The Pope and Mussolini - The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe

Zusatztext “David Kertzer has an eye for a story! an ear for the right word! and an instinct for human tragedy. They all come together in  The Pope and Mussolini  to document! with meticulous scholarship and novelistic flair! the complicity between Pius XI and the Fascist leader in creating an unholy alliance between the Vatican and a totalitarian government rooted in corruption and brutality. This is a sophisticated blockbuster.” —Joseph J. Ellis! Pulitzer Prize–winning author of  Revolutionary Summer   “Much more attention has been given to the Vatican’s compromises and complicity with Hitler! but Kertzer tells a fascinating and tragic story of its self-interested support for Mussolini when he was vulnerable early on.” — The New Yorker “Revelatory . . . [a] detailed portrait of the inner workings of the Vatican in this period . . . The general outlines of this story have always been matters of public record! but Kertzer’s book deepens and alters our understanding considerably. The portrait that emerges from it suggests a much more organic and symbiotic relationship between the Church and fascism. Rather than seeing the Church as having passively accepted fascism as a fait accompli! Kertzer sees it as having provided fundamental support to Mussolini in his consolidation of power and the establishment of dictatorship in Italy.” — The New York Review of Books “Gripping storytelling . . . a book whose narrative strength is as impressive as its moral subtlety . . . Kertzer has uncovered a fascinating tale of two irascible—and often irrational—potentates! and gives us an account of some murky intellectual finagling! and an often startling investigation of the exercise of power.” — The Guardian “Captivating . . . the real  Da Vinci Code —only it’s rigorously documented and far less implausible.” — San Francisco Chronicle “The papacy of Pius XI remained essentially a foil for discussing his successor. Kertzer’s excellent volume will change all of that. . . . From the outset of his new book! Kertzer deftly reconstructs the parallel lives of Achille Ratti! who became Pius XI! and of Benito Mussolini! both men whose beginnings do not point to the historic role that they began to play in 1922. The narration unfolds along the separate political! ideological! and institutional backgrounds of the Pope’s and Duce’s careers and brings up in fascinating detail the issues on which their interests converged and clashed. . . . Kertzer’s essential book reveals a window on this sordid history—a window that for a long time was shuttered! but will not be obscured anymore.” — The New Republic   “Stunning . . . remarkable . . . Kertzer authoritatively banishes decades of denial and uncertainty about the Vatican's relationship with Italy’s fascist state.” — The Christian Science Monitor “A capstone on David Kertzer’s already crucial work!  The Pope and Mussolini  carefully and eloquently advances the painful but necessary truth of Vatican failure to meet its greatest moral test. This is history for the sake of justice.” —James Carroll! National Book Award–winning author of  Constantine’s Sword Informationen zum Autor David I. Kertzer Klappentext PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE From National Book Award finalist David I. Kertzer comes the gripping story of Pope Pius XI's secret relations with Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. This groundbreaking work, based on seven years of research in the Vatican and Fascist archives, including reports from Mussolini's spies inside the highest levels of the Church, will forever change our understanding of the Vatican's role in the rise of Fascism in Europe. The Pope and Mussolini tells the story of two men who came to power ...

Product details

• Authors: David Kertzer, David I Kertzer, David I. Kertzer
• Publisher: Random House USA
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 06.01.2015
• EAN: 9780812983678
• ISBN: 978-0-8129-8367-8
• No. of pages: 592
• Dimensions: 158 mm x 235 mm x 35 mm
• Subject: Non-fiction book