Italian Life under Fascism: Selections from the Fry Collection

  • About the Exhibit

    Online exhibit on Italian fascism as drawn from the Fry Collection, including with a foreword by Professor Fry and an introduction by Professor Stanley G. Payne.

  • Culture Under Fascism

    Books, pamphlets, and issues of magazines and newspapers suggesting the impact of Fascism on cultural production and activities in Italy.

  • Education

    Items as diverse as school notebooks, textbooks, posters, and official reports, suggesting the impact of Fascist ideas and organizations on the Italian educational system.

  • End of the Fascist Regime

    Accounts of the armistice between the Kingdom of Italy and the Allies in World War II, the sort of civil war that ensued, and defenders of Mussolini and the Fascist regime in Italy.

  • Family Life

    Books and issues of newspapers and magazines about concerns of family life in Italy under the Fascist regime.

  • Fascist Propaganda

    Examples, often with distinctive imagery, of Fascist propaganda in Italy.

  • Fascist Youth Organizations

    Compelling graphics and lofty rhetoric praised the accomplishments of the youth of Fascist Italy and encouraged participation in Fascist youth organizations.

  • Il Duce

    Praise for the accomplishments of Mussolini — “Il Duce” (the leader) — encouraging something like a cult of personality.

  • Mussolini’s Foreign Adventures

    Exploration of Fascist Italy’s colonial policies and of the North African Campaign during World War II.

  • Opposition to Fascism

    Examples of anti-Fascist publications in Italy and resistance efforts during World War II.

  • The Paduan Trial of the Banda Carità

    Examples from a set of documents in the Fry Collection concerning the Paduan trial in the fall of 1945 of Italian security police irregulars and others.

  • The Racial Question

    Books and other materials exploring the so-called “racial question” in Fascist Italy and the promulgation of Mussolini’s antisemitic measures.

  • Women and Fascism

    Publications aimed at the women of Fascist Italy, describing expectations for their contribution to the Italian nation and to the war effort.