Abstract

Despite extensive work in Italian historiography from the 1950s to the 1970s, the relationship between capitalism and the fascist regime has been somewhat neglected in recent decades. This article aims to reframe and place the issue back at the centre of the discussion. After reviewing prior Italian studies and the most recent international literature on the history of capitalism, it presents insights from new articles investigating how economic relations were shaped by the regime’s political context, and how fascism’s economic policy was influenced by specific lobbying groups during the 1920s and 1930s. Lastly, it proposes four research perspectives for looking at the relations between capitalism and the fascist regime, emphasizing the need for a deeper analysis of the dynamics between politics, interest groups and social classes; the influence of the international context on the Italian economy; the role of economists and economic theory; and the overlooked role of industrial and financial groups during the Salò Republic and the Second World War