The Italian Social Movement and Its Historical Path of Radical Westernism

This chapter examines the political and ideological evolution of the Movimento Sociale Italiano (MSI) from its foundation in 1946 to the early 1990s, focusing on its contradictory relationship with the United States and the Western political order. Initially characterized by fascist nostalgia, anti-Americanism, and a fundamentally anti-democratic political culture, the MSI progressively embraced Atlanticism, regarding anti-communism as an instrument of political legitimization without abandoning its criticism of democracy. However, its attempts to gain recognition from American conservative circles remained largely unsuccessful, revealing the contradictions between its neo-fascist identity and its Western alignment. From the 1970s onward, significant changes emerged through the selective appropriation of American mass culture and a growing interest in Anglo-American neoliberalism. The political ascendancy of Thatcher and Reagan encouraged the MSI's selective engagement with their political agenda, particularly anti-tax rhetoric and law-and-order policies. This engagement, often but not exclusively instrumental, coexisted with nationalist and corporatist traditions. The chapter argues that this trajectory of radical Westernism was neither linear nor ideologically coherent. Rather, it involved a selective reinterpretation of neo-fascist traditions and the strategic use of new political models in response to changing international circumstances, contributing to the MSI's transformation and eventual integration into the Italian political system in the early 1990s.