Kathrine Frich
A descendant of Benito Mussolini has sparked controversy with fresh claims about Italy’s fascist past.
In a new book and media interviews, he argues that the dictator’s legacy has been distorted for decades.
Revisionist claims
Caio Mussolini, the great-grandson of Italy’s former fascist leader, said there have been “80 years of lies” about his ancestor.
Speaking about his book Mussolini and the Rise of Fascism: the Untold Story, he claimed fascism was a “reaction” to communist violence in Italy after the Russian Revolution.
He also argued that Mussolini “was not an antisemite,” saying Jews took part in the 1922 March on Rome and were given “important roles” in government.
According to his account, the 1938 race laws were imposed under pressure from Adolf Hitler.
Historical dispute
The Times reported that Aldo Cazzullo, author of Mussolini the Gang Boss: Why We Should Be Ashamed of Fascism, strongly rejected that interpretation.
He said “racial laws were the natural outcome of fascism, in which the idea of races and nations asserting superiority is implicit”.
Caio Mussolini argued the legislation was “applied softly, the Italian way,” noting that writer Primo Levi was allowed to graduate in 1941.
He also said Jews were not deported to death camps until 1943, after Germany occupied Italy.
Judging the regime
Cazzullo countered that the regime should be judged by its overall impact.
“It destroyed liberty, left Italians with no savings at the end of the war and was defeated militarily, plus the moral defeat of allying with Hitler,” he said.
The debate comes amid renewed scrutiny of Italy’s fascist history.
The Morning Star recently reported concerns that students were being encouraged by a youth group linked to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s party to report “left-wing teachers”.
Sources: Daily Express, The Times, The Morning Star.
