Femininity in the throes of Fascism: survival, liberation, and the pursuit of equality
Date
2022
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
From 1928 to the conclusion of World War II in 1945, Benito Mussolini and his Fascist regime were instrumental in introducing Italy to the discomforts of constant instability, uncertainty and institutional oppression. With a struggling economy and a tired working class to keep it afloat, the country grasped Mussolini’s charismatic affirmations in naive desperation. Throughout the 1930s, however, deepening socioeconomic conditions forced many to regard his deceitful ideology in a new light, and drove even more to try to change it. It was through time and the efforts of the citizens that Italy overcame the devastations of Fascism. Women in particular played a prominent role in reversing the effects of Fascism, specifically due to the multitudinous prohibitive legislations enacted to prevent them from leaving their places as acquiescent caregivers. In this paper, the story of Fascism is told: from its conception and the rise of Mussolini to the ways in which it affected the common Italian woman as she braced herself for the brunt of another World War.
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Keywords
Donne, Fascism, Italian history, Italian studies, Women