GIANNI SILEI 

I conservatori britannici e il fascismo (1929-1935).

La parabola discendente di una «storica amicizia»

N. 163

Summary - British Conservative attitude towards Italian Fascism was apparently remarked by mutual friendship. Conservative circles inclined, at first, to support Mussolini’s movement as a sort of bulwark against the ‘Red Dragon’ of Bolchevism. Positive comments about the March on Rome tended to describe the leader of the ‘Blackshirts’ as combination of Cromwell and Garibaldi. Nevertheless, this credit opened in the 1920s, gradually lowered. In the following decade, conservative observers showed more moderation. Undoubtely, the birth of a foreign policy Entente between Whitehall and Rome was the foundamental element in contributing to make Italian fascism popular in Britain. Conservative opinion was influenced by financial and economic implications, and also by preoccupations concerning home politics. Even the Italian ‘character’ as painted by British observers following those traditional clichés, heritage of the Grand Tour was a relevant issue which contributed to build up this success. The phase from 1929 to 1935 is maybe the most interesting. In this period, both enthousiastic and negative comments cohabited in Tory public opinion. The Abyssinian outbreak increased British fears about fascist foreign policy, though the Anglo-Italian dialogue was not completely abandoned. However, at the end of 1935, early benevolent sympathy had waned. The elements which in the past cemented conservative and fascist mutual friendship resulted to be too weack to struggle this changed attitude. After Hitler’s triumph in Germany, the co-operation with Italy became a secondary target for the Foreign Office. No more illusions, no more enthousiasm. Mussolini was only a ‘Dictator minor’.