Trade-Unionism, Labour World and Popular Cultures in Fascist Italy

Abstract

The fascist conquest of the civil society involved a complex relationship of inheritance with the past and the associative traditions linked to the popular political cultures. The fascist regime tried a «nationalization of the masses». A capillary network of organizations was created in order to recompose the social interests in corporative forms (trade unions, cooperation, etc.), using a bureaucratic and hierarchical model. Exemplary was the action developed by the Opera nazionale del dopolavoro, created for the promotion of leisure time and recreational-cultural activity. Fascism promoted other institutions with the purpose of organizing both young people and women, rivalring with the Catholic Action. They were concerned about the education of the Italians and the construction of a new political class.