The First Duce: DAnnunzio at Fiume

248 Pages·1977·10.14 MB·English

by  Michael A. Ledeen

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Gabriele D’Annunzio was one of the most
flamboyant figures in the political history of
modern Europe. A poet in the Byronic style
and a popular hero of the First World War,
D’Annunzio passionately believed that the
sacrifices of war should prelude a new
social order. His capture in 1919 of the city
of Fiume, claimed by Italy as part of the
settlement after the Paris Peace Confer¬
ence, has been popularized and romanti¬
cized ever since. Little has been done,
however, to study D’Annunzio the man and
his ideas. From new information gathered
from Italian and Amercian archives and
from personal interviews, Michael A. Le-
deen examines the sixteen months of
D’Annunzio’s personal rule in Fiume, see¬
ing it as the harbinger of the successful
mass movements of the rest of this century.
The connection between D’Annunzio and
Fascism is central to Ledeen’s narrative,
for the poet has often been described as
the John the Baptist of Italian Fascism.
Virtually the entire ritual of Fascist politics
made familiar by Mussolini—the balcony
address, the Roman salute, the dramatic
dialogues with the crowd, the use of reli¬
gious symbols in a new secular setting—
was taken over from the “Free State of
Fiume.” D'Annunzio and Mussolini were
both masters of the political style based on
personal charisma that was so successful
following the trauma of the Great War. Each
spoke for a “new” Italy and, eventually, for
a new world. Each attempted to transform
his countrymen into more heroic types by
an ethic of violence and grandeur.
Yet there were, as Ledeen brings sharply
into focus, profound differences between
D’Annunzio’s vision of a new1 world and
that offered by Fascism, and Fiume under
the poet was a far cry from Italy under
Mussolini. Significantly, D’Annunzio was
able to enlist the support of the most di¬
verse elements of society—politicians and
businessmen in addition to representatives
of radical trade unions, anarchist groups,
and the armed forces. Thus Fiume, Ledeen
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THE FIRST DUCE
Gabriele D’Annunzio
THE FIRST DUCE
D’Annunzio at Flume
Michael A. Ledeen
The Johns Hopkins University Press • Baltimore • London
This book is dedicated to my teachers
Alvin Frank
Richard Heffner
George Mosse
Richard Popkin
Julius Weinberg
Other Books by the Author
Universal Fascism: The Theory and Practice of the Fascist International,
1928-1936
Fascism: An Informal Introduction to Its Theory and Practice
(with Renzo de Felice)
Copyright © 1977 by The Johns Hopkins University Press
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, xerography, or any
information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Manufactured in the United States of America
The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland 21218
The Johns Hopkins Press, Ltd., London
Originally published as D’Annunzio a Fiume (Bari: Giuseppe Laterza & Figli, 1975). English-
language edition prepared by the author.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 76-47376
ISBN 0-8018-1860-5
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication data will be found on the last printed page
of this book.
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Contents
1 The Star 1
2 The Stage 17
3 Setting the Stage 36
4 The Sacred Entrance 58
5 Searching for Definition 78
6 Behind the Stage Door 100
7 The Definition of the Adventure 115
8 The D’Annunzian World 139
9 The March toward the Future 161
10 The End of the Fiuman Adventure 187
Note on Archival Sources 205
Notes 207
Index 223