WI: Julius Evola as Duce of Fascist Italy

First of all, Evola isnt stupid. He was finishing up his studies as a civil engineer, but quit because it was too bourgeosie. He managed, as a friend of both Hitler and Mussolini ( he was there when the just-rescued Mussolini met Hitler) to maneuver the minefield of criticising both regimes during WWII. He also survived after the war, going so far to proclaim himself as a super fascist (1) during his trial in post WWII Italy. He got off (relatively) scott-free, and wrote most of his well-known works in this period.

For the scenario: let us assume that Evola gets into power on a relatively stable basis; he was appointed by Mussolini and everyone is waiting expectingly what this new Duce would do.

One of the first things Evola would do, would be the creation of a military order to serve as warrior aristocracy, a sort of pseudo post-Posen-1943 SS. It would be based around a initiatory cult, something in the line of Sol Invictus. The members of this order would be recruited from the military, with a heavy emphasis on quality over quantity. I dont see it getting bigger than a few hunderd men in the first decade of its existence.

Evola's aristocratic background and opinions on it would give him both support and resistance from the rest of the Italian aristocracy. They would be far too degenerated from the aristocratic solar ideal to be true aristocrats of the soul.(Character and soul is far more important than riches, name or bloodline for Evola) After an inevitable clash between the aristocracy and Evola (and for the sake of the scenario, let us assume Evola gets the upperhand) the former aristocracy would see itself either integrated in the military order or relieved of their titles (the titles not abolished) and handed out to loyal members of his military order. The king loses his throne, which stays empty with Evola as regent.

On the subject of economics, the plans for autarchy would continue, with little to no input of Evola. As far as I have read, he has no real opinion on economics.

On the geo-political plane, Evola would be a lot more decisive than Mussolini. No waiting until the tenth of june, he would declare the moment his ally was at war. I dont see a direct invasion of Greece happening under Evola, but heavy pressure would be leveraged of course. Even Albania and Ethiopia do not seem adventures on which Evola would be willing to depart on.

For the military, the focus would lie on do-or-die, victory-or-death, me-ne-frego style elite units. Maybe we'd see a paradrop on Malta with whatever result.

Socio-cultural I need to think a bit more, I'm not quite certain what he would do.

(1) With super fascist Evola means going farther than Mussolini's fascism, which was merely superficial in his opinion. Evola would see Fascism drenching the soul of the people, turning its character into an idealised form of Scaevola and Horatius
 
Bad, very bad, unlike Benny that was a politician first and so making compromise was not an anathema for him, Evola was more a pure ideologue and even less attached than Mussolini at a thing called reality. He will have entered the war immediately and damn the consequences.

So he would have been marginalized in an ATL Neutral Italy ruled by Mussolini until the mid-1960s and thus would not have been in a position to style himself as a successor?
 
So he would have been marginalized in an ATL Neutral Italy ruled by Mussolini until the mid-1960s and thus would not have been in a position to style himself as a successor?

Yep, taking also in consideration that before he get in any serious race, basically all the contender need to be eliminated; as said he was more a theoretical ideologue than a 'mover and shacker', he lacked any support or allies and the other powers will have looked at him with a lot of suspicious
 
On the geo-political plane, Evola would be a lot more decisive than Mussolini. No waiting until the tenth of june, he would declare the moment his ally was at war. I dont see a direct invasion of Greece happening under Evola, but heavy pressure would be leveraged of course. Even Albania and Ethiopia do not seem adventures on which Evola would be willing to depart on.

For the military, the focus would lie on do-or-die, victory-or-death, me-ne-frego style elite units. Maybe we'd see a paradrop on Malta with whatever result.

(1) With super fascist Evola means going farther than Mussolini's fascism, which was merely superficial in his opinion. Evola would see Fascism drenching the soul of the people, turning its character into an idealised form of Scaevola and Horatius
Eco smiles from the semioticist's heaven.
 
That article doesn't make any sense. Heidegger left? Recently his diaries cropped up in Germany - I read in Telepolis that his views partly were even more radical than Hitler's!

Never heard about Allan Bloom before, but if he considers Heidegger a lefty, I consider him a fool.
Bloom is a Straussian. Had some cachet qith American neoconservative circles in the early part of last decade.
 

Deleted member 94680

One of the first things Evola would do, would be the creation of a military order to serve as warrior aristocracy, a sort of pseudo post-Posen-1943 SS. It would be based around a initiatory cult, something in the line of Sol Invictus. The members of this order would be recruited from the military, with a heavy emphasis on quality over quantity. I dont see it getting bigger than a few hunderd men in the first decade of its existence.

Evola's aristocratic background and opinions on it would give him both support and resistance from the rest of the Italian aristocracy. They would be far too degenerated from the aristocratic solar ideal to be true aristocrats of the soul.(Character and soul is far more important than riches, name or bloodline for Evola) After an inevitable clash between the aristocracy and Evola (and for the sake of the scenario, let us assume Evola gets the upperhand) the former aristocracy would see itself either integrated in the military order or relieved of their titles (the titles not abolished) and handed out to loyal members of his military order. The king loses his throne, which stays empty with Evola as regent.

On the geo-political plane, Evola would be a lot more decisive than Mussolini. No waiting until the tenth of june, he would declare the moment his ally was at war. I dont see a direct invasion of Greece happening under Evola, but heavy pressure would be leveraged of course. Even Albania and Ethiopia do not seem adventures on which Evola would be willing to depart on.

For the military, the focus would lie on do-or-die, victory-or-death, me-ne-frego style elite units. Maybe we'd see a paradrop on Malta with whatever result.

So, you're saying Italy would be knocked out of the War far sooner and descend into Civil War and internal strife?

Eco smiles from the semioticist's heaven.

He'd be, what, ten years old at the most? He might never be the writer we recognise.
 
Firquality over quantity. I dont see it getting bigger than a few hunderd men in the first decade of its existence.

Evola's aristocratic background and opinions on it would give him both support and resistance from the rest of the Italian aristocracy. They would be far too degenerated from the aristocratic solar ideal to be true aristocrats of the soul.(Character and soul is far more important than riches, name or bloodline for Evola) After an inevitable clash between the aristocracy and Evola (and for the sake of the scenario, let us assume Evola gets the upperhand) the former aristocracy would see itself either integrated in the military order or relieved of their titles (the titles not abolished) and handed out to loyal members of his military order. The king loses his throne, which stays empty with Evola as regent.

You know that if the fascist try (much much enphasis on try) to dethrone the monarchy, they collectively get a nasty poisoning by lead violently injected in the brain? The army it's much more loyal to the King than to the fascist regime, even during Mussolini zenith of popularity. The good thing it's that the rest of the fascist party know this and if Evola try something of so epically stupid, they will kill him personally.
 
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