This dense and abundantly documented book on Mussolini and Fascist Italy is the fruit of many years of research. Pierre Milza presents the man, his career and the history of Fascist Italy in the first half of the twentieth century. It is not a self-indulgent portrait. This historical work and this biography attempt to understand how and why a modest schoolteacher from Romagna, a workers' activist, metamorphosed into a nationalist and reactionary dictator, a scourge of liberal democracy. In this clear and precise book, which is easy and enjoyable to read, Pierre Milza tries to get to the heart of the matter. His work is essential for understanding an important part of European history and a country - Italy - which is very close to us, but which we know very little about. It is indispensable for the light it sheds on the emergence and evolution of a totalitarian movement, Fascism, and on its inspirer, Mussolini.