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Il fascismo eterno
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Learn the key ideas of the book by Umberto Eco

Il fascismo eterno

Umberto Eco on fascism

Umberto Eco wrote Eternal Fascism as a speech that he gave to students at Columbia University on the 25th of April 1995, the 50th anniversary of the Italian liberation, and just a few days after the Oklahoma City bombing by a group of young American neo-Nazis. Eco’s speech was simple and direct, brimming with fascinating memories from his childhood and inspirational quotes. His aim was to emphasise the value of freedom and the importance of defending it at all costs. Eco also analysed Ur-Fascism, or eternal fascism, highlighting its defining characteristics so that we can recognise the warning signs and prevent it from gaining ground before it is too late.

Il fascismo eterno
Read in 10 min.
Listen in 13 min.
IDEA CHIAVE 1/7

Eco’s essay, Eternal Fascism, was originally written as a speech to students at Columbia University

On the 25th of April 1995, the anniversary of Italy’s liberation from Nazifascism, Umberto Eco was invited to speak in front of a symposium organised by the Italian and French departments at Columbia University. He gave a speech in English entitled Eternal Fascism, which analysed the rise and fall of Fascism in Italy.

The speech reflected on fascism throughout history, and aimed to draw parallels between certain past, and other more recent events. It was a turbulent time in America, as just a few days earlier, the Oklahoma City bombing, a terrorist attack on the federal government building, had killed 168 people, including 19 children, and injured 672. The attack was carried out by an American neo-Nazi group. At the time, extreme right-wing groups appeared to be on the rise in the United States, and after the bombing, people started to become increasingly concerned and anxious about the future.

Umberto Eco’s speech came at a time in which people felt extremely vulnerable, and he urged the young university students to fight for a life free of nationalism. The speech combined quotes from Roosevelt and Eco’s personal childhood memories of the liberation, as well as alluding to American anti-fascism. It seamlessly condensed ideas and memories, in order to inspire the minds and hearts of the young people in the audience. Umberto Eco’s speech was later published in several magazines in English and translated into Italian.

  

The key ideas of "Il fascismo eterno"

01.
Eco’s essay, Eternal Fascism, was originally written as a speech to students at Columbia University
02.
Umberto Eco was born in 1932, and so during the war he was still a child
03.
Fascism and Nazism are completely different
04.
The distinguishing characteristics of fascism, which Eco calls Ur-Fascism
05.
There is always the risk that fascism will reappear, albeit with significant differences
06.
Quotes
07.
Take-home message
 
 
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