Page 26 - All About History - Issue 38-16

Dictators

FEZ
THE IL DUCE MADE THEM POPULAR
Anatomy LONG BEFORE TOMMY COOPER
As if all the military equestrian
of clobber wasn’t trendsetting enough,
the future Italian duce topped
this uniform with a black fez. The
National Fascist Party emblem – an
axe bound in a bundle of wooden
A BLACKSHIRT badge.
rods – was typically worn on it as a

ITALY, 1923

PO FACE

THERE’S NOTHING FUNNY ABOUT FASCISM
There were as many as 200,000 Blackshirts
by October 1922, and as Mussolini’s power
BLACK SHIRT grew, so did their boldness. With violent
attacks against their bitter enemies the
IT’S THE NEW PINK, Y’KNOW Socialists, labour unions and anyone who
opposed their views, intimidation was their
Il Duce’s volunteer militia, the game. So smiles were out of the equation.
paramilitary wing of his national
fascist party, wore black uniforms,
or at least a black shirt. This was
inspired by the uniform of Italy’s
elite World War I storm troopers,
the Arditi – or ‘the daring ones’.

A CHEST FULL OF MEDALS

THEY’RE PROUD TO BE ITALIANS
RIDING BREECHES Many of Mussolini’s Blackshirt
volunteers would have been drawn
BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE IN EUROPE WEARS THEM from the military – ex-World War I
Italian servicemen. The uniform might
The choice of uniform was as much down to have been inspired by Italian special
Mussolini seeking individuality as anything else. forces, but black is quite understated, so
Riding breeches were comfortable, practical and nothing screams ‘HERO!’ louder than to
original at the time. He set a trend, too: not only have every honour you’ve ever earned
was Hitler inspired by the Blackshirt march on dripping off your left breast.
Rome to form the Munich Putsch, but he fancied
those pants for his own militia – the SS.

SWAGGER STICK

IT WASN’T ALWAYS FOR SHOW
While the Blackshirts were beating and burning
their way up the parliamentary food chain, they still
needed to appear respectable, rather than a rabble.
A neatly pressed uniform was a good start – a cane
and gloves complemented their riding togs and made JACKBOOTS
them appear a cut above the peasants. It doubled up
as a painful beat stick in a pinch, too. FOR THE MARCH ON ROME
What better way to announce a fresh new trend
in Italian politics and footwear than a catwalk? A
giant catwalk that stretches all the way to Rome,
the capital of the world’s most fashionable country.
30,000 Blackshirts should do it, and they’re going
© Kevin McGivern to need some noisy black heels.

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