The heirs of Il Duce.

Italy never underwent a process equivalent to Germany’s de-Nazification after World War II. At the start of the Cold War, the Allies wanted to block Western Europe’s largest Communist party from power. They took a minimalist approach to purges of fascists and other punitive measures that could cause social unrest in Italy. They also looked the other way when Giorgio Almirante and other fascists who had served Mussolini founded the Italian Social Movement (MSI),  in 1946. 

Brothers of Italy was formed a decade ago to carry forth the spirit and legacy of the extreme right in Italy. Meloni’s predecessor as the head of the Brothers of Italy declared, “We are all heirs of Il Duce.” The tricolor flame in the Brothers of Italy logo celebrates the party’s connection with its fascist past by reviving the MSI’s emblem. Meloni’s party slogan—“God, Fatherland, Family” came from Mussolini’s dictatorship.

Ruth Ben-Ghiat, professor of history and Italian studies at New York University, wrote for The Atlantic last week that "Meloni's enemies list is familiar: 'LGBT lobbies' that are out to harm women and the family by destroying 'gender identity'; George Soros, an 'international speculator,' she has said, who finances global 'mass immigration' that threatens a Great Replacement of white, native-born Italians."