Photofascism : Photography, Film, and Exhibition Culture in 1930s Germany and Italy

Photography and fascism in interwar Europe developed into a highly toxic and combustible formula. Particularly in concert with aggressive display techniques, the European fascists were utterly convinced of their ability to use the medium of photography to manufacture consent among their publics. Unfortunately, as we know in hindsight, they succeeded. Other dictatorial regimes in the 1930s harnessed this powerful combination of photography and exhibitions for their own odious purposes. But this book, for the first time, focuses on the particularly consequential dialectic between Germany and Italy in the early-to-mid 1930s, and within each of those countries vis-à-vis display culture.

The 1930s provides a potent case study for every generation, and it is as urgent as ever in our global political environment to deeply understand the central role of visual imagery in what transpired. Photofascism demonstrates precisely how dictatorial regimes use photographic mass media, methodically and in combination with display, to persuade the public with often times highly destructive-even catastrophic-results.

“Vanessa Rocco's Photofascism is an outstanding achievement: a theoretically sophisticated and analytically compelling exposé of the way that the Italian and German dictatorships exploited exhibition culture in order to secure mass loyalty. Today, moreover, in light of fascism's return, Rocco's insights have assumed an uncanny contemporary relevance.” —Richard Wolin, Distinguished Professor of History and Comparative Literature, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York, USA

“Photofascism provides a fascinating, timely, and theoretically rich analysis of the photographic exhibition as a potent piece of the twentieth-century fascist propaganda machine. Rocco has written a historically and geographically grounded study with compelling implications for contemporary society.” —Dolores Flamiano, Professor, James Madison University School of Media Arts & Design, USA

“Rocco's study represents a timely addition to the consolidated literature on photography as a means of seductive political persuasion and the monumental staging of power in interwar Europe.” —Maria Antonella Pelizzari, Professor of Art History, Hunter College and The Graduate Center, The City University of New York, USA