From Fascism to Communism
From Fascism to Communism

The History of a Conversion

Author(s): Maria Teresa Giusti
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, History
Published by: Central European University Press
Keywords: totalitarianism;fascism;communism;
Summary/Abstract: A Blackshirt’s conversion to communism is the subject of these pages, which aim to follow the personal and political fate of Danilo Ferretti, a restless spirit of fascist Italy. Intensely antibourgeois and anticapitalist, Ferretti pursued politics as revolution, and wanted to build totalitarian popular democracy. His choice to turn his back on fascism and favor the opposite camp, communism, was determined by the time World War II broke out. This reversal was not as unusual as one might think. Many other young fascists found themselves at a crossroads after July 25, 1943, and particularly after the end of the war. Their decisions often diverged. Some remained faithful to fascism, and in 1946 became members of the neo-fascist party (the Italian Socialist Movement; MSI). Others joined the monarchic party, or the Christian Democracy (DC). Finally, many felt it was more consistent with their past to enroll in the political and union organizations of the left, including the Italian Communist Party (PCI), where they sometimes took on important positions.

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