Rating: 3 out of 5
Not having much of an idea of the Italian struggle in the 1910’s through the 1940’s, I was happy to pick this up. Going in, the author says what this book is—coverage by a few select episodes rather than a standard narrative history—and yet it worked well enough for achieving some better understanding of Mussolini and his times. That said, some important parts are also missing, so while it works as an introduction, it’s not necessarily the one title to read on the subject.
Taking that into account it’s also clear there were several references to events or people that would probably be much clearer for someone who was generally aware of the rise of fascism in Italy (i.e., for whom this was not the first work on this topic). These mentions of other events and people did not really obscure the meaning of what Mr Foot wanted to get across, but at the same time I also did not come away with as clear an understanding as I could have. The Italian surrender conditions are a case in point, as the author never explained what made them so unpalatable.
Overall, there are probably better introductions into fascism in Italy, but on the whole I was happy to have found one which looked first and foremost into the lives of the people (and both the supporters and opponents of the ideology).
