by Capital Web
As the Liberation Day of the 25 April, the writer and historian Alessandro Barbero was a guest at diTuesdaythe program of La7 conducted by Giovanni Floris. Barbero gave his opinion on whether or not anti-fascists and explained, quoting historical facts, why is it so difficult for some to realize the danni that the fascist government of Mussolini created.
Alessandro Barbero told a piece of the history of twenty years of fascism in Italia a diTuesday and shared a personal part of his life. You said that your grandfather, a fascist, was shot by the partisans. And she was keen to underline that personal memory is not enough and that it is important to go further, understanding history as a whole. You highlighted that in some parts of Italy children are taught that the regime fascist did positive things, while in other areas a different story is told. He dealt with a complex and current topic that requires a reflection in-depth history and collective memory.
Can it be difficult to call yourself anti-fascists?
“It depends on where you grew up, in which family, in which part of Italy. Because there is a piece of Italy where now, for three generations, children have been taught that the regime he also did good things and that instead the partisans were daredevils or worse, perhaps criminals. And therefore there is none reason Of celebrate il 25 April. A part of Italy remained like this. At least, I explain it this way because otherwise, almost a century later, it is so difficult to say “let’s face it, there was a right side and a wrong side, there has never been a war in which it was so evident!” it’s strange.”
Can being in government with that type of mentality have negative consequences?
“Well yes, he has them consequences negative e dangerous. Not so much because perhaps we risk being all put in black shirts to march again, I don’t think we risk having a government that will invade Ethiopia again or declare again guerra to the United States, as he did Mussolini. But things symbolic they’re important. If we are still here today, in a country that continues to split between those who are with partisans and who is with fascists, then it means that these are not superficial things, they are things rooted deeply in the Italian identity.“
The struggle to declare oneself anti-fascists
“And so whoever is in government and should have sworn its one anti-fascist constitution, do this instead fatigue a say anti-fascist, it means that you’re a fascist basically. Because it’s either one or the other. And it seems disturbing to me.”
“Personal memory is not enough, my grandfather was also a fascist”
From the point of view reiterated several times by the minister Lollobrigida and by the President of the Senate Ignazio La Russa, who say that for them anti-fascism was represented by those who beat them and that many of them died because of anti-fascists, it is difficult declare yourself such. Is this a parallel that can be made?
“The problem of that part of Italy which has continued to teach children that Resistence it was made up of criminals and that, like many Italians, they were on the other side. Many Italians suffered in the partisan war, many Italians felt defeated and this is a fact. But in every war obviously there are those who win and those who are defeated and there are wars in which it is not so clear who is on the side right and who from that wrong. One of tragedy of Italy it is precisely this difficulty of going beyond one’s own memory. The memory of many families is that of people who were also killed. I have two grandparents who were fascists and one was shot from the partisans however, with all the pain that my family felt for this, perhaps because I am a historian and I know that memory is not enough because everyone has their own, I know that we need to go further and get to History. Which means I understand your point of view, but you too can’t stay locked inside this thing.”