An excellant book on the subject of the formation of Italian fascism is
Alastair Hamilton's:. _The Appeal of Fascism_.  After reading it, I'm not so
sure that I would characterize it as the "working class. . . at war with the
bourgeoisie"; many of the most pronounced supporters (against the violence
of the communist, syndicalist, maximalists) were the people who had actually
made money during the war (I).  This group included Italian Jewish people as
well.
 
At 01:27 PM 11/19/99 -0500, you wrote:
>>but, just to satisfy yer request fer lucidity:
>>fascism is  the reactionary form of populism;
>>communism,  the progressive.
>>together they constitute that unitary dialectic called the working class,
>>and, of course, both stand at war with the bourgeoisie.
>
>Well, I'm not sure binaries such as that are really helpful. As a young
>man, Mussolini was a dedicated socialist (as his father had been), but it's
>important to note that in the first decades of this century Marx's thought
>was still relatively new. That's especially true in Italy, and as a result
>some idiosyncratic perspectives arose. A number of historians emphasize the
>Marxist and socialist underpinnings of fascism: A. James Gregor calls
>Italian fascism a "Marxist heresy."
>
>It's also important to note that many of the "nations" which we North
>Americans like to think are ancient are fairly recent, at least as
>political entities. If I'm remembering right (and Fabio can correct me if
>I'm off) Italy isn't unified until 1861, and Rome isn't included in that
>union until 1870. Nationalism thus becomes a new and powerful political
>force, especially in WWII, when many Italians believe a victory will bring
>them Trieste, Fiume and other territories. Fascism becomes a way to
>"complete" the Risorgimento.
>
>Speaking of Fiume, I'm amazed that North Americans pay so little attention
>to Gabriele D'Annunzio's short-lived republic there. D'Annunzio seized
>control of the city when it became apparent it would go not to Italy but to
>the new nation of Yugoslavia (I think), and he quickly implemented what
>amounted to a dry-run for fascism: he refined the balcony address, made one
>of the first political radio speeches (with Marconi, no less), and patched
>together a political platform that fused left and right. He planned to
>establish an Anti-League of Nations that would include the Irish,
>Palestinians, Montenegrins and others, guaranteed universal sufferage and
>freedom of religion, etc. It's a fascinating episode.
>
>Bill Freind
>
>
 
David Centrone
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