Hello Lee.



 LL> The Italian Origin of Fascism

 LL> The words fascism and fascist have long been associated with the
 LL> Fascisti of Benito Mussolini and the fasces, the bundle of rods
 LL> with an ax among them, which the Fascisti used as a symbol of the
 LL> Italian people united and obedient to the single authority of the
 LL> state. However, Mussolini did not introduce the word fascista
 LL> (plural fascisti) with the 1919 organization of the Fasci di
 LL> combattimento ("combat groups"), nor did the fasces have any
 LL> direct connection with the origin of fascista. In Italian, the word
 LL> fascio (plural fasci) means literally "bundle," and
 LL> figuratively "group." From at least 1872 fascio was used in the
 LL> names of labor and agrarian unions, and in October 1914 a political
 LL> coalition was formed called the Fascio rivoluzionario d'azione
 LL> internazionalista ("revolutionary group for international
 LL> action"), which advocated Italian participation in World War I on
 LL> the side of the Allies. Members of this group were first called
 LL> fascisti in January 1915. Although Mussolini was closely associated
 LL> with this interventionist movement, it had no direct link with the
 LL> post-war Fasci di combattimento, and in 1919 the word fascista was
 LL> already in political circulation. It is, however, to the Fascisti
 LL> in their 1919 incarnation, who seized power in Italy three years
 LL> later, that we owe the current customary meanings of our words
 LL> fascism and fascist.

Thank you, Lee, for this bit of history that I found quite informative. What
was the source? Or was it from your own knowledge?

Best regards,
Marc

--- timEd/2 1.10.y2k+