Fascist Spectacle: The Aesthetics of Power in Mussolini's Italy (Studies on the History of Society and Culture)

Rating:
Summary: "Socialist spectacle: Made in America?" by RexCurry.net
Review: Fascinating tome. The U.S. Pledge of Allegiance originally used a straight-arm salute. That historical fact is missing from the otherwise great book "Fascist Spectacle" by Simonetta Falasca-Zamponi. It is an awesome book, but it is another source of the "Roman salute" myth . Falasca-Zamponi incorrectly explains the straight arm salute made infamous by the National Socialist German Workers' Party.

The book's lack of evidence supports the historic discovery by the libertarian journalist Rex Curry that the straight-arm salute originated with the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance, which was created by a self-proclaimed National Socialist in the U.S., Francis Bellamy, who originally used the straight-armed salute. The salute was then used in famous films in the early 1900's, often in fictitious "Roman" scenes, and including a film that involved D'Annunzio entitled "Cabiria" and written of elsewhere. It is interesting that Falasca-Zamponi discusses D'Annunzio in regard to the salute, but never mentions the movie "Cabiria."

Another influence for the "Roman salute" myth is "The Oath of the Horatii" a famous painting by Jacques-Louis David in 1784, that inaccurately depicts an event, and it is an event that might not have even happened.

Falasca-Zamponi's salute error arises in a booknote to "The March of Fascism" by Giuseppe A. Borgese (1937). Borgese repeated the myth of the Roman salute and also provided no reference to any actual ancient source, only Borgese's own general assertions without support.

Fascist Spectacle: The Aesthetics of Power in Mussolini's Italy (Studies on the History of Society and Culture) also never once uses the actual name of the "National Socialist German Workers' Party." It uses the usual hackneyed shorthand. That type of writing bias inspired the "Not say Nazi" movement via people who pledge to never say or write the abbreviation and to always use the full phrase. Falasco-Zamponi's blindness explains why he failed to make any tie into the National Socialists in the U.S. and the socialist salute there using the straight-arm.

The book also never mentions the Swastika and thus fails to discuss the newer argument made by the journalist Rex Curry that one of the reasons why the Swastika was chosen or maintained as a symbol by the National Socialist German Workers' Party is that the swastika resembles two 'S' runes (ancient German letters) overlapping to represent "Socialism" or "Socialist" groups joining together as the horrid National Socialist German Workers' Party. The sick socialist swastika is also a good mnemonic device to remember that Nazis were self-proclaimed socialists because it resembles two "S" letters overlapping and the Nazis often used stylized "S" lettering in their symbols.

The book provides a lot of good information about how Benito Mussolini was a socialist who joined with the National Socialist German Workers' Party. He was the leader of the Socialist Party of Italy. Like many modern media Mussolinis, he was a socialist and a journalist. Between 1912 and 1914 he was the editor of the Socialist Party newspaper, "L'Avanti."

In late 1937, Mussolini visited Germany and pledged himself to support the National Socialist German Workers' Party.

According to Falasco-Zamponi, the socialist straight-arm salute was used by Mussolini before it was used by the National Socialist German Workers' Party, and that makes sense in that D'Annunzio definitely used the salute before either one of the others did. Mussolini worked with D'Annunzio. Of course, the U.S. preceded them all, using the salute beginning in 1892.

After Mussonlini's trip to Germany, He definitely stepped up promotion of the straight-arm salute, to underline ideological kinship with the National Socialist German Workers' Party and to impress it's leader.

Falasco-Zamponi also provides ammo that the "passo romano" or "Roman step" (goose step) should have been called the "Socialist step," as it wasn't Roman at all, and was borrowed by Mussolini from the National Socialist German Workers' Party.

The so-called "Roman salute" (saluto romano) is as much of a fiction as the so-called "Roman step" (passo romano) as is the idea that the National Socialist German Workers' Party emulated Mussolini and not vice versa.

The most notorious instance of Italy imitating the National Socialist German Workers' Party was in the racist laws imposed in November 1938.

WWII began in 1939 when Poland was invaded by the National Socialist German Workers' Party and by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, as allies in their scheme to divide up Eastern Europe. Thereafter came the Holocaust and the bigger socialist "Wholecaust" in which millions were slaughtered.

It would have been wonderful if the Falasca-Zamponi had examined the many other ways in which the world's socialist monsters were influenced by national socialists in the U.S. (including Francis Bellamy) who in 1892 created the Pledge of Allegiance with its original straight-arm salute, to promote a government takeover of education (with racist/segregated schools that lasted into the '60s), to produce an "industrial army" for the totalitarian vision portrayed in Edward Bellamy's book "Looking Backward."

