In this controversial and groundbreaking study, Simon Levis Sullam proposes a compelling reinterpretation of the political thought of one of Italy's founding fathers, Giuseppe Mazzini (1805-1872). By suggesting a new approach to understanding the origins of fascist ideology, he sheds much-needed light on the continuity between nineteenth-century Italian nationalism and fascism. Providing the first in-depth analysis of the religious aspects of Mazzini's nationalism (which has generally been categorized by historians as liberal and democratic), Levis Sullam identifies its authoritarian and potentially anti-democratic components and traces their influence on the rise of conservative and fascist politics in Italy. Ultimately, the book demonstrates that the absence of a civil religion in the process of Italian national identity formation, in concert with the Risorgimento's relatively weak democratic tradition, was a critical factor in the evolution of right-wing ideology in the nation.