Russian Monarchial Leader according to Italian Fascist Model: Ideal Efforts of P. B. Struve and I. A. Ilyin in 1925–1926

Abstract

The years 1924–1926 turned out to be rich in the life of the Russian emigration: at this time, the Vozrozhdenie newspaper was created, disputes about the possible succession of the Russian imperial power, the preparation and holding of the Russian Foreign Congress, which was supposed to consolidate Russian exiles, remove party contradictions and political differences in order to combat communism. A new link appeared in the ideology of the emigre circles of that time — this is the theme of Italian fascism, its legitimacy and prospects from the point of view of victory over Soviet power. The main authors who apologized for fascism were I. A. Ilyin and P. B. Struve. An analysis of their publications on the pages of the Renaissance allows us to see how Russian thinkers sought all possible resources to achieve their main goal. Genuine émigré “first love” for Mussolini’s fascism is a historical fact. The context, specificity and motives of this “first love” are the subject of these notes.