{"product_id":"2026100006799-secondhand-mussolini-a-biography","title":"Mussolini: A Biography","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Good                          \u003cbr\u003eJacket: Worn\/faded, no tears\u003cbr\u003ePages: Good                  \u003cbr\u003eMarkings: No markings\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA landmark work of political biography, Denis Mack Smith's Mussolini: A Biography chronicles the rise and fall of Benito Mussolini, the founder of Italian Fascism and one of the twentieth century's most destructive dictators. Drawing on a wealth of primary sources, Smith presents a penetrating and unflinching portrait of a man driven by vanity, opportunism, and an insatiable hunger for power, arguing that Mussolini was less a principled ideologue than a consummate manipulator of public opinion and political circumstance. Written with scholarly rigor yet accessible prose, the biography details the mechanisms of Fascist rule in Italy — the propaganda, the violence, the cult of personality — and illustrates how a nation can be seduced by authoritarian spectacle. Smith uncovers the profound contradictions at the heart of Mussolini's character, revealing a leader whose grandiose imperial ambitions were consistently undermined by his own incompetence and self-deception. This authoritative and deeply researched account remains an essential text for anyone seeking to understand the origins and nature of European Fascism.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48887888478427,"sku":"2026100006799-SECONDHAND","price":25.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/3ea27ec1-f06a-4970-8818-349e87bb91cc.png?v=1781747898","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026100006799-secondhand-mussolini-a-biography","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}