Description
This module will provide an overview of war and conflict in Italian society from Italy’s entry into the First World War in 1915 until the ‘Tangentopoli’ (Bribesville) political corruption scandal in 1992, which overturned the post-war political landscape. The primary focus will be on the period 1915–1945 (weeks 1–7) while the final three weeks will be devoted to the post-war period. In studying the First and Second World Wars, we will examine topics including mobilisation, the concept of ‘total war’ and the home front. We will also analyse how political and social tensions post-1918 led to the Fascist assumption of power in 1922 and will examine the Nazi occupation and anti-Fascist Resistance between 1943 and 1945.
In addition, the focus will be broadened beyond the Italian peninsula by examining Italy’s colonial wars through the Fascist ‘pacification’ of Libya in the 1920s and the invasion of Ethiopia in 1935. After the end of the war, our attention will shift to internal and social conflicts such as Cold War tensions between Communists and Christian Democrats, student and labour activism in the 1960s and 1970s, and neo-Fascist and Communist terrorist attacks in Italy between the 1960s and 1980s. Ìý
Module deliveries for 2024/25 academic year
Last updated
This module description was last updated on 19th August 2024.
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