Fascism ended with Mussolini's death. Fascists no longer exist or constitute a negligible minority. Italy has definitively severed its ties with this past. However, are we sure that all of this is true? How then can we explain the frequent "osmosis" between the regime and democracy? How are the bombs, the pilgrimages to Predappio, and the ongoing violence interpreted?
It is time to debunk one of the most persistent clichés in the history of democracies: that fascism died and was definitively buried at the end of April 1945. Right from the early post-war years, the doctrine of state continuity allowed fervent fascists to take strategic positions in provincial administrations and police forces across the country. Subsequently, the re-establishment of a fascist party, the Italian Social Movement (Movimento Sociale Italiano), was permitted. With its paramilitary groups and distinctive aesthetics, it played a significant role in street conflicts and even contributed to the election of Presidents of the Republic, from Antonio Segni to Giovanni Leone.
At the same time, neo-fascist terrorist attacks and the deadly massacres during the "strategy of tension" period remain largely unsolved, leaving many of those responsible for these bloody acts unpunished.
Finally, the transformation of the MSI did not mean the end of pro-fascist sentiments. On the contrary, it was accompanied by the reappearance and revival of the radical right. Today, a century after the March to Rome, fascism periodically returns to the forefront, influencing politics and society with a presence that cannot be ignored.
The book by Mimmo Franzinelli sheds light on the dark side of post-war Italy and highlights the ghost of fascism that continues to haunt the country and, indirectly, the entire Europe.
