As Liberation Day approaches every April 25th, the editorial pages of Italy’s national newspapers reignite the national discourse over Mussolini, fascism, and the future of Italian democracy. Although the fall of nazi/fascism may seem remote, it remains relevant today, not only to Italians but also to Italian Americans.  

Italian fascist influence in America and especially California has been well documented in works by professors Gloria Ricci Lothrop and Philip Cannistraro, as well as in the books and essays of other Italian American scholars. Prof. Lothrop informs us that Mussolini established the Los Angeles consulate so that he could influence Southern California’s Italian population with his fascist propaganda.