War Veterans and Fascism in Interwar Europe
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Cambridge University Press
Published:28th Mar '19
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- Hardback£90.00(9781107198425)
A fresh and suggestive interpretation of the relationship between veterans of the Great War and fascism in interwar Europe.
Were the Great War veterans, millions of men with war experience, including Hitler and Mussolini themselves, a crucial factor in the rise of fascism in interwar Europe? Many historians have debated this fascinating question, but Ángel Alcalde now offers a new and highly illuminating explanation from an innovative transnational perspective.This book explores, from a transnational viewpoint, the historical relationship between war veterans and fascism in interwar Europe. Until now, historians have been roughly divided between those who assume that 'brutalization' (George L. Mosse) led veterans to join fascist movements and those who stress that most ex-soldiers of the Great War became committed pacifists and internationalists. Transcending the debates of the brutalization thesis and drawing upon a wide range of archival and published sources, this work focuses on the interrelated processes of transnationalization and the fascist permeation of veterans' politics in interwar Europe to offer a wider perspective on the history of both fascism and veterans' movements. A combination of mythical constructs, transfers, political communication, encounters and networks within a transnational space explain the relationship between veterans and fascism. Thus, this book offers new insights into the essential ties between fascism and war, and contributes to the theorization of transnational fascism.
'An excellent work that advances the field of study about the rise of fascism and its relationship with veterans. Alcalde presents an easy to follow narrative filled with intriguing new scholarship.' Kevin Braam, H-Net
'Contemporaries and many historians have assumed, generally on the basis of numerous actual examples, that veterans of WWI, individually or as a group or an organization, were ready recruits to fascism, especially in Italy and Germany. Their violent experience of the war at the side of so many who had fallen and their sense that their sacrifice had been betrayed made veterans natural enthusiasts for redemption through extreme nationalism and authoritarianism. Alcalde, a historian of the Spanish Civil War and the Franco regime, firmly explores these assumptions. Recommended.' N. Greene, Choice
'The book succeeds in demonstrating the transnational understandings of, and appropriations from, Italian Fascism. … an excellent book.' Chris Millington, European History Quarterly
'All in all, War Veterans and Fascism is an important contribution to our understanding of the period between the two wars … this is unquestionably a brilliant and stimulating study.' Marco Mondini, The American Historical Review
' …Alcalde succeeds in illustrating the connections between radical nationalism and war with the example of veterans' groups, thereby making an important contribution to the study of fascism as a European phenomenon in the twentieth century.' Pablo del Hierro, The Journal of Modern History
'… Alcalde takes a central research discussion as a point of departure for a refreshing study … In his view on the Italian case, he brings a lot to the table. As for the European level, his work will inspire new research and discussion.' Julia Eichenberg, War in History
ISBN: 9781316648186
Dimensions: 230mm x 153mm x 20mm
Weight: 480g
328 pages