Fascism and Historic Representation: The 1932 Garibaldian Celebrations

Chapter 3 - 1932

“…45 Whilst one can find precursors to the pageantry of the MdRF -for instance, the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Garibaldi -it remained unique in scope and execution. 46 The iconography and aesthetics of the exhibition display speak powerfully to the idea of unifying the arts in the service of the ideals and needs of the regime. Marla Stone for instance called it 'the most enduring propaganda event of the fascist dictatorship'.…”

A New Consensus? Recent Research on Fascism in Europe, 1918–1945*

“…Publications on these events have not only demonstrated the impact of fascist policies of consensus-building on popular opinion, but also highlighted strategies of evasion and the ultimately uncontrollable dynamics of these events. 67 The myth of squadrismo, the cult of the Duce and the celebrations to commemorate the Fascist martyrs also contributed to the quasi-eschatological hope for a 'new civilisation'. Like the Nazi stormtroopers, the squadristi considered violence 'a value on which to base the conduct of one's life'.…”

Journeys to the other spaces of Fascist Italy

“…In 1932, for example, the mortal remains of Anita Garibaldi were exhumed in Genoa and reburied in Rome, amid a huge parade symbolizing the Blackshirts' continuatio n of the mission of Garibaldi's Redshirts. 22 Thirdly, during the two decades of its rule, the regime successfully appropriated the memory of the dead of the First World War. The dead were seen as the predecessors of the Fascist revolution who had shed their lives so that a new Italy could be born: from 1922 onwards every town or city in Italy was required to have a monument to the dead and an avenue of remembrance and from 1928 onwards the regime built over forty cemeteries for the war dead, including the monumental constructions of Oslavia, Caporetto, Monte Grappa and Redipuglia.…”