1994/11/01 by Mike Cronin · 1 citation
Social Sciences · Arts and Humanities · #Italian Fascism and Post-war Society #Cultural History and Identity Formation
paper · doi:10.1017/s0021121400011597
openalex publication_date 1994/11/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
The Blueshirts have been overlooked as a subject for study in recent years by historians. The only major work on the subject, Manning’s The Blueshirts , was written some twenty years ago, and what should have been an excellent launching-pad for further and fuller research into the subject has not been amplified since. Many questions remain undiscussed and unanswered. Historians have toyed with the subject of the Blueshirts’links with fascism, but no accepted consensus has yet appeared. There has been little if any work dealing with the leadership of the Blueshirts, and the numerous influential men and women who became involved in such a contentious organisation, but the biggest gap in Blueshirt knowledge is that relating to the numbers and background of men and women who joined the movement as ordinary members. This article will attempt to fill this gap by citing both Blueshirt and government figures which have relevance to the total number of Blueshirts, and by investigating the patterns of backgrounds and motivations that emerged from fifteen interviews with ex-members. The other unanswered questions must wait.