The Fasces by T. Corey Brennan


ISBN
9780197644881
Published
Binding
Hardcover
Pages
288
Dimensions
167 x 242 x 24mm

"Fascism" is a word ubiquitous in our contemporary political discourse, but few know about its roots in the ancient past or its long, strange evolution to the present.

In ancient Rome, the fasces were a bundle of wooden rods bound with a leather cord, in which an axe was placed-in essence, a mobile kit for corporal or capital punishment. Attendants typically carried fasces before Rome's higher officials, to induce feelings of respect and fear for the relevant authority. This highly performative Roman institution had a lifespan of almost two millennia, and made a deep impression on subsequent eras, from the Byzantine period to the present.

Starting in the Renaissance, we find revivals and reinterpretations of the ancient fasces, accelerating especially after 1789, the first year of the United States' Constitution and the opening volley of the French Revolution. But it was Benito Mussolini, who, beginning in 1919, propagated the fasces on an unprecedented scale. Oddly, today the emblem has grown largely unfamiliar, which in turn has offered an opening to contemporary extremist groups.

In The Fasces, T. Corey Brennan offers the first global history of the nature, development, and competing meanings of this stark symbol, from antiquity to the twenty-first century. The word "fascism" has universal awareness in contemporary political discourse, which thus makes this, the first book to trace the full arc of the fasces' almost 3,000-year history, essential reading for all who wish to understand how the past informs the present.
EOFY 2025 Book Frenzy
52.69
RRP: $61.99
15% off RRP


This product is unable to be ordered online. Please check in-store availability.
Instore Price: $61.99
Enter your Postcode or Suburb to view availability and delivery times.

You might also like

Egyptian Book Of The Dead
65.00
24.99
62% Off
Guns Germs And Steel
29.99
25.49
15% Off
Rubicon
26.99
22.94
15% Off
Philip And Alexander
24.99
21.24
15% Off
Persian Fire
27.99
23.79
15% Off
Powers And Thrones
24.99
21.24
15% Off
World History
42.99
36.54
15% Off
Istanbul
29.99
25.49
15% Off
Babylon
27.99
23.79
15% Off
Stalins Wine Cellar
24.99
21.24
15% Off
1177 BC
29.99
25.49
15% Off

RRP refers to the Recommended Retail Price as set out by the original publisher at time of release.
The RRP set by overseas publishers may vary to those set by local publishers due to exchange rates and shipping costs.
Due to our competitive pricing, we may have not sold all products at their original RRP.