Mussolini's Decennale

The year 1932, the tenth anniversary of Mussolinis March on Rome, was fascisms Decennale. Commemorating Italian fascisms seizure of power, the Decennale was celebrated by the regime in a deliberate attempt to radicalize the original movement and develop it into an imperial and racist regime. In Mussolinis Decennale, Antonio Morena explores a cross-section of Italian culture during the Decennale. Studying literature, speeches, documentaries, films, textbooks, and the 1932 Exhibition, he discusses how the regime, its patrons, and even its critics all appropriated the historical events of 1922 for their political advantage. Positioning the 1932 anniversary celebrations as the crux of the fascist transition from conservatism to totalitarianism, Mussolinis Decennale broadens our understanding of fascist ideology, cultural politics, and Realpolitik.