Labriola, Mussolini and the renewal of italian revolutionary socialism between ideology and pragmatism

Abstract

This work analyses the ideological comparison between Arturo Labriola and Benito Mussolini within Italian revolutionary socialism from 1904 to 1912. The two differ on crucial issues. Labriola supports a spontaneous and decentralized revolution led by the working masses through the trade union body, while Mussolini promotes a planned revolution through the centralized elite. Their thinking reflects the internal tensions of Italian socialism in dealing with the crisis of the liberal State.