After the fascist and Nazi regimes were defeated in 1945, European post-war historiography largely overlooked right-wing extremism. New research now shows how extremists rebuilt cross-border networks in Europe and the part Switzerland played. Gonzague de Reynold was an extraordinary figure. He even tried to convince the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini to infuse his fascism with a stronger Catholic orientation. A right-wing Catholic, de Reynold believed that democracy without Christianity would “inevitably become the most inhuman” form of government. According to a biography, he was a “blind admirer” of the Portuguese dictator Antonio de Oliveira Salazar and hoped that Europe would become “Portugalised.” Between democracy and autocracy At the same time, de Reynold helped shape Switzerland’s Geistige Landesverteidigung, or spiritual national defence, in the 1930s. He also worked at the forerunner of UNESCO and advised members of the Swiss government. Today, many Swiss have ...
