Understanding the Genesis of Fascism

The term came from an ancient Imperial Roman symbol of authority and power, the fasces (the plural form of the Latin fascis or "bundle"): a bundle of elm rods featuring an ax. In Italy under Mussolini, it became the emblem of the fascist movement. Its 1919 manifesto contained only 54 signatures, but within two years the movement had more than 2,000 chapters and Mussolini was its leader.

Although Italy was technically on the winning side in WWI, King Victor Emmanuel III was not invited to the Paris Peace Conference. The country's losses were great, especially at the Battle of Caporetto in October 1917. Moreover, London and Paris failed to fulfill their promises to give land to Italy. Fascism in Italy arose from the chaos that followed the war. To counter the power of the Socialists, the Fascists organized "squads of armed men Fasci di Combattimento (Combat...