Emilio Gentile is Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Rome La Sapienza. His books include "The Sacralization of Politics in Fascist Italy; The Struggle for Modernity: Nationalism, Futurism, and Fascism; The Origin of Fascist Ideology;" and "The Italian Road to Totalitarianism: The Party and the State in the Fascist Regime" (forthcoming). In 2003 he was awarded the Hans Sigrist Prize by the University of Bern for his studies on political religions.

"The threat of new exclusive, intolerant and fundamentalist nationalism with powerful racist connotations is a danger. This book could make a contribution to analysing these phenomena."--Dr P. J. Dorey, Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae (South Africa)

• Acknowledgments ix INTRODUCTION: The Sacralization of Politics xi Chapter 1: A Never-Never Religion, A Substitute for Religion, or a New Religion? 1 Chapter 2: Civil Religions and Political Religions: From Democratic Revolutions to Totalitarian States 16 Chapter 3: The Leviathan as a Church: Totalitarianism and Political Religion 45 Chapter 4: The Invasion of the Idols: Christians against Totalitarian Religions 68 Chapter 5: Toward the Third Millennium: The Sacralization of Politics in States both New and Old 110 Chapter 6: Religions of Politics: Definitions, Distinctions, and Qualifications 138 Notes 147

Emilio Gentile is Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Rome La Sapienza. His books include "The Sacralization of Politics in Fascist Italy; The Struggle for Modernity: Nationalism, Futurism, and Fascism; The Origin of Fascist Ideology;" and "The Italian Road to Totalitarianism: The Party and the State in the Fascist Regime" (forthcoming). In 2003 he was awarded the Hans Sigrist Prize by the University of Bern for his studies on political religions.

"The threat of new exclusive, intolerant and fundamentalist nationalism with powerful racist connotations is a danger. This book could make a contribution to analysing these phenomena."--Dr P. J. Dorey, Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae (South Africa)

• Acknowledgments ix INTRODUCTION: The Sacralization of Politics xi Chapter 1: A Never-Never Religion, A Substitute for Religion, or a New Religion? 1 Chapter 2: Civil Religions and Political Religions: From Democratic Revolutions to Totalitarian States 16 Chapter 3: The Leviathan as a Church: Totalitarianism and Political Religion 45 Chapter 4: The Invasion of the Idols: Christians against Totalitarian Religions 68 Chapter 5: Toward the Third Millennium: The Sacralization of Politics in States both New and Old 110 Chapter 6: Religions of Politics: Definitions, Distinctions, and Qualifications 138 Notes 147

Emilio Gentile is Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Rome La Sapienza. His books include "The Sacralization of Politics in Fascist Italy; The Struggle for Modernity: Nationalism, Futurism, and Fascism; The Origin of Fascist Ideology;" and "The Italian Road to Totalitarianism: The Party and the State in the Fascist Regime" (forthcoming). In 2003 he was awarded the Hans Sigrist Prize by the University of Bern for his studies on political religions.

"The threat of new exclusive, intolerant and fundamentalist nationalism with powerful racist connotations is a danger. This book could make a contribution to analysing these phenomena."--Dr P. J. Dorey, Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae (South Africa)

• Acknowledgments ix INTRODUCTION: The Sacralization of Politics xi Chapter 1: A Never-Never Religion, A Substitute for Religion, or a New Religion? 1 Chapter 2: Civil Religions and Political Religions: From Democratic Revolutions to Totalitarian States 16 Chapter 3: The Leviathan as a Church: Totalitarianism and Political Religion 45 Chapter 4: The Invasion of the Idols: Christians against Totalitarian Religions 68 Chapter 5: Toward the Third Millennium: The Sacralization of Politics in States both New and Old 110 Chapter 6: Religions of Politics: Definitions, Distinctions, and Qualifications 138 Notes 147