War Veterans and Fascism in Interwar Europe

A fresh and suggestive interpretation of the relationship between veterans of the Great War and fascism in interwar Europe.

Ángel Alcalde (Author)

9781107198425, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 7 June 2017

326 pages, 16 b/w illus. 1 table
23.5 x 15.7 x 2.2 cm, 0.6 kg

'… Alcalde takes a central research discussion as a point of departure for a refreshing study … In his view on the Italian case, he brings a lot to the table. As for the European level, his work will inspire new research and discussion.' Julia Eichenberg, War in History

This book explores, from a transnational viewpoint, the historical relationship between war veterans and fascism in interwar Europe. Until now, historians have been roughly divided between those who assume that 'brutalization' (George L. Mosse) led veterans to join fascist movements and those who stress that most ex-soldiers of the Great War became committed pacifists and internationalists. Transcending the debates of the brutalization thesis and drawing upon a wide range of archival and published sources, this work focuses on the interrelated processes of transnationalization and the fascist permeation of veterans' politics in interwar Europe to offer a wider perspective on the history of both fascism and veterans' movements. A combination of mythical constructs, transfers, political communication, encounters and networks within a transnational space explain the relationship between veterans and fascism. Thus, this book offers new insights into the essential ties between fascism and war, and contributes to the theorization of transnational fascism.

Introduction
Part I. Fascism and Veterans after the Great War: 1. The Great War veterans and the origins of fascism, 1914–1919
2. War veterans and the rise of Italian Fascism, 1920–2
Part II. Fascism and Veterans during the 1920s: 3. Veterans under fascist rule, 1923–5
4. Veterans and fascism: consolidation and European expansion, 1925–9
Part III. Fascism and Veterans during the 1930s: 5. Transnational fascism and veterans, 1929–35
6. Veterans between fascism and anti-fascism, war and peace, 1936–40
Conclusion.

Subject Areas: First World War [HBWN], Military history [HBW], 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 [HBLW], European history [HBJD]