Mussolini by Denis Mack Smith

Book Description

Secondhand. Very good condition. Minor wear to book corners and edges. Dust jacket has is worn at edges and spine. Spine tail and top now protected by book tape. Interior and binding are excellent.

The Mussolini who emerges from Denis Mack Smith's outstanding political biography is the supreme opportunist, more actor than statesman, with policies shaped chiefly by events. Hence the emphasis on appearance, the Napoleonic posturing, the monumental vanity.

In the end, Mussolini probably came to believe his propaganda - that he was an infallible man of destiny. However, his programme consisted of little more than aggression overseas, while at home he suppressed individual freedom and aped Hitler's racial laws. Mack Smith's compelling narrative follows this destiny to its infamous conclusion: the collapse of Mussolini's nation, and the destruction of its leader. (publisher blurb)