Research Proposal

Matthew Flyr

Pd 3

 

Title: Is My Neighbor a Fascist? Making Sense of the Citizens in Mussolini’s Fascism, and How to Know if Fascism is Making a Comeback 

 

Project Overview:

I will be studying the sociological characteristics of citizens in a fascist regime. Specifically, I will investigate the citizens of Mussolini’s fascism, and what characteristics of the people or aspects of the historical situation gave rise to fascism in Italy and allowed it to flourish. Furthermore, I will study the rise of fascist or far-right extremist ideas in Italian politics, and how Mussolini’s regime is affecting contemporary political or societal thought in Italy. I will also explore the democratization of Italy, and how Mussolini’s fascism either inhibited or catalyzed this democratic growth.

 

Problem Statement:

Often times, when thinking about any of the fascist regimes of World War II, one will jump to the conclusion that the entire country, leaders and citizens, are evil. I plan to challenge this perception by informing people on the characteristics held by fascist citizens, causing the realization that the survival of a fascist regime is not because of evil citizens, but because of high levels of societal adversity and manipulative leaders. There is also a rising presence of an extreme-right group in Italian politics. I hope to highlight their inhumane actions taken towards gypsies in order to discredit their extremist ideology by linking this group to fascist ideas.

            The audience for my project will be people who have an interest in politics. Because I hope to have a newspaper article published, my research will reach people who seek political news. I will also present my findings to students in my school and in other schools throughout the county, adding high school students to the audience.

 

Objectives:

            The product of my research will be a newspaper article, sent to the Washington Post or other local newspapers, reporting my findings on Mussolini’s fascism and how it relates to Italy’s democratization. I will also create a presentation for students or other people who may be interested in my area of research. 

            Later this year, I will attempt to contact a representative of the Washington Post. Through him or her, I will send my article to the newspaper with the hope of having it published. My presentation will take place both at my school and at a student learning conference later next year, where students, parents, and adults involved in the research program or education, and people who have a genuine interest in my topic will have an opportunity to hear my presentation.

 

Background:

            I will acquire both my historical research on fascist citizens and my descriptive research on current fascist ideas with a combination of primary and secondary sources. With books, articles, speeches, videos, interviews, I will gather research to create a research paper. The topic of this paper can be seen above. (See “Project Overview”).

            Currently, I am in contact with a sociology professor from Stanford University, Professor Paolo Parigi. His research areas of interest include comparative sociology and the Italian political system. I will consult him on my research proposal and ideas, request valuable information through interviews and helpful resources.

 

Research Methodology:

            Research Questions:

                        What characteristics of the citizens in Mussolini’s fascism allowed this regime to flourish, and how might the effects of this regime impact current extreme-right ideas in Italian politics?

            Research Design:

                        This research will be qualitative, as I am researching characteristics and historical context that are not usually recorded in terms of numbers. The research will also follow both a historical and descriptive research design; historical research will include my study of the fascist citizens and regime, and descriptive research will include my study of contemporary fascist issues in Italy. I will use a combination of primary and secondary sources, as well as information provided from my advisor, to conduct my research.

 

Logistical Considerations:

            For my research, I will need access to many different research tools, including the Internet, databases, and libraries. For my newspaper article and presentation, I will need access to a computer, and need several resources including poster board and a printer. I will also use a human resource- my advisor, Professor Parigi.

 

Timeline

 

 

December

• Shift focus from historical research to research on current examples of fascism
• Conduct interviews with Ms Farro, who has a perspective on the current situation in Italy
• Receive answers to research questions from my advisor

 

January

• Contact a representative of the Washington Post to inquire about the article
• Continue research on contemporary exampled of fascism
• Send a second round of questions to my advisor

 

February

• Create the final research proposal
• Finish research
• Begin compiling my information into a research paper

 

March

• Begin creating my newspaper article

 

April

• Prepare presentation for GT Fair
• Finish Newspaper article
• Finish research paper

 

May

• Make final revisions

• Deliver final product
• Present at Student learning conference