Mussolini's Rise & Fall

11/14/22 • 51 min

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Exactly a century after the 1922 March on Rome which brought fascist dictator Benito Mussolini to power, the far-right party Brothers of Italy have been voted into government.

Fratelli d'Italia (FDL), which has its roots in Italy’s post-war Neo-fascist social movement, is lead by prime minister Giorgia Meloni - the most right-wing Italian leader since Mussolini himself.

So with these contemporary events in mind, James is joined by renowned historian Professor John Gooch to dig deep into the origins of fascism and war in Italy.

You can find John's book Mussolini's War here.

For more Warfare content, subscribe to our Warfare Wednesday newsletter here.

Exactly a century after the 1922 March on Rome which brought fascist dictator Benito Mussolini to power, the far-right party Brothers of Italy have been voted into government.

Fratelli d'Italia (FDL), which has its roots in Italy’s post-war Neo-fascist social movement, is lead by prime minister Giorgia Meloni - the most right-wing Italian leader since Mussolini himself.

So with these contemporary events in mind, James is joined by renowned historian Professor John Gooch to dig deep into the origins of fascism and war in Italy.

You can find John's book Mussolini's War here.

For more Warfare content, subscribe to our Warfare Wednesday newsletter here.

Previous Episode

Origins of WW1: Beyond the Archduke

The 11th of November marks Remembrance Day, a memorial day honoured since the end of the First World War. Hostilities ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 after four years of global conflict. As we use this day to look back at those lost, it's important to understand what caused one of the most devastating conflicts in modern history.

On the 28th of June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated. His death is often cited as the spark that started the First World War - but how accurate is this statement? Claiming this assassination as an isolated incident ignores the troubling context of the time. What should've been a conflict restricted to the Balkans somehow turned into a catastrophic global conflict, with rising nationalistic sentiments brewing, and the eventual involvement of European Superpowers - what really lead Gavrilo Princip to fire a shot against the heir of the Austro-Hungarian Empire?

In this episode, James Rogers is joined by Paul Miller-Melamed to examine the origins of the wider geopolitical context of First World War.

You can find Paul Melamed's book here

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Next Episode

Conscientious Objection in WW2

Accounts of the Second World War usually involve tales of exceptional bravery in battle, as the allied nations stood together against fascism. But from the eyes of the 60,000 conscientious objectors who refuse to take up arms, the war looks extremely different - a perception of which has almost been entirely forgotten. A conscientious objector not only faced inordinate public scrutiny from their fellow countrymen, but even from their own families, often being viewed as cowards. But how accurate was that belief?

In this episode, James is joined by author Tobias Kelly who delves into why these people could not in good conscious, pick up arms, and how it changed their lives forever. Some faced jail time, others took up non-combat roles on the front lines - the scenes of which stayed with them long past the war. The 60,000 conscientious objectors role's in the War have often been overlooked in history, but their contribution to the wartime effort is now finally being discussed in a hopes to change common misconceptions.

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