The Italian word “propaganda” originally referred to advertisements for consumer products, not political misinformation. But with the rise of the Fascism, propaganda assumed its modern definition: the marketing of politics. Throughout Benito Mussolini’s dictatorship (1922-1945), advertising shaped autocracy, and vice-versa. We often think of Fascist propaganda in two dimensions, picturing posters and newsreels. But because the regime created powerful incentives for private businesses to support state dictates, propaganda included architecture, fashion, and even children’s toys. Today, the far-right deploys new kinds of propaganda, using generative AI and deep fakes, to attract new followers. From Fascism to Neo-Fascism, the most powerful forms of propaganda surround voters with alternate realities. 

This speaker series brings together four scholars who have studied Italian Fascist and Neo-Fascist propaganda to understand how it creates this total environment, and how to see through it. "Where Monsters are Born," a lecture by Professor Brian Griffith documents a Fascist revival in the streets of Rome, 2018-19.