The Spirit of Fascism - 1915 - 1945

What is fascism?

Behind this word, so often used in a vague or polemical manner, lies a complex ideology with deep roots and sometimes contradictory contours. This book offers a rigorous inquiry into the intellectual foundations of Italian fascism, from its beginnings before 1915 to its fall in 1945.

Through the study of the thinkers who influenced its formation — from Georges Sorel to Giovanni Gentile — this work traces how fascism was built at the crossroads of nationalism, socialism, heterodox Marxism and vitalism. It analyses its major themes: struggle as the driving force of existence, the union of the individual and the State, the rejection of materialism, the role of elites, and the mystique of action.

The book also examines the evolution of the fascist movement, its internal tensions, its differences from Nazism, and its attempts to transform Italian society through education, corporatism and economic reform.

Neither a plea nor an indictment, this study aims to foster a better understanding of an ideology that profoundly marked the 20th century and whose legacy continues to fuel debate and questioning. Essential reading for approaching fascism beyond the slogans, in all its complexity.

The Author: Carlos Videla is a Chilean thinker and essayist, specialising in the history of political ideas and contemporary doctrines. His work is distinguished by a rigorous and comparative approach to the major ideological currents of the 20th century. The author of several works translated into multiple languages, he has established himself as an original and demanding voice in the field of the humanities. His research explores the tensions between modernity, revolution and political identity, at the crossroads of philosophy, history and sociology.