Episode 6 - Struggles against fascism and the far right in Italy and Spain

A People's History with John McDonnell

A discussion on the rise of fascism and the far-right in Italy and Spain, resulting in the brutal regimes of Franco and Mussolini.

This episode explores the conditions that led to their rise and the left struggles in both country during and after the establishment of both fascist regimes - John McDonnell speaks to three expert historians: Jessica Thorne; David Broder and Professor Paul Preston.

• Jessica Thorne is a Doctoral candidate in History at Royal Holloway, London, researching transnational resistance to Franco's Spain (1950-1975); she is also currently working with Autonomy, an independent, progressive research organisation that focuses on the future of work and economic planning.
• David Broder is a historian who writes about Italian politics for a number of publications. He is Europe editor at Jacobin magazine and author of Mussolini's Grandchildren: Fascism In Contemporary Italy.
• Paul Preston is the School Professor for the Department of International History in the London School of Economics. Teaching in British and Spanish Universities, Paul has also published books including: The Spanish Civil War, Reaction, Revolution and Revenge; Franco: A Biography; The Spanish Holocaust. Inquisition and Extermination in Twentieth Century Spain; A People Betrayed. A History of Corruption, Political Incompetence and Social Division in Modern Spain 1874–2018