Abstract

This monograph is one product of a special «Richerche di Storia Politica» workshop, held in June 2008, whose objective was to analyze Fascism at the grass roots. The study of Fascism at the local level benefits from the latest methods of historical research made possible by techniques of inquiry that bring together oral history, local publications, and archival and bibliographical sources. The short essays included here examine grass-roots Fascism from three standpoints: the different ways of signing up to the regime; the rise of local élites and their relations with the National Fascist Party (Nfp); and the role played by the Party at the local level. Each of these case studies touches upon the controversial issue of people's consent to the Fascist regime and the extent to which a totalitarian culture was achieved.