IRB Media Summary of Frank Dikotter's How to Be a Dictator

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Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview: #1 The EUR, located on the edge of the historic center, is one of Rome's most austere districts. It was built in the 1950s to showcase a new, eternal civilization. Mussolini fostered the idea that he was a man of the people, accessible to all.#2 After the war, Italy experienced a period of industrial unrest. The Socialist Party grew rapidly, and the General Confederation of Labour had over two million members by 1920. Mussolini launched a movement that would become the Fascist Party, and began taking flying lessons.#3 In 1921, the government began to court the fascists openly, hoping to use them to weaken opposition parties on the left. The army was also sympathetic. Fascist squads roamed the streets beating up their opponents and attacking hundreds of trade union headquarters and socialist party centers.#4 While he projected an image of iron leadership, fascism was not a unified movement. It was a loose amalgamation of local squad leaders, and Mussolini had to form a coalition government that excluded all prominent fascists from office.