«The rebirth of the Empire on the fatal hills of Rome». Imperial mythologies of Italian Fascism

This article deals with the imperialistic discourse and myths of pro-empire propaganda produced in Fascist Italy, focusing on its development from its roots in the Liberal Age to its peak during the conquest of Ethiopia. Between continuity and renewal of the old colonial mythology, the emphasis of Fascist rhetoric was on the return of Italy to the glorious splendor of its distant past, dating back fifteen centuries and to the last vestiges of the Roman Empire. However, in this perspective, the nostalgic dimension of the Fascist colonial discourse coexisted with the totalitarian utopia of the “New Man”, producing an intertwined vision of past and future.