Leen’s Library: Mussolini: The Son of the Century by Antonio Scurati
The most phenomenal biography of any person I have ever read, is the one about Mussolini. Who doesn't know that name?
Written by the now-famous writer Antonio Scurati, who has become well-known partly thanks to Italian Prime Minister Meloni. Meloni attempted to block Scurati's presentations and interviews on Italian television. Why? Because apparently she (as a Mussolini admirer and heir to his fascism) doesn't want damaging stories about her hero to reach the broader public.
As we all know, blocking and suppressing articles and news from reaching the public only helps to make them massively known. So thanks to Meloni, we now all know about this superbly written biography of a dictator who led millions of Italians to their deaths.
What a story it is! Written in a manner that reads like a movie script, making it an absolute page-turner. Book 1 alone has 800 pages and book 2, I believe, has 600. Currently, I'm reading book 4, still fully engrossed after over 2,000 pages.
Scurati claims that everything he has written is based on letters, articles, speeches and official documents. Meloni, of course, thinks it's all lies because it portrays Mussolini not as a strong man, but as a weak dictator.
Certainly, you see some good things he accomplished, like massive public works projects. But the way fascism came to power in Italy was brutal: murdering all their opponents until no party other than the fascist party remained in power. They refused to listen to the law, instead making their own laws.
What struck me while reading is that in their path to power, the fascists in Italy worked almost exactly like those in Germany (although Hitler came to power just a few years later). It’s also very similar to the way Trump operates. They created fear amongst people, turned socialists into fascists (because they were afraid of losing their positions and switched to fascism) and refused to listen to judges and the High Court when decisions were made against the fascists. They even claimed false news.
In general, you can say that the entire Mussolini regime was built on lies, terror, fear, and longing for the long-gone Roman history. And a willingness to rebuild that empire again.
But the end is tragic for Mussolini and his many followers. Hated by his destroyed country that was basically handed over to the Germans, resulting in the deaths of millions of Italian Jews and others.
It is a very thorough history of a man who was the face of Italy for decades. A devastating history indeed.
I’m an avid book reader and read at least a book a week. Every month, I share recommendations from the books I’ve read that offer new perspectives and insights. This month: a book by Tommy Wieringa. Do you have a recommendation for me? Leave it in the comments.