The muscular male body is a western invention, it is timeless and universal. This body
developed politically in philosophical thoughts and ideologies and aesthetically in art,
especially sculpture. More than any other ideology, fascism was built on emotions, especially
on the discontent of the Italians, as a result of the lost First World War. Mussolini introduced
the new man and the new woman of fascist Italy and extended this idea to practically all areas
of individual life and activities. The aim of fascism was the revitalization of the Italian nation,
whose attributes were national purity, vitality and strength. The master's thesis is based on the
analysis of the male fascist body, determining the causes of the emergence of the male muscular
ideal and the sexual repression of the fascist dictatorship. Fascism sought to consolidate
masculinity due to imperialist aspirations and the desire to establish a new Roman Empire, as
well as fear of the changing gender roles in a patriarchal society.
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