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    Galeazzo Ciano
    The Fascist Pretender

    Tobias Hof (Author)

    9781487507985

    Hardback, published 12 May 2021

    472 pages, 21 b&w illustrations
    23.4 x 16 x 3.6 cm, 0.78 kg

    "An important read for anyone interested in Italian fascism or the Second World War in Europe." - A. A. Nofi (The NYMAS Review)

    Building on extensive archival research and important scholarly analysis, Galeazzo Ciano: The Fascist Pretender examines the life of Galeazzo Ciano, foreign minister of fascist Italy from 1936 to 1943 and Benito Mussolini’s son-in-law. Ciano’s life serves as a lens through which to gain a better understanding of crucial issues of Italian and European fascism, including the fascistization of society and politics, foreign relations, and the problem of succession. The biography follows an innovative thematic structure that focuses on major aspects of Ciano’s life, including his family, his political career, his diplomacy, and his desire to succeed Mussolini.

    Filling a substantial gap in the existing literature on the history of fascism, this book is the first comprehensive analysis of a key player of Italian fascism other than Mussolini; it also offers a long overdue critical assessment of Ciano’s famous diary, one of the most important texts from the period. Using visual materials such as photographs and films as sources and not just as illustrative material, Tobias Hof allows us to rethink our understanding of fascism and offers a new perspective on the history of fascist Italy.

    List of Illustrations
    Acknowledgments

    Introduction

    1. The Family

    The Son of a Hero
    The Ciano Family in Livorno
    Ciano’s Friends
    The Fascist Family
    Shaping Italian Society 

    2. The Politician

    The Minister
    The Fascist
    The Elite
    The Catholic and Monarchist
    The Fascist Oligarchy 

    3. The Diplomat

    Italy’s Role in the World
    Diplomacy and Performance
    Parallel and Secret Diplomacy
    Blackmail, Terror, and War
    Assessing Fascist Italy’s Foreign Diplomacy 

    4. The Successor

    The Deputy Duce
    Fascist Masculinities: Ciano versus Mussolini
    The Undecided One
    The "Good Fascist"
    Succession and Struggle in Fascism

    Epilogue: A Man of His Time

    Appendix

    Chronology
    Abbreviations
    Bibliography
    Index
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