Mussolini

Author: [Australia] Bosworth/Li Hongqiang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-11-01
Features: Although Mussolini had a tough exterior and a reputation for cruelty, he was actually a coward and indecisive. On one hand, he was exploring a future he could not control; on the other, he tried to find an acceptable present, hoping to avoid too great a failure and just endure one more day. This book, Mussolini, differs from previous biographies of Mussolini in that it does not portray him as a demon and does not set a predetermined tone—listing the crimes of the fascist government throughout, condemning Mussolini's brutality, arrogance, and cruelty. The author himself says that, to some extent, he is trying to view Mussolini with "a sense of pity," portraying him as someone who took advantage of the weak, a coward, and a failure. Before writing the book, Richard Bosworth conducted extensive archival research, nearly exhausting all secondary literature. Through the detailed description of Mussolini's life based on these sources, readers can gain a more authentic understanding of him. The author is convinced that Mussolini was different from the ruthless Adolf Hitler and that he was not fundamentally different from many others. He was extremely vain and arrogant, loved to boast, had astonishing machismo, and was cowardly, incompetent, and indecisive—all of which reflected that Mussolini was an interesting and amusing figure, unlike Hitler, who was terrifying and a terrible totalitarian dictator, and who acted according to a single, absolute belief. Although Mussolini was someone who declared the establishment of a "totalitarian state," in reality, he was an "Emperor in name only," superficial. To a large extent, Mussolini did not truly achieve autocratic rule. He first became a ambitious and hopeful countryman, then a "man of his own kind" in his region, later gained dazzling but fragile honor, and finally ended his life in a tragic and well-deserved death. Richard Bosworth's Mussolini is not only detailed and fair in its description and insightful in its analysis but also highly readable, with excellent writing skills and a light, humorous touch. It is widely recognized as the best English biography of Mussolini currently published.