Mussolini in Myth and Memory: The First Totalitarian Dictator by Paul Corner, Oxford and New York, Oxford University Press, 2022, 192 pp., £20.00 (hardback), ISBN 9780192866646

Abstract

as the head of the family and on how the totalitarian state shaped his role within the family and society. It offers a detailed progression on how the role of the father changed within the Fascist state and how it was influenced by Catholicism, connecting the elements explored in the first part of the book. Salvante’s work offers a well-researched and structured analysis of paternity in Fascist Italy that would have benefited from an expansion of some sections that lack the depth that characterises most of her research. Perhaps this has more to do with the structure chosen than the research itself, with some sections resembling paragraphs whose inclusion in the table of contents creates expectations that are not fully met. This flaw is, however, compensated for by the solid research and archive material that provide new insights on the evolution of the roles of men and paternity in Fascist Italy, whose impact in shaping modern Italy is still visible today.