Recommended reading on Italy under Fascism 1922-1945

[Messe62]

MUSSOLINIS ARMY IN THE FRENCH RIVIERA- ITALYS OCCUPATION OF FRANCE BY EMANUELE SICA.

A VERY FINE WORK ON A HIGHLY OBSCURE PART OF ITALYS WARTIME CONTRIBUTION. EXCELLENT FOR UNDERSTANDING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FRANCE, GERMANY AND ITALY.

[Messe62]

THE BRUTAL FRIENDSHIP, MUSSOLINI HITLER AD THE FALL OF ITALIAN FASCISM BY F.W.DEAKIN.

A TRULY OUTSTANDING AND EXHAUSTIVE WORK THAT COVERS ALMOST EVERY ASPECT OF ITALY-GERMAN ALLIANCE AND HOW FROM ALAMEIN TO THE FINAL DAYS OF THE WAR ITALY WAS INFLUENCED BY GERMANY AND HOW INCREASINGLY MUSSOLINI BECAME JUST A TRAGIC FIGURE IN EVENTS HE HAD SET IN MOTION.

[Messe62]

FASCISMS EUROPEAN EMPIRE-ITALIAN OCCUPATION IN WORLD WAR II. BY DAVID RODOGNO

EXCELLENT WORK THAT DESCRIBES THE APPLICATION OF FASCIST POLICY TO ALL THE TERRITORIES OCCUPIED BY ITALY IN THE WAR.

[Messe62]

ITALIAN INTERVENTION IN THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR BY JOHN COVERDALE.

EXCELLENT DETAILED ANALYSIS OF ITALYS ROLE IN SPAIN AND HOW ALTHOUGH SUCCESSFUL DRAINED ITALY FINANACIALLY AND MATERIALLY WHICH WOULD COST HER DEARLY UPON HER ENTRY INTO THE 2ND WORLD WAR.

[Messe62]

ITALIAN FOREIGN POLICY UNDER MUSSOLINI BY LUIGI VILLARI

ALTHOUGH DATED, VILLARIS WORK IS STILL QUITE VALID IN MANY AREAS AS HE WAS PART OF FASCIST ITALYS FOREIGN OFFICE AND WAS ABLE TO SEE FIRST HAND THE INFIGHTING, VACILATION AND MISTAKES AS WELL AS GIVING EXCELLENT INSIGHT INTO HOW MUSSOLINIS IDEAS WERE TRANSLATED INTO REALITY.

[Messe62]

HOLLOW LEGIONS BY MARIO CERVI

A DETAILED STUDY OF THE GREECE CAMPAIGN. ALTHOUGH NOT A TACTICAL STUDY ITS AN OUTSTANDING OVERVIEW OF THE WAR, HOW IT WAS WAGED, THE UTTER FAILURE OF MUSSOLINI AND THE CATASTROPHIC LOSSES SUFFERED BY TROOPS WHO PAID THE PRICE FOR IL DUCES ERRORS.

[Messe62]

MUSSOLINIS INTELLECTUALS FASCIST SOCIAL AND POLITICAL THOUGHT BY JAMES GREGOR

A TRULY SCHOLARLY LOOK AT THE FORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF ITALIAN FASCIST THOUGHT SPANNING A 40 YEAR PERIOD, EXCELLENT WORK.

[Klaus Von Kueste]

If you know italian there are these book on RSI-German relationships:

Cospito N., Neulen H. W. (1992), Salò-Berlino: l'alleanza difficile, Mursia;
and this: https://www.donzelli.it/libro/9788860363336

[DrG]

In my previous post viewtopic.php?p=1989590#p1989590 about my selected bibliography of English-language sources about Italy under Fascism I have missed this one:
Franco Gay, Valerio Gay, "The Cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni"
This book by two noted Italian experts of the Regia Marina belongs to the classic "Anatomy of the Ship" series by Conway and, as usual this publishing house, it is of very high quality.

[DrG]

In the last years, two Italian authors, Carlo Cucut and Paolo Crippa, have published some very detailed books about the Armed Forces of the Italian Social Republic and the vehicles used during the Italian campaign. The following ones are either in English alone or both in Italian and English.

Paolo Crippa, Carlo Cucut, "Bersaglieri's Units of the Italian Social Republic"

Paolo Crippa, Carlo Cucut, "Reparti alpini nella R.S.I. The Alpine Troops in the Italian Social Republic"

Paolo Crippa, "The Tankers of Mussolini: Armoured Group "Leonessa" from MSVN to RSI"

Paolo Crippa, "Italia 43-45. I blindati di circostanza della guerra civile. Italy 43-45: Civil War Improvised AFVs

Paolo Crippa, "I mezzi corazzati italiani della guerra civile (1943-1945). Italian AFVs of the Civil War 1943-1945"

Paolo Crippa, Luigi Manes, "Italia 43-45. I mezzi delle unità cobelligeranti. Italy 43-45. AFVs and MVs of Co-Belligerent Units"

[kimmar]

I'm researching Italy under Fascism for a piece of writing I'm doing. Let me add to the wonderful list of resources by recommending two war diaries by Dame Iris Origo (I've searched the Forum and didn't find any refs - apologies if it is already listed). Origo (1902-1988) was an English-born diarist who married Antonio Origo and settled at La Foce. Her two WWII diaries are a Chill in the Air - a 1939 to 1940 account and analysis of Fascism and Italy's entry into the war; and her other diary is War in Val D'Orcia - Origo's account of how their estate in Tuscany became a battleground (1943-1944) and how she and her husband helped the partisans. Both are remarkable for their spare language, analysis of the political scene, and showing how Italians often put themselves at great personal risk to help others.

[Felix C]

Recommendation on a biography of Mussolini? From Origin to the end preferably.

[789]

“We have solved the problem of production, now we have to solve the problem of distribution” —said Benito Mussolini on October 6, 1934— meaning: we are able to produce enough food, clothing and other things for every resident of this planet; but we have to come up with a method by which the residents of this planet (or at least Italy), who produce all these articles, may receive the purchasing power to buy for themselves what they are able to produce.

The power of the State should be used for the benefit of every member of the nation ---not just for the benefit of a certain class.

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http://www.yamaguchy.com/library/benito/paths.html

"New Paths", by Benito Mussolini, in The Saturday Evening Post, September 8, 1928.


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http://www.yamaguchy.com/library/pound_ ... fmuss.html

"Jefferson and/or Mussolini," by Ezra Pound; Fascism as he has seen it, he was an eye witness

[LucN]

Recommendation on a biography of Mussolini? From Origin to the end preferably.

(from France) I am not sure, that a biography "to the end" is the best way to catch what made his... specificity -if we consider that after the rise in power of Hitler he becomes a tool. For that reason one of the biographies I prefered is the one which was completed in 1932 by George Seldes, the 'giant' of North American journalism. But at that time, Western democracies were such in a close touch with Mussolini that Sawdust Caesar had to wait... 1935 ie. the Ethiopian War, to be pusblished.