"In this controversial and groundbreaking study, Simon Levis Sullam proposes a compelling reinterpretation of the political thought of one Italy's founding fathers, Giuseppe Mazzini (1805-1872), and suggests a new approach to understanding the origins of fascist ideology. Specifically, he sheds much-needed light on the continuity between nineteenth-century Italian nationalism and fascism. By providing for the first time an in-depth analysis of the religious aspects of Mazzini's nationalism (which has generally been categorized by historians as liberal and democratic), Sullam identifies its authoritarian and potentially anti-democratic components and trace their influence on the rise of conservative and fascist politics in Italy. As he demonstrates, the absence of a civil religion from the process of Italian national identity formation, in concert with the Risorgimento's relatively weak democratic tradition, was a critical factor in the evolution of right-wing ideology in the nation"--

"The book traces the origins and nature of Giuseppe Mazzini's nationalism showing its authoritarian components such as the centrality of God and the use of an irrational political style. It traces Mazzini's legacy in united Italy, showing how Fascism appropriated Mazzinianism for political purposes, while antifascism considered Mazzini a hero, but rejected his political thought"--