This article deals with the origins and development of the neo-fascist party “Italian Social Movement”. In a bottom-up perspective, it presents the case study of Tuscany from the end of World War II to the national party congress held at Viareggio in 1954.
Analysing sources from local and national archives, the author outlines the history of the party in the context of a so-called «red» region. He focuses in particular on recon structing the emergence of the party and its peripheral structure, as well as drawing up an initial profile of the middle cadres and militant. Finally, he outlines the party’s relations with its flanking associations. Starting from the regional dimension, the paper aims to establish a link with national trends and problems, highlighting the party’s capacity to adapt to the regional specificities of the Tuscan reality, as well as the similarities with the more general Italian trends.
