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Transaction Publishers New Brunswick (U.S.A.) and London (U.K.) Fourth Printing 2007 Copyright © 2002 by Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick, New Jersey. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. All inquiries should be addressed to Transaction Publishers, Rutgers—The State University of New Jersey, 35 Berrue Circle, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854-8042. www.transactionpub.com This book is printed on acid-free paper that meets the American National Stan- dard for Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials. Library of Congress Catalog Number: 2002021767 ISBN: 978-0-7658-0577-5 Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gentile, Giovanni, 1875-1944. [Origini e dottrina del fascismo. English] Origins and doctrine of fascism : with selections from other works / Giovanni Gentile ; translated, edited, and annotated by A. James Gregor. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7658-0130-2 (alk. paper) 1. Italy—Politics and government—1914-1945. 2. Fascism—Italy. 3. Fascism. I. Gregor, A. James (Anthony James), 1929- II. Title. JN5450 .G413 2002 335.6’0945—dc21 2002021767 This work is dedicated to PAOLINO LEONE who died in battle at the age of eighteen. Contents Introduction to the Translations A. James Gregor ix Origins and Doctrine of Fascism 1 What is Fascism? (Selections) 43 The Reform of Education (Selections) 77 Index 101 Introduction to the Translations A. James Gregor One of the better interpreters of the thought of Giovanni Gentile, Augusto Del Noce, identifi ed Gentile’s Origini e dottrina del fascismo, the translation of which is herewith provided, as a “document of major importance.”1 In Del Noce’s judgment, Gentile’s short exposition on its origins and doctrine was crucial to understanding Fascism’s intellectual, emotional, and political substance. Gentile’s exposition in the Origins was clearly intended for an Italian audience.2 As a consequence, the historic context behind his account is largely unknown to Anglo-American readers. Figures like Antonio Rosmini, Vincenzo Gioberti, and Ugo Foscolo are totally unfamiliar to an English-speaking readership. There is, perhaps, a vague familiar- ity with the name of Giuseppe Mazzini, but few could identify many of the tenets of his thought. Granted all that, knowledge of specifi c Italian literary, philosophic, and political personages is not essential in order to appreciate Gentile’s account of the origins and doctrine of Fascism. Gentile’s claim is that Italy’s involvement in the First World War was characterized by several important features: (1) it was initiated by a “directive minority” that succeeded in infusing “masses” with their conviction; and (2) it was not fought for the acquisition of material gain. Those claims set the stage for the further exposition. The fi rst contention refl ected Gentile’s considered judgment con- cerning complex political events. “History,” Gentile was convinced, “is not made by heroes nor by masses; but by heroes who sense the inarticulate, yet powerful, impulses that move masses. [In the making of history] the masses fi nd a person who succeeds in making explicit their obscure moral sentiments. The moral universe is that of the multitudes; and multitudes are governed and energized by an ix