In the Shadow of the Swastika; by Marzia Casolari Format: Royal (156 × 234 mm); Style: A; Font: Times New Roman; Dir: Z:/2-Pagination/ITSS_RAPS/ApplicationFiles/9780367508265_text.3d; Created: 15/05/2020 @ 18:55:53 T&F PROOFS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION In the Shadow of the Swastika This book examines and establishes connections between Italian Fascism and Hindu nationalism, connections which developed within the frame of Italy’s anti-British foreign policy. The most remarkable contacts with the Indian political milieu were estab- lished via Bengali nationalist circles. Diplomats and intellectuals played an important role in establishing and cultivating those tie-ups. Tagore’s visit to Italy in 1925 and the much more relevant liaison between Subhas Chandra Bose and the INA were results of the Italian propaganda and activities in India. But the most meaningful part of this book is constituted by the connections and influences it establishes between Fascism as an ideology and a political system and Marathi Hindu nationalism. While examining fascist political lit- erature and Mussolini’s figure and role, Marathi nationalists were deeply impressed and influenced by the political ideology itself, the duce and fascist organisations. These impressions moulded the RSS, a right-wing, Hindu nationalist organisation, and Hindutva ideology, with repercussions on pre- sent Indian politics. This is the most original and revealing part of the book, entirely based on unpublished sources, and will prove foundational for scho- lars of modern Indian history. Marzia Casolari teaches Asian History at the University of Torino, Italy. She has done extensive research on the relations between Italian Fascism and Indian radical nationalism, especially Hindu nationalism. She wrote regularly on present politics in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and recently she is carrying out a research on the military and strategic motifs of India’s partition. In the Shadow of the Swastika; by Marzia Casolari Format: Royal (156 × 234 mm); Style: A; Font: Times New Roman; Dir: Z:/2-Pagination/ITSS_RAPS/ApplicationFiles/9780367508265_text.3d; Created: 15/05/2020 @ 18:55:53 T&F PROOFS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION Routledge Studies in Modern History Union and Disunion in the Nineteenth Century Edited by James Gregory and Daniel J. R. Grey Intellectuals in the Latin Space during the Era of Fascism Crossing Borders Edited by Valeria Galimi and Annarita Gori The Co-opting of Education by Extremist Factions: Professing Hate Sarah Gendron Alcohol Flows Across Cultures Drinking Cultures in Transnational and Comparative Perspective Edited by Waltraud Ernst Red Money for the Global South East-South Economic Relations in the Cold War Max Trecker In the Shadow of the Swastika The Relationships Between Indian Radical Nationalism, Italian Fascism and Nazism Marzia Casolari Russia in Asia Imaginations, Interactions, and Realities Edited by Jane F. Hacking, Jeffrey S. Hardy, and Matthew P. Romaniello The United Nations and Decolonization Edited by Nicole Eggers, Jessica Lynne Pearson and Aurora Almada e Santos For a full list of titles, please visit: https://www.routledge.com/history/series/ MODHIST In the Shadow of the Swastika; by Marzia Casolari Format: Royal (156 × 234 mm); Style: A; Font: Times New Roman; Dir: Z:/2-Pagination/ITSS_RAPS/ApplicationFiles/9780367508265_text.3d; Created: 15/05/2020 @ 18:55:53 T&F PROOFS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION In the Shadow of the Swastika The Relationships Between Indian Radical Nationalism, Italian Fascism and Nazism Marzia Casolari In the Shadow of the Swastika; by Marzia Casolari Format: Royal (156 × 234 mm); Style: A; Font: Times New Roman; Dir: Z:/2-Pagination/ITSS_RAPS/ApplicationFiles/9780367508265_text.3d; Created: 15/05/2020 @ 18:55:53 T&F PROOFS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION First published 2020 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2020 Marzia Casolari The right of Marzia Casolari to be identified as author of this work has been asserted her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Originally published in 2011 as ‘In the Shade of the Swastika: The Ambiguous Relationship between Indian Nationalism and Nazi-Fascism’ by I libri di Emil – Odoya srl, Via Benedetto Marcello 7–40141 Bologna www.ilibridiemil.it British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record has been requested for this book ISBN: 9780367508265 (hbk) ISBN: 9781003051442 (ebk) Typeset