Fascist Italy as the Heir of the Imperium Romanum Celebration of Romanism as an ideological instrument of legitimation

On May 9, 1936, at 9:45 p.m., on the balcony of Palazzo Venezia, Benito Mussolini proclaimed: “Italy, at last, has an empire of its own“ For Mussolini, revealing Italy as an “empire” was not just the simple use of a term. Still, it was to be the cornerstone of the large-scale adaptation of the Imperium Romanum that Fascism had made its primary goal. With this proclamation, a new era dawned for Italy, which is why the year in question was also meaningfully touted by Mussolini at the time as “anno zero”.

However, Italy's basic idea of using the Roman Empire as a political model existed before the Fascist era. Even during Italy's nation-building in 1861, ancient Rome was considered an important role model. This can be seen, among other things, in a statement by Camillo Cavour, which read: “Just as ancient Rome was once the capital of the world, so the new Rome should once again occupy this place”. The protagonists of the Kingdom of Italy, however, in the sense of a historical-political euphoria, were almost exclusively content with the idea of the ancient Mediterranean.

When fascism entered the Kingdom of Italy in 1922, Benito Mussolini declared Rome as the starting point, final goal, and myth of fascism, seeing a lack of integration ideology. Fascist Italy, under this slogan, committed itself subsequently to acting as the historical heir of ancient Rome, establishing the restoration of the Imperium Romanum as the affirmative goal of fascism. The claim was made not only to use ancient Rome for political purposes in the form of a historical projection but also to elevate it to the spirit of the entire current and the Italian nation.

The first elements of a turn to Roman antiquity can already be seen in the initial phase of the fascist rise to power. This was the case, for example, with the formation of the “Camicia Nera” based on elite Roman troops. While Fascism succeeded in consolidating its position of power in Italy, under Mussolini, Romanism was staged in numerous areas, which convinced the Italian people to approve of an imperial expansionist policy. Italy's entry into the Second World War will be the temporal endpoint of our investigation.

The present work focuses on the central question of the means used to legitimize Fascist Italy as the rightful heir to the Imperium Romanum.

As an introduction to this topic, we first illuminate the extent to which ancient Rome already served as a model at the time of the Risorgimento. Then we will look at the tense situation after the end of the First World War, which the angry population generally called “Vittoria mutilate”. Then we will talk about the causes of the emergence of an increasing imperialist urge, which paved the way for the ambitions of fascism in Italy.

In the following, the identification with the symbol of the fasces is considered, which was consistently used under the influence of Benito Mussolini, both in party names and as a recurring emblem on flags. In particular, it examines how it was possible to give the Roman lictor bundle a genuine emblem character. Subsequently, by looking at three areas in which a deliberate orchestration of fascist Romanism took place, the so-called “romanità fascista” We will begin with the military organization of the March on Rome, with which fascism succeeded in gaining political domination in Italy. Mussolini's self-portrayal follows this in his heyday as the second Augustus and the representative large-scale building project of fascism, the Via dell Impero, in the heart of Rome.

In conclusion, a summary will be drawn about how the idea of a reconstruction of the Imperium Romanus could ideologically manifest itself in fascist Italy and in which period it was significant for the national mentality. The conclusion critically examines Italy's claim to embody an empire and Mussolini's self-image as the second August.

Benito Mussolini: Scritti E Discorsi dell'Impero. (Novembre 1935-XIV – 4 Novembre 1936-XV E.F.), Milano 1939, S. 115-120.

Vgl. Camillo Benso conte di Cavour: Opera parlamentaria del conte di Cavour, o.O 1862., S. 361-362

Vgl. Richard Faber: Das ewige Rom, oder, Die Stadt und der Erdkreis. Zur Archäologie "abendländischer" Globalisierung, Würzburg 2000, S. 173.

Martinelli, Salvatore. "Diagrammatische Potenz in neuer Perspektive mit Linie und Punkt." (2020): 277-280.