Product Description

Mussolini's Foreign Minister, and son in law, Count Ciano kept one of the most important and influential diaries to come out of World War II. These are those diaries. Covering events from 1939 until 1943, finishing days before his own execution by a firing squad for conspiring against his father in law. With an original introduction by Malcolm Muggeridge and a new foreword by Denis Mack Smith.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #232867 in Books
• Published on: 2002-04-18
• Original language: Italian
• Binding: Paperback
• 760 pages

About the Author
Count Galeazzo Ciano was Mussolini's foreign minister and son-in-law. After several Axis defeats in 1942, Ciano became one of many Fascist proponents of a separate peace with the Allies. The suspicious Mussolini dismissed his entire Cabinet (Feb. 5, 1943), and Ciano was appointed ambassador to the Vatican. Nonetheless, Ciano and other leading Fascists retained enough power at the historic meeting of the Grand Council (July 24/25, 1943) to force Mussolini's resignation. When the new government was preparing charges of embezzling against him, the immensely rich Ciano fled Rome. He was captured by pro-Mussolini partisans and Germans in northern Italy. In 1944, on Mussolini's orders, he was brought to trial on a charge of treason, found guilty, and executed by a shot in the back.

Customer Reviews

a very nice man!
iI read this book and found it dangerously informative for it"s time.
a classic case of "wrong place wrong time" it makes one wonder what
he had written on the removed pages!

WW2
A diary is a diary and not a historical review of events with additional information.

Frankly I found 1937 to 1939 a bit boring.It got much more interesting once the War started and very revealing concerning the German approach to Italy as an ally. Ciano's end seemed to come very quickly and being a Diary was not fully explained which frustrated me.
Not a book that I would refer to on any matter concerning WW2