A civil war : a history of the Italian resistance

A Civil War Is A History Of The Wartime Italian Resistance, Recounted By A Historian Who, When Only A Boy, Took Part In The Struggle Against Mussolini's Fascist Republic. Since Its Publication In Italy, Claudio Pavone's Masterwork Has Become Indispensable To Anyone Seeking To Understand This Period And Its Continuing Importance For The Nation's Identity. Pavone Casts A Sober Eye On His Protagonists' Ethical And Ideological Motivations. He Uncovers A Multilayered Conflict, In Which Class Antagonisms, Patriotism And Political Ideals All Played A Part. A Clear Understanding Of This Complexity Allows Him To Explain Many Details Of The Post-war Transition, As Well As The Legacy Of The Resistance For Modern Italy. In Addition To Being A Monumental Work Of Scholarship, A Civil War Is A Folk History, Capturing Events, Personalities And Attitudes That Were On The Verge Of Slipping Entirely Out Of Recollection To The Detriment Of Italy's Understanding Of Itself And Its Past.--book Jacket. Machine Generated Contents Note: 1.the Choice -- The Collapse -- A Clear And Difficult Choice -- Betrayal -- 2.the Legacy Of The Fascist War -- Wishing For And Fearing Defeat -- The Uncertain Motivations Of The Combatants -- The Repudiation Of The Royal Army -- 3.paths To A New Institutionalisation -- Militarisation And Its Limits -- Relations With The Parties -- 4.the Patriotic War -- Regaining National Identity -- The Traditional Allies -- The Rediscovered Enemy -- 5.the Civil War -- A Controversial Definition -- The Reappearance Of The Fascists -- The Anti-fascists' Attitude To The Civil War -- The Main Enemy: The Fascists Or The Germans? -- The Catholics And The Civil War -- The European Civil War -- 6.the Class War -- Class, Nation, Anti-fascism -- Workers And Workers' Representation. Claudio Pavone ; Translated By Peter Levy With The Assistance Of David Broder; Edited With An Introduction By Stanislao G. Pugliese. Originally Published As: Guerra Civile. Torino : Bollati Boringhieri, 1991. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Claudio Pavone's masterwork, widely recognized as the key reference on the Italian Resistance, addresses crucial issues related to the transition from fascist Italy to the postwar period, viewed from the perspective of the morality at work amongst the protagonists. In an analysis of the events between September 1943 and April 1935, Claudio Pavone distinguishes three processes: a patriotic war, a civil war and a class war - three wars which were often fought by the same actors. He thus introduces a new interpretation capable of grasping all the nuances of a historical event of great complexity. The topics covered in this study - including the legacy of the fascist war, the dissolution of institutional certainties, loyalties and betrayals, the founding value of political choices, the relationship between generations, utopia and reality, the critical knot of issues around violence - force us to reflect on some pressing and ever more significant issues, first and foremost that of the relationship between politics and morality in history