Rating:
Summary: "Socialist spectacle: Made in America?" by RexCurry.net
Review: Fascinating tome. The U.S. Pledge of Allegiance originally used a straight-arm salute. That historical fact is missing from the otherwise great book "Fascist Spectacle" by Simonetta Falasca-Zamponi. It is an awesome book, but it is another source of the "Roman salute" myth . Falasca-Zamponi incorrectly explains the straight arm salute made infamous by the National Socialist German Workers' Party.

The book's lack of evidence supports the historic discovery by the libertarian journalist Rex Curry that the straight-arm salute originated with the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance, which was created by a self-proclaimed National Socialist in the U.S., Francis Bellamy, who originally used the straight-armed salute. The salute was then used in famous films in the early 1900's, often in fictitious "Roman" scenes, and including a film that involved D'Annunzio entitled "Cabiria" and written of elsewhere. It is interesting that Falasca-Zamponi discusses D'Annunzio in regard to the salute, but never mentions the movie "Cabiria."

Another influence for the "Roman salute" myth is "The Oath of the Horatii" a famous painting by Jacques-Louis David in 1784, that inaccurately depicts an event, and it is an event that might not have even happened.

Falasca-Zamponi's salute error arises in a booknote to "The March of Fascism" by Giuseppe A. Borgese (1937). Borgese repeated the myth of the Roman salute and also provided no reference to any actual ancient source, only Borgese's own general assertions without support.

Fascist Spectacle: The Aesthetics of Power in Mussolini's Italy (Studies on the History of Society and Culture) also never once uses the actual name of the "National Socialist German Workers' Party." It uses the usual hackneyed shorthand. That type of writing bias inspired the "Not say Nazi" movement via people who pledge to never say or write the abbreviation and to always use the full phrase. Falasco-Zamponi's blindness explains why he failed to make any tie into the National Socialists in the U.S. and the socialist salute there using the straight-arm.

The book also never mentions the Swastika and thus fails to discuss the newer argument made by the journalist Rex Curry that one of the reasons why the Swastika was chosen or maintained as a symbol by the National Socialist German Workers' Party is that the swastika resembles two 'S' runes (ancient German letters) overlapping to represent "Socialism" or "Socialist" groups joining together as the horrid National Socialist German Workers' Party. The sick socialist swastika is also a good mnemonic device to remember that Nazis were self-proclaimed socialists because it resembles two "S" letters overlapping and the Nazis often used stylized "S" lettering in their symbols.

The book provides a lot of good information about how Benito Mussolini was a socialist who joined with the National Socialist German Workers' Party. He was the leader of the Socialist Party of Italy. Like many modern media Mussolinis, he was a socialist and a journalist. Between 1912 and 1914 he was the editor of the Socialist Party newspaper, "L'Avanti."

In late 1937, Mussolini visited Germany and pledged himself to support the National Socialist German Workers' Party.

According to Falasco-Zamponi, the socialist straight-arm salute was used by Mussolini before it was used by the National Socialist German Workers' Party, and that makes sense in that D'Annunzio definitely used the salute before either one of the others did. Mussolini worked with D'Annunzio. Of course, the U.S. preceded them all, using the salute beginning in 1892.

After Mussonlini's trip to Germany, He definitely stepped up promotion of the straight-arm salute, to underline ideological kinship with the National Socialist German Workers' Party and to impress it's leader.

Falasco-Zamponi also provides ammo that the "passo romano" or "Roman step" (goose step) should have been called the "Socialist step," as it wasn't Roman at all, and was borrowed by Mussolini from the National Socialist German Workers' Party.

The so-called "Roman salute" (saluto romano) is as much of a fiction as the so-called "Roman step" (passo romano) as is the idea that the National Socialist German Workers' Party emulated Mussolini and not vice versa.

The most notorious instance of Italy imitating the National Socialist German Workers' Party was in the racist laws imposed in November 1938.

WWII began in 1939 when Poland was invaded by the National Socialist German Workers' Party and by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, as allies in their scheme to divide up Eastern Europe. Thereafter came the Holocaust and the bigger socialist "Wholecaust" in which millions were slaughtered.

It would have been wonderful if the Falasca-Zamponi had examined the many other ways in which the world's socialist monsters were influenced by national socialists in the U.S. (including Francis Bellamy) who in 1892 created the Pledge of Allegiance with its original straight-arm salute, to promote a government takeover of education (with racist/segregated schools that lasted into the '60s), to produce an "industrial army" for the totalitarian vision portrayed in Edward Bellamy's book "Looking Backward."