Introduction

This introduction chapter presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book is a Fascist polemic designed to highlight the virtues and achievements of Mussolini. It attempts to keep Benito Mussolini at the forefront, while also acknowledging the importance of those non-biographical studies in helping to form a picture of what Italian society was like in the years when Mussolini was ruling Italy. The book takes a chronological approach although themes are highlighted and examined in an analytical way. This allows subjects such as the Fascist régime's treatment of women is addressed within the context of this largely biographical approach. An important aspect of the book will be its analysis of how and why Mussolini broke with the Socialist Party in 1914 over the issue of Italian entry into the First World War, which finally occurred in the following year.