ABSTRACT
The history of the relationships between the Italian Fascist regime and the entrepreneurs offers the opportunity to consider several aspects of Italian economic history for various reasons. The twenty-year regime was the result of political choices of the ruling classes of Liberal Italy, and especially of their weakness in managing a mass society, as was Italy in the era of the First World War. The Fascist regime in Italy gained power in 1922 for several reasons. The growing economic crisis led to the collapse of some big industrial and financial groups, especially those very much interested in warfare procurements. The hope of sheltering the Italian economy from the consequences of the international economic crisis lasted only a few months. The industrial community or at least its institutional peak remained a faithful ally of the regime, though not always convinced, until the darkest moments of the Second World War.
