Modernism and Fascism: The Sense of a Beginning under Mussolini and Hitler

Intellectual debates surrounding modernity, modernism and fascism continue to be active and hotly contested. In this ambitious book, renowned expert on fascism Roger Griffin analyzes Western modernity and the regimes of Mussolini and Hitler and offers a pioneering new interpretation of the links between these apparently contradictory phenomena.

Table of Contents:
Introduction: Aufbruch! PART I:THE SENSE OF A BEGINNING IN MODERNISM The paradoxes of 'fascist modernism' Two modes of modernism An archaeology of modernism A primordialist theory of modernism Social modernism 1880-1918 The rise of political modernism 1848-1945 PART II: FASCISM'S MODERNIST STATE The birth of Fascism from modernism The Fascist regime as a Modernist State Nazism as a revitalization movement The modernism of Nazi culture The Third Reich's biopolitical modernism Casting off Postscript : A Different beginning Bibliography Index

About the Author :
ROGER GRIFFIN is Professor in Modern History at Oxford Brookes University, UK. His major work is The Nature of Fascism (1991), which established the first new theory of generic fascism for over a decade. This is his first authored book since that 1991 breakthrough. He has also edited Fascism, a documentary reader of primary sources relating to fascism published by OUP (1995), International Fascism. Theories, Causes, and the New Consensus, a documentary reader of secondary sources published by Arnold in 1998, and the five volumes of secondary sources relating to fascism in

Review :
'A product of enormous erudition and profound thought. I am truly enchanted - I thought that nothing new and eye-opening can be said on the topic, and (Griffin) proved me wrong...Congratulations on the great oeuvre.' - Zygmunt Bauman, Emeritus Prof of Sociology, Leeds University, UK 'What a tour de force you have produced! I send my warmest congratulations!...This is indeed a bold and invigorating discussion based on an absolutely admirable range of up-to-date interdisciplinary reference...I think you have an enormously important book here, one that deserves and will receive a wide readership - not just academic colleagues, but students, and even the broader public...I am absolutely delighted and bubbling with excitement! Thank you for the pleasure - it is very rare that I become this effusive.' - Modris Eksteins, Professor of History, University of Toronto, Canada 'This is a fabulous book. It is a grand synthesis which successfully takes the premise of (Griffin's) first book regarding the centrality of palingenesis to fascism and demonstrates that it is integral to modernism itself...Thank you for sharing this book with me-it is a major contribution!' - Mark Antliff, Professor of Art History, Duke University, USA 'I found this beautifully written and absorbing - an incredible synthesis of material from such a range of sources from the literary to contemporary film!...I was gripped - even at 4 am in the morning which is quite a feat!.' - Josephine Reynell, Director of Studies for Human Sciences, Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University, UK 'This is an extraordinary book, the most important to appear on the history of fascism in a decade or more...the book itself is extremely original, not merely a pleasure, but even exciting, to read. More than any other study of recent years it accomplishes a sort of 'paradigm shift' in fascist studies.' - Stanley G. Payne, author of A History of Fascism, 1914-1945' 'In future whoever wants to talk about fascism will have to take this book into account.' - H-Soz-u-Kult 'This book is an exceptional work of analysis. It's unique and comprehensive perspective opens a window on a past that may become the future.' - Tom Baugh, Green Institute 'Griffin's highly-detailed book reveals his vast knowledge of modern and fascist art, architecture and literature.' - Marla Stone, Modernism/Modernity 'The quality of Griffin's work lies in the fact that it offers a highly original, thought-provoking and challenging attempt at a synthesis in this difficult field of research...it is a highly stimulating and often persuasive study of fascism' - Thomas Rohkrämer, Lancaster University, Lancaster '...this book's primary value is that of offering a 'story' of how fascism became so attractive to millions of people, including legions of educated Europeans - among them many prominent politicians, literati, artists and academics...This study can bewholeheartedly recommended as a delightful, informative and illuminating read. It is a major text and will [be] of interest to anyone concerned with a deeper understanding of modern European politics and culture.' - European History Quarterly