The First Fascist
The Sensational Life and Dark Legacy of the Marquis de Morès
The First Fascist is Sergio Luzzatto’s absorbing biography of the Marquis de Morès, covering how he came to lead an antisemitic movement in the late 1800s that was later defined as fascist.
The French son of former Italian nobility and a military man who married into wealth, Morès didn’t lack ego or opportunities. Hopscotching across continents, this thorough biography chronicles his misadventures, from a stint as a cattle rancher and meat distributor in the Dakotas (highlighted by a surprising friendship with Teddy Roosevelt) to a doomed attempt to build a railway on the China-Vietnam border. As his failures mounted, Morès blamed Jewish financiers and politicians, joining up with like-minded supporters to start a political party that would threaten to upend the French government.
In compiling a retrospective of Morès’s life, the book draws from a multitude of historical illustrations and sources, including military reports, newspaper excerpts, and firsthand accounts by local settlers and police informants. Rousing the public using “fake” news, accusing high-ranking Jews of conspiracies, challenging opponents to duels, and even running for political office in Paris, Morès was more notable for his bluster than lasting results. Nevertheless, the book argues that he should be more than a historical footnote: his tactics and prejudices influenced fascist demagogues including Benito Mussolini in subsequent decades.
Also included is a rich overview of the tumult of the late nineteenth century, as aristocracies gave way to capitalism and urbanization and pistol duels were phased out in favor of political skullduggery. While Morès’s life was short, it was packed with incident, and this profile of his exploits, capped with a chilling epilogue about the far-ranging consequences of fascism, is an excellent political history as well as an enticing character study.
Reviewed by
Ho Lin
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