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One hundred years after the rise to power of Fascism in Italy, John Foot's bracing and bold
Blood and Power vividly recreates the on-the-ground experience of life under the regime. - Robert S C Gordon, Serena Professor of Italian, University of Cambridge
A major history of the rise and fall of Italian fascism: a dark tale of violence, ideals and a country at war.In the aftermath of the First World War, the seeds of fascism were sown in Italy. While the country reeled in shock, a new movement emerged from the chaos: one that preached hatred for politicians and love for the fatherland; one that promised to build a 'New Roman Empire', and make Italy a great power once again.
Wearing black shirts and wielding guns, knives and truncheons, the proponents of fascism embraced a climate of violence and rampant masculinity. Led by Benito Mussolini, they would systematically destroy the organisations of the left, murdering and torturing anyone who got in their way.
In
Blood and Power, historian John Foot draws on decades of research to chart the turbulent years between 1915 and 1945, and beyond. Drawing widely from accounts of people across the political spectrum - fascists, anti-fascists, communists, anarchists, victims, perpetrators and bystanders - he tells the story of fascism and its legacy, which still, disturbingly, reverberates to this day.
About the author
John Foot is Professor of Modern Italian History at the University of Bristol, UK. He is the author of several books, including Italy's Divided Memory (2011), Calcio: A History of Italian Football (2007) and Milan since the Miracle (2001). He is also the co-editor, with Stephen Gundle, of Paul Ginsborg and the Historiography of Modern Italy: Revolutions, Revolt and Resistance (2024). John Foot was awarded the British Academy's prestigious Serena Medal in 2019 and he is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
Summary
'Clear, cool, plainly written and devastating' Lucy Hughes-Hallett, Times Literary Supplement
A major history of the rise and fall of Italian fascism: a dark tale of violence, ideals and a country at war.
In the aftermath of the First World War, the seeds of fascism were sown in Italy. While the country reeled in shock, a new movement emerged from the chaos: one that preached hatred for politicians and love for the fatherland; one that promised to build a 'New Roman Empire', and make Italy a great power once again.
Wearing black shirts and wielding guns, knives and truncheons, the proponents of fascism embraced a climate of violence and rampant masculinity. Led by Benito Mussolini, they would systematically destroy the organisations of the left, murdering and torturing anyone who got in their way.
In Blood and Power, historian John Foot draws on decades of research to chart the turbulent years between 1915 and 1945, and beyond. Drawing widely from accounts of people across the political spectrum - fascists, anti-fascists, communists, anarchists, victims, perpetrators and bystanders - he tells the story of fascism and its legacy, which still, disturbingly, reverberates to this day.
Additional text
One hundred years after the rise to power of Fascism in Italy, John Foot's bracing and bold Blood and Power vividly recreates the on-the-ground experience of life under the regime.
