The True Nature of Italian Fascism

In his column, former Federal Councilor Pascal Couchepin shares a book that left a lasting impression on him. This month, it’s an essay by Lucien Jaume on the true nature of Italian fascism.

«Fascist» has become the ultimate slur in today’s heated debates. This makes it all the more necessary to understand what fascism really was in the country that experienced it: Italy. Political scientist Lucien Jaume attempts to answer this question by examining it from every angle—historical, philosophical, cultural, and economic.”.

Fascism was a totalitarian state doctrine that imposed its vision on all aspects of public and private life. Since the «ultra-fascist» laws of 1925, political parties and labor unions—with the exception of fascist organizations—had been banned or dissolved. Freedom of the press had already been suppressed in