From Lega Italiana to Fasci Italiani all’Estero

Abstract

On May Day 1921, the creation of an Italian fascio in New York made the headlines of „Il Popolo d’Italia“. Fascism had crossed the Atlantic by engaging far-flung Italian migrants, seemingly evidencing the transnational reach of a novel political movement. The emergence of fascist groups beyond the Italian peninsula has often been interpreted as the result of a diffusion process driven by the movement’s post-war dynamism. However, the existence of Italian communities abroad and of transnational associations predating fascism invites a further reconsideration of this diffusionist understanding. By examining how the concept of italianità evolved across two pre-existing associations – the Trento-Trieste and Lega Italiana per la tutela degli interessi nazionali – this article traces the continuity of anti-democratic conceptions of national identity that underpinned fascism’s transnational dimension. It challenges uniform conceptions of fascism as a static peninsular ideology, emphasising instead its hybridity and malleability. Situating this transition from a post-war imperialist agenda to a transnational political movement, the article sheds light on the mobile nature of fascist italianità before and beyond Mussolini’s takeover and the consolidation of his dictatorship.