Building American Supermen? Bernarr MacFadden, Benito Mussolini and American fascism in the 1930s

Abstract

In 1931, Bernarr MacFadden, America’s self-proclaimed prophet of physical culture joined forces with Italian dictator Bennito Mussolini in an attempt to train a new generation of Italian soldiers. Done as part of MacFadden’s own attempts to secure a position within President’s Roosevelt’s cabinet, MacFadden’s trip has typically been depicted as an odd quirk of Italian-American relations during this period. Italian historians have viewed the collaboration as an indication of Mussolini’s commitment to strength and gymnastics for nationalist ends. For MacFadden’s biographers the trip is depicted as a new turn in MacFadden’s business enterprise which sought to heighten MacFadden’s socio-political importance. Building on previous studies, the proposed article depicts MacFadden’s fascist flirtation as a new turn in American nationalism which both admired, and sought to emulate, European fascism. Touching on issues of gender, race, and transnationalism, MacFadden’s trip exemplifies the well-established relationship between sport and nationalism.