The Aircraft as a Fascist Propaganda Artifact by Fabio Segre

The Aircraft as a Fascist Propaganda Artifact

( View of Italian Cities, exhibition, Metropole/Colony at Frost Museum)

 

The totalitarian European states in the 30s tried to establish a link between nationalist popular feelings and identity, by employing modern techniques of visual expression and advance technology through the state propaganda. The airplane as a modern artifact represents an element or image of unreachable power and modernity for the “technological deprived” African colonies. 

Mussolini, establish his totalitarian government within a strong sense of inferiority in relationship with other Europeans powers, especially after the World War I, when Italy was not invited to participate at the Versailles Conference. To overcome this sense of inferiority it was necessary to recuperate the glories of the Roman Empire, and to show to the rest of Europe that Italy could again become an Empire by colonizing East African territories. The demagogic propaganda of this period showed how Italy, with the airplane, defined its presence in the world. One of the first fascist international propaganda campaigns was the relationship with the Americas – the flights of Italo Balbo to Rio de Janeiro, South America and Chicago North America in 1930-1933. After that representation of supremacy and power Italy launch a propaganda campaign introducing Italians idiosyncrasy in African colonies, where Italy will be responsible of introduce the benefits of modernity: the airplane, the new projects improving cities infrastructure and the Italian fascist architecture. 

 

          

                                                                                        (Exhibition, Metropole/Colony at Frost Museum)

                                       (Italo Balbo transatlantic flights posters propaganda)

               The image of the aircraft constantly revealed and identified the fascist government goals and character. The media used for this propaganda posters can also be consider avant-garde for its time by mixing to different forms of visual expression, art-deco with modern graphic elements. The aircraft was also used as an instrument that allowed architects and town planners to understand geography, landscapes and cities.

       (Exhibition, Metropole/Colony at Frost Museum)

             In the exhibition “The Metropole / Colony Africa and Italy”, the image of the airplane is used constantly as a propaganda element; as a symbol of power and modernity; a technical instrument that permits the connection between continents, and societies, integrating different cultures from developed countries, to under-development countries The exposition also shows the principal aspect and interest of the fascist colonization period in Africa such as “reclamation of land for farming, resettlement of populations, rebuilding of cities, and intensive promotion of agriculture and industry”.