“Italy invented fascism. It was in Italy that the first fascist dictatorship took power in 1922. Without Mussolini, it is unlikely that there would have been Nazism, or World War Two. This talk looks at the rise of Italian fascism, the central role of violence in the movement, and the fall of the regime in 1943-1945”.

John is Professor of Modern Italian History at the University of Bristol, Department of Italian. He has published a number of books around Italian history, culture, politics and sport.