Fascism in Italy

The definition of Fascism is best described as a form of government that puts the state before the interests of its citizens. The individualistic desire for natural rights has no place in this form of government, and their needs and rights are to be put aside. The only needs and wants these citizens may have are only allowed if they are in the best interest of the state. The emergence of Fascism was prominent before the years of World War II, and many historians have spent time studying and writing about Mussolini's tirades, demands, and militaristic goals. However, not enough time is spent on how Fascism affected the people of these states, particularly women.

One of the most notorious writers about women under Fascist rule is Victoria De Grazia, who recognized the need for more literature about Italian social history. Her goals were threefold: she wants to discover the experiences women had under the Duce's regime, to explore the laws that were passed against women regardless of any social change that had occurred in the early part of the 20th century, and to inspect how the fascist regime handled women into mass politics during and after World War I through the hard times of the 1930's. She wrote the book at an age where women's studies were declining, and wanted to help to broaden the resources available for such a topic. De Grazia notes that her book discusses the deep conflict within the fascist state in regards to demanding modernity and the desire to reimpose traditional authority. Throughout her book, she is able to show how fascism promoted policies that were riddled with contradictions, and how women actually did gain some freedoms despite a despotic ruler. Another author that wrote about the same issues is Perry R. Willson. Much like de Grazia, she goes beyond the political ideology of fascism and explores the reality of women's lives between the world wars in Italy. The idea remains the same: women out of the workforce, and back into the homes. However, she differs from de Grazia based on her experiences about how many women were actually out of the workforce. Willson also recognized the need for more literature under this topic, and notes the fact that most historians have neglected this topic, having little to no interest about women under Mussolini's rule. Because of this, she started her own research to enlighten and expand knowledge of this topic for future historians.

In traditional Italy, before the notion of fascism was a political possibility, women were able to work, had some form of political say and responsibility usually in the realm of a social organization. Up until post World War I, women made up of almost half of the total industrial labor force. One of the examples de Grazia points out as a paradox is women's roles in World War I. The Italian state needed women for labor, to volunteer, and willingness to hold up the home front. For the first time, political elites