... the rise of fascism. The survivors of the lost generation, who were the soldiers who had fought in the first world war became embittered when the 'homes fit for heroes to live in' failed to materialise, and disillusioned veterans became attracted to the direct action approach of Fascist parliamentary organisations. The First World War smashed the political structures of Europe, sweeping away the old ruling order. Those who remained were unable to recreate the institutions and trading networks which had facilitated the relatively smooth functioning of the nineteen-century international economy. The emergence of Fascism represented for the most part the defence reaction of those that militantly opposed communism and wished to fill the political void created by the collapse of the old order with a non- communist alternative. The deepest roots of Italian Fascism were in left- wing, national syndicalism- a form of socialism which believed in the ownership and ...

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