The ‘Examination of Conscience’ of the Nation: The Lost Debate About the ‘Collective Guilt’ in Italy, 1943-1945 The article tries to assess the still controversial question concerning the legacy of fascism in Italy focusing on the early post-war discussion about the dictatorship. It shows the emergence of the theme of Italians’ ‘collective guilt’, generally neglected by Italian historiography. It is a matter of fact that the final result of the struggle between conflicting narratives was to draw a veil of oblivion over the past. Anyway, I suggest that for a better understanding of the awkward relationships between Italian society and its fascist past it is necessary to put aside a moralistic approach toward the contemporaries’ attitude to forget and try to evaluate it, rather, as the dramatic consequences of the totalitarian experience.
The Examination of Conscience of the Nation: The Lost Debate About Collective Guilt in Italy, 1943-5
LA ROVERE, LUCA
2008
Abstract
The ‘Examination of Conscience’ of the Nation: The Lost Debate About the ‘Collective Guilt’ in Italy, 1943-1945 The article tries to assess the still controversial question concerning the legacy of fascism in Italy focusing on the early post-war discussion about the dictatorship. It shows the emergence of the theme of Italians’ ‘collective guilt’, generally neglected by Italian historiography. It is a matter of fact that the final result of the struggle between conflicting narratives was to draw a veil of oblivion over the past. Anyway, I suggest that for a better understanding of the awkward relationships between Italian society and its fascist past it is necessary to put aside a moralistic approach toward the contemporaries’ attitude to forget and try to evaluate it, rather, as the dramatic consequences of the totalitarian experience.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.