Historicism and Fascism in Modern Italy (Toronto Italian Studies)
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
Published: October 27, 2007
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 352
ISBN-13: 9780802094940
Subjects: European history: from c 1900 -; History of ideas, intellectual history; First World War, 1914-1918; Inter-war period, 1918-1939; c 1900 - c 1914; Political Science; History - General History; Politics/International Relations; Europe - Italy; Political Ideologies - Fascism & Totalitarianism; Political Science / Political Ideologies / Fascism & Totalitarianism; 1875-1944; 20th century; Fascism; Gentile, Giovanni,; Historicism; History; Italy
Description: "During the early decades of the twentieth century, Italy produced distinctive innovations in both the intellectual and political realms. On the one hand, Benedetto Croce (1866-1952) and Giovanni Gentile (1875-1944) spearheaded a radical rethinking of historicism and philosophical idealism that significantly reoriented Italian culture. On the other hand, the period witnessed the first rumblings of fascism. Assuming opposite sides, Gentile became the semi-official philosopher of fascism while Croce argued for a renewed liberalism based on 'absolute' historicism." "In Historicism and Fascism in Modern Italy, David D. Roberts uses the ideological conflict between Croce and Gentile as a basis for a wider discussion of the interplay between politics and ideas in Italy in the twentieth century. Roberts examines the connection between fascism and the modern Italian intellectual tradition, arguing that the relationship not only deepens our understanding of generic fascism and liberalism but also illuminates ongoing dangers and possibilities in the wider Western world. This set of twelve essays by one of the leading scholars in the field represents an authoritative view of the modern Italian intellectual tradition, its relationship with fascism, and its enduring implications for history, politics, and culture in Italy and beyond."--BOOK JACKET.