Everyday Fascism in the Aegean

The previous two chapters considered how the ideological shift that occurred in the Fascist dictatorship after the invasion of Ethiopia (1935–36) changed both representations (chapter 2) and rule in (chapter 3) the Dodecanese.¹ This chapter will consider how and why local history, memories, and archival records of everyday life have often personified the ideological differences of the Fascist state, characterizing some Italians as “good” and others as “bad.” This dichotomy is most frequently evident in the characterization of Cesare De Vecchi, who governed the islands after 1936, as an “insane” man in comparison to Lago, who was “συνετó,” or