312 O 312 P 312 R 312 S 312 T 313 V 313 W 313 Z 313 This Volume Contradicts The Current Orthodoxy That There Was A Generalised Popular Consensus For The Fascist Regime And For Mussolini's Rule, At Least Until The Disasters Of The Second World War. It Demonstrates That There Was Widespread And Mounting Hostility To The Regime Among Large Sections Of The Population, Even In The 1930s. I. The Project, The Party, And The Fascist State -- 1. Postwar Palingenesis : Forming The Fascist Project -- 2. The Rise Of Provincial Fascism : Periphery And Centre In The Years Before 1925. Centrifugal Forces ; Towards Centralization? ; The Ras And Revisionism ; Provincial Power And Personal Position -- 3. Stabilization In The Provinces : The Party Adapts. The Problem Of The Intransigents ; Stabilization : Act One. Farinacci As Party Secretary ; Stabilisation : Act Two. Turati Takes Over ; The View From The Ranks -- 4. Party And State. Party And State : Hierarchies Of Authority ; Party And State : Hierarchies Contested ; Poor Personnel -- 5. Provincial Battles : Problems In The Party. Infighting And Factionalism ; The Response Of The Party ; Provincial Factionalism In Action ; Pure, Undiluted Cannibalism ; Pnf And Nsdap Compared -- 6. The Provincial Party : Activity And Reputation. Boundless Numbers, Endless Activity ; Dislocation And Paralysis ; Loss Of Reputation ; Party And Personnel ; Beyond The Party -- Ii. The Party And The People In The 1930s -- 7. Growing Disjunctions : Pnf Rule And Popular Reaction. Sources, Spies, And Surveillance ; Party And People : Growing Apart ; Ethiopia And Enthusiasm -- 8. Perceptions Of The Party. Discontent, Disaffection, Disgust ; A Second Generation? ; Friction Among The Faithful -- 9. The Crisis Of The Late 1930s And The 'totalitarian Phase' Of Fascism. Popular Unrest In The Pre-war Years ; The 'new Caste' ; The Prospect Of War -- 10. The Flight From The Enchanter. Love The Singer, Hate The Song ; Non-belligerence 1939-1940 ; Into The War -- 11. The Failure Of The Party. Paul Corner. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The question of how ordinary people related to totalitarian regimes is still far from being answered. The tension between repression and consensus makes analysis difficult; where one ends and the other begins is never easy to determine. In the case of fascist Italy, recent scholarship has tended to tilt the balance in favour of popular consensus for the regime, identifying in the novel ideological and cultural aspects of Mussolini's rule a 'political religion' which bound the population to the fascist leader. The Party and the People presents a different picture. While not underestimating the force of ideological factors, Paul Corner argues that 'real existing Fascism', as lived by a large part of the population, was in fact an increasingly negative experience and reflected few of those colourful and attractive features of fascist propaganda which have induced more favourable interpretations of the regime. Distinguishing clearly between the fascist project and its realisation, Corner examines the ways in which the fascist party asserted itself at the local level in the widely-differing areas of Italy, at its corruption and malfunctioning, and at the mounting wave of popular resentment against it during the course of the 1930s - resentment and hostility which, in effect, signalled the failure of the project. The Party and the People , based largely on unpublished archival material, concludes by suggesting that the abuse of power by fascists mirrors much wider problems in Italy related to the relationship between the public and the private and to the modes of utilisation of power, both in the past and in the present. The enigma of how ordinary people related to would-be totalitarian regimes is still far from being resolved. The tension between repression and consensus renders analysis difficult; where one ends and the other begins is never easy to determine. In the case of fascist Italy, recent scholarship has tended to tilt the balance in favour of popular consensus for the regime, identifying in the ideological and cultural aspects of Mussolini's rule a ‘political religion’ which bound the population to the fascist leader. This book presents a different picture. While in no way underestimating the force of ideological factors, the book argues that ‘real existing Fascism’, as lived by a large part of the population, was in fact an increasingly negative experience and reflected few of those colourful and attractive features of fascist propaganda which have induced more favourable interpretations of the regime. Distinguishing clearly between the fascist project and its realisation, the study examines the ways in which the fascist party asserted itself at the local level in the widely-differing areas of Italy, at its corruption and malfunctioning, and at the mounting wave of popular resentment against it during the course of the 1930s which, in effect, signalled the failure of the project. The study, based largely on archival material, concludes by suggesting that the abuse of power by fascists at the local level mirrors a wider problem related to the utilisation of power within Italy, both past and present The Fascist Party and Popular Opinion in Mussolini's Italy presents a different picture. While not underestimating the force of ideological factors, Paul Corner argues that 'real existing Fascism', as lived by a large part of the population, was in fact an increasingly negative experience and reflected few of those colourful and attractive features of fascist propaganda which have induced more favourable interpretations of the regime. Distinguishing clearly between the fascist project and its realization, Corner examines the ways in which the fascist party asserted itself at the local level in the widely-differing areas of Italy, at its corruption and malfunctioning, and at the mounting wave of popular resentment against it during the course of the 1930s - resentment and hostility which, in effect, signalled the failure of the project. The Fascist Party and Popular Opinion in Mussolini's Italy, based largely on unpublished archival material, concludes by suggesting that the abuse of power by fascists mirrors much wider problems in Italy related to the relationship between the public and the private and to the modes of utilisation of power, both in the past and in the present. -- Jacket