Benedetto Croce and Italian Fascism

Mima Vulovic is a sessional lecturer at York University who also works
at the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General.

This book is as much a biography as it is a specialized study of the
politics of the Italian intellectual Benedetto Croce (1866–1952),
whose oeuvre fell out of favour for its perceived links to fascism. The
author passionately opposes most critics who have argued that Croce’s
anti-fascist stance was passive at best. He attempts to demonstrate that
Croce took a rather active position against the Duce, both politically
and culturally. For example, although Croce lived through the era
unharmed, Rizi proves that fascist authorities did consider him an enemy
of the regime. He also builds his case through elegantly conceived
arguments based on the dialectical juxtaposition of Croce’s literary
and philosophical activity and its sociopolitical backdrop.

The work, consisting of 13 chapters, extensive notes, and a
bibliography, is meticulously documented. In addition to police and
archival materials, it draws on Croce’s diaries, which were donated to
the University of Toronto by his daughter. Benedetto Croce and Italian
Fascism is a most welcome contribution to the debate about the icon’s
political allegiances that is still alive among Croce scholars in both
Italy and abroad.