Giovanni Gentile



Giovanni Gentile was an Italian philosopher, politician and an educator known as the "Philosopher of Fascism." He contributed to the rise of Italian fascism and was the ghostwriter of Benito Mussolini's essay, The Doctrine of Fascism. He was influenced by Karl Marx, Engels and Friedrich Nietzsche among others. Under Il Duce, Gentile became the Minister of Public Education and started a reform of Italian education.

Following the Allied invasion of Italy in 1943, Gentile supported Mussolini's creation of the Nazi puppet state, the Italian Social Republic (or "Salò"), under which he accepted a position as head of the Academy of Italy. In 1944, Gentile was killed by anti-fascist communists.

Views
Gentile has been referred to as the "official philosopher of Fascism in Italy." He was a supporter of rejection of individualism, collectivism and the recognition of the state as the ultimate authority. He wanted fascism to have been based on his own philosophy.