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Italian Fascism – 100 Years on: Strongmen and Mussolini, Ruth Ben-Ghiat in conversation with John Foot

A new series of talks organised by ICI London and ASMI   

It was the world’s first fascist movement and would have a lasting and ongoing impact in political and social life in many regions of the world. To discuss its meaning and consequences, the Italian Cultural Institute will host a series of conversations and discussions looking at new research and contemporary interpretations of Italian fascism. Themes to be discussed include violence, antifascism, Mussolini as a model for other strongmen, the fascist empire, Mussolini and his image, the March on Rome, Italian history and violence and the biographies of leading fascists and antifascists.

John Foot (University of Bristol) and Philip Cooke (University of Strathclyde) will discuss these themes with distinguished speakers including Rth Ben-Ghiat, Victoria De Grazia, Alessandra Antola, Michael Ebner, Kate Ferris, Tamara Colacicco, Ian Campbell, David Forgacs, Giulia Albanese.

Wednesday 17 March, 6pm
Strongmen and Mussolini
Ruth Ben-Ghiat in conversation with John Foot

Ours is the age of the strongman. Countries from Russia to India, Turkey to America are ruled by men who combine populist appeal with authoritarian policy. They have reshaped their countries around them, creating cults of personality which earn the loyalty of millions. And they do so by drawing on a playbook of behaviour established by figures such as Benito Mussolini, Muammar Gaddafi and Adolf Hitler. So why – despite the evidence of history – do strongmen still hold such appeal for us? Historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat draws on analysis of everything from gender to corruption and propaganda to explain who these political figures are – and how they manipulate our own history, fears and desires in search of power at any cost. Strongmen is a fierce and perceptive history, and a vital step in understanding how to combat the forces which seek to derail democracy and seize our rights.

Ruth Ben-Ghiat is Professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University and a political commentator and cultural critic who has received Guggenheim, Fulbright, and other fellowships. An expert on fascism and its memory, authoritarian rulers, Donald Trump, and propaganda, she’s written for or appeared on BBC World News, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Sky News, New Yorker and other media outlets.
Her book Strongmen. How They Rise, Why They Succeed, How They Fall came out with Profile books in 2020.

John Foot is Professor of Modern Italian History at the School of Modern Languages, University of Bristol. A renowned historian, Professor Foot spent twenty years in Milan in the 1980s and 1990s and specialises in twentieth century and contemporary Italian history on which he has published extensively. His publications include: Milan Since the Miracle; Calcio. A History of Italian Football; Italy’s Divided Memory; Pedalare! Pedalare!; The Man Who Closed the Asylums and, more recently, The Archipelago. Italy since 1945. Professor Foot is also a regular contributor to The Guardian, the Times Literary Supplement and History Today.

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  • Organizzato da: ICI London
  • In collaborazione con: ASMI