in Times New Roman by Taylor & Francis Books In the Shadow of the Swastika; by Marzia Casolari Format: Royal (156 × 234 mm); Style: A; Font: Times New Roman; Dir: Z:/2-Pagination/ITSS_RAPS/ApplicationFiles/9780367508265_text.3d; Created: 15/05/2020 @ 18:55:53 T&F PROOFS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION To my mother, to the memory of my father and to all who are no more. In the Shadow of the Swastika; by Marzia Casolari Format: Royal (156 × 234 mm); Style: A; Font: Times New Roman; Dir: Z:/2-Pagination/ITSS_RAPS/ApplicationFiles/9780367508265_text.3d; Created: 15/05/2020 @ 18:55:53 T&F PROOFS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION In the Shadow of the Swastika; by Marzia Casolari Format: Royal (156 × 234 mm); Style: A; Font: Times New Roman; Dir: Z:/2-Pagination/ITSS_RAPS/ApplicationFiles/9780367508265_text.3d; Created: 15/05/2020 @ 18:55:53 T&F PROOFS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION Contents Foreword viii Preface xiv Acknowledgements xvi List of abbreviations xviii 1 Italian Fascism and Indian radical nationalism: The early phase 1 2 Italian Fascism and Hindu nationalism 33 3 Italy’s Indian policy across the Ethiopian war 58 4 The Second World War 85 Conclusion 120 Bibliography 122 Index 132 In the Shadow of the Swastika; by Marzia Casolari Format: Royal (156 × 234 mm); Style: A; Font: Times New Roman; Dir: Z:/2-Pagination/ITSS_RAPS/ApplicationFiles/9780367508265_text.3d; Created: 15/05/2020 @ 18:55:53 T&F PROOFS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION Foreword This book is based on parts of my Ph.D. thesis. It is the result of a careful study of primary sources especially from the National Archives of India and Nehru Memorial Library, in New Delhi, the State Archives of Mumbay and Kolkata, the Historical Archives of the Italian Ministry of External Affairs in Rome, the Central State Archives in Rome, the India Office Records, at that time at Blackfriars, in London, besides several less known but not less important archives, which are listed at the end of the volume. Several scholars assumed the fascist character of the Sangh Parivar orga- nisations, without concretely proving their claims. Only the primary sources allowed to demonstrate the existence of meaningful connections and influ- ences between Fascism, Nazism and Indian nationalism. Some features of the organisations of the Hindu right, their social structure, their ideology, their racial discourse derives largely from these influences. Initially, the research that led to the publication of this book appeared to have as its main subject the foreign policy of fascist Italy and India. However, it became increasingly clear that Italy’s “Indian policy” was contradictory in nature. Decisions were taken, but nothing came of them. Contacts were established, but they did not develop into consistent political project. There was no general agreement within the fascist leadership about aims and objectives. The decisions made were taken more frequently owing to the initiative of individuals, and often the Minister of External Affairs was not aware of certain developments. However, despite several failures of the Italian foreign policy in India, it is worth analysing the nature of the contacts between the men of the fascist regime and exponents of Indian nationalism and the results that these contacts produced. If Italy’s “Indian policy” lacked continuity and presented many incongruities, a number of Indian nationalists developed a growing interest in Fascism. These men considered the fascist regime as a point of reference and an example to be followed. This interest grew independently from the fascist regime’s own interest in Indian nationalist organisations. Indeed, the Italian fascist leadership was unaware that a number of organisations were engaged in in-depth debates about Italian Fascism, and looked upon Fascism favourably. The Hindu nationalist organisations – RSS and Hindu Mahasabha, above all – and other less well In the Shadow of the Swastika; by Marzia Casolari Format: Royal (156 × 234 mm); Style: A; Font: Times New Roman; Dir: Z:/2-Pagination/ITSS_RAPS/ApplicationFiles/9780367508265_text.3d; Created: 15/05/2020 @ 18:55:53 T&F PROOFS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION Foreword ix known entities such as the Bombay Group, Lokandi Morcha, and the Swastik League (founded by M.R. Jayakar, himself a leading figure in the Hindu Mahasabha) were all keenly interested in Fascism. Subhas Chandra Bose’s relations with the Axis powers, his flight from