Lorenzo Castellani, Alberto Beneduce: Mussolini’s Technocrat: Power, Knowledge, and Institutions in Fascist Italy – Routledge, October 2025

New Books interview with Tim Jones

Thanks to dmf for the links. Shame about the prohibitive price.

Alberto Beneduce, a prominent banker, policy-maker and technocratic institutions’ builder, held immense power as Fascist Italy’s chief banker from 1925 to 1940. Most importantly, he was Mussolini’s financial advisor and a key member of his inner circle of officers. Few historical eras have elicited more scholarly attention and discussion than fascism; totalitarian political ideology remains a dynamic topic and continues to exercise a powerful hold on scholarly enquiry. Nonetheless, further studies on the role played by individuals holding governmental powers under dictatorships should be undertaken to better grasp the political phenomenon of totalitarianism. Previous studies have primarily focused on Alberto Beneduce’s contributions to economic and administrative history, but this volume offers the first comprehensive scholarly examination in English of Beneduce’s political and ideological positions and aims to shed light on the broad interplay between knowledge, power, economics and the political elite in Fascist Italy. Utilizing original archival material, this research presents new evidence on Beneduce’s evolution as a politician, scholar, and financier. Employing a multidisciplinary approach, it sheds new light on his pivotal role within Mussolini’s inner circle, making a substantial contribution to ongoing debates about technocracy and its function in authoritarian regimes.

This book will be of interest to researchers of Italian fascism, administrative and economic history.