Giorgia Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia, or Brothers of Italy, emerged from the Italian general election earlier this week with around 26% of the vote. Although it has been a junior partner in previous coalition governments, this is the first time that the party, which traces its lineage back to Mussolini and the post-war fascism of the Italian Social Movement (MSI), has become the largest political force in the country.
Surging to prominence in recent years, Fratelli d’Italia has waged a fierce culture war against the Left, polarised political debate around World War II, and sought to redeem historical fascism, legitimise its political heirs and ultimately shift the terrain of mainstream politics to the right. Now poised to take power, many in the international community are asking how this has happened.
We are joined on the show by David Broder, author of Mussolini’s Grandchildren: Fascism in Contemporary Italy, to analyse the situation in Italy in the wake of the election.
Mussolini’s Grandchildren is published in March 2023. Pre-order it now.