Description

‘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.

Publisher Review

Praise for Blood and Power: This is scholarly history at its best - vivid and clear. John Foot's narrative glitters from beginning to end. It offers both a highly readable account of Mussolini's ventennio and a rare depiction of how ordinary - and a few extraordinary - Italians experienced his thuggish dictatorship. Warmly recommended for anyone seeking to know what can happen when power falls into the hands of vainglorious nationalists. * John Hooper * Fascinating and illuminating throughout. John Foot has done the hard work of documenting in great detail the many lives and events that connected the Italy of the common people with the figure of Mussolini. Blood and Power offers disturbing intuitions as to the role of violence in the politics of the modern era. * Tim Parks * A gripping new history of fascism that privileges the voices of ordinary Italians and reminds us of the central role of violence in establishing and enforcing Mussolini's dictatorship. An excellent and timely work. * Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Professor of History and Italian Studies, New York University * 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 * Praise for The Archipelago: 'An enjoyable, highly readable history that manages to bring murky, often fiendishly complex events into the light * Sunday Times * It's an astonishing achievement, and structurally so innovative: a pointillistic portrait of a complicated country as the title suggests. It captures the sweep of post-war Italian history but is so precise and detailed as well. The assembling of great stories, anecdotes, quotations and characters makes reading it effortless but also immensely rewarding -- Tobias Jones [A] lively history ... Superbly researched * Observer * [A] breathless and entertaining (or despairing) voyage through postwar Italy ... A pleasure to read. It is not just about politics. It is also full of characters, vignettes and interesting facts * Literary Review * Admirable ... Foot's expertise in an illuminating range of subcultures is deep * Daily Telegraph * This deft history book guides readers through Italy's turbulent, complicated (and corrupt) postwar history * The Times *