'A beguiling portrait... reminds us that, ideologically and culturally, Morès anticipates the tragedies of the 20th century, and also those of today' The Times
One of the most anticipated books of the year according to Financial Times and New Statesman
The extraordinary story of the nineteenth-century French-Italian aristocrat Marquis de Morès, the father of fascism, and his ominous legacy
In nineteenth-century France, the first fascist was born. Decades before Mussolini, the Marquis de Morès became the first populist and openly antisemitic leader in the Western world. A key figure behind the Dreyfus affair, he tore France apart with his inflammatory media rhetoric and violent stunts. Who was this man, who both anticipated and propelled the fascist politics that erupted in the twentieth century?
Drawing on a wealth of original sources, award-winning historian Sergio Luzzatto explores the forgotten story of a father of fascism. He shows how, after losing aristocratic status in modern, democratic France, Morès led an adventurous life cattle ranching on the American frontier and building a railway in the jungles of Indochina - yet found all his schemes dogged by failure. He follows in Morès's footsteps, as, blaming supposed Jewish machinations for his defeats, he returned to France and soon controlled a large, violent militia of disgruntled workers. Even when his rapid political rise was torpedoed by a highly publicized financial scandal, his shadow continued to loom. In Vichy France, as Jewish people were being deported to Auschwitz, officials would gather to celebrate Morès's memory. Vivid and unsettling, The First Fascist is an engrossing exploration of the roots of our present discontent.
| ISBN: | 9780241715819 |
| Publication date: | 5th February 2026 |
| Author: | Sergio Luzzatto |
| Publisher: | Allen Lane an imprint of Penguin Books Ltd |
| Format: | Hardback |
| Pagination: | 480 pages |
| Genres: |
History: specific events and topics Biography: historical, political and military Social discrimination and social justice Far-right political ideologies and movements Political leaders and leadership European history |
'A beguiling portrait... reminds us that, ideologically and culturally, Morès anticipates the tragedies of the 20th century, and also those of today' The Times
One of the most anticipated books of the year according to Financial Times and New Statesman
The extraordinary story of the nineteenth-century French-Italian aristocrat Marquis de Morès, the father of fascism, and his ominous legacy
In nineteenth-century France, the first fascist was born. Decades before Mussolini, the Marquis de Morès became the first populist and openly antisemitic leader in the Western world. A key figure behind the Dreyfus affair, he tore France apart with his inflammatory media rhetoric and violent stunts. Who was this man, who both anticipated and propelled the fascist politics that erupted in the twentieth century?
Drawing on a wealth of original sources, award-winning historian Sergio Luzzatto explores the forgotten story of a father of fascism. He shows how, after losing aristocratic status in modern, democratic France, Morès led an adventurous life cattle ranching on the American frontier and building a railway in the jungles of Indochina - yet found all his schemes dogged by failure. He follows in Morès's footsteps, as, blaming supposed Jewish machinations for his defeats, he returned to France and soon controlled a large, violent militia of disgruntled workers. Even when his rapid political rise was torpedoed by a highly publicized financial scandal, his shadow continued to loom. In Vichy France, as Jewish people were being deported to Auschwitz, officials would gather to celebrate Morès's memory. Vivid and unsettling, The First Fascist is an engrossing exploration of the roots of our present discontent.
The First Fascist features in the following genres: History: specific events and topics, Biography: historical, political and military, Social discrimination and social justice, Far-right political ideologies and movements, Political leaders and leadership, European history
The First Fascist is available in Hardback
The First Fascist was written by Sergio Luzzatto and published by Allen Lane an imprint of Penguin Books Ltd
The First Fascist has 480 pages
£27.00