On the Struggle for Modernity

This text is not so much a monograph as a collection of articles written by Gentile in the past. This is not to say they shouldn’t be read—Gentile is perhaps the most important student of Renzo De Felice and a leading authority on the history of Italian fascism. Moreover, the title is a bit misleading. The early chapters/articles are absolutely focused on the intertwining relationship between modernity, nationalism, futurism, and fascism, but later chapters veer away from this topic into other subjects like the Italian Fascist Party, Mussolini’s charisma, Italian Fascist foreign policy (this chapter seems lacking, as it emphasizes the role of fascist organizations among Italian immigrants in places like the US, but ignores the colonial dimension), and the theatrics of Italian Fascism.

Nonetheless, it’s worth reading for an introduction to the thought of Emilio Gentile and for a view outside of the prevailing idea that fascism is a monolithic, totalitarian political ideology.