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https://theconversation.com/italys-areas-of-wartime-fascist-resistance-remain-less-susceptible-to-the-far-right-today-255859>
"Across Europe, far-right parties are making unforeseen breakthroughs – from
local councils to national and supranational parliaments. As their presence
becomes normalised, these parties promote nationalist rhetoric, challenge
democratic institutions, and attempt to reshape a political present rooted in
hard-won struggles against authoritarianism.
Yet, not all communities are equally permeable to these growing forces. Some
actively resist, mobilising to block authoritarian ideologies and defend
democratic values.
Our recent research in Italy offers one explanation as to why some communities
are less easily enticed into far-right politics than others. Local histories of
wartime resistance continue to shape political cultures in ways that, even
generations later, inspire people to push back against the resurgence of
fascist and neo-fascist ideologies.
In areas where anti-fascist resistance movements were active during the second
world war, civic engagement to defend democratic values is stronger. In these
communities, support for far-right parties is weaker.
These legacies aren’t accidental. They are cultivated, reinforced, and passed
on through intensive and continuous local memory work.
During Italy’s civil war (1943–1945), students, workers, farmers and clergy
mobilised into bands of resistance to fight the Nazi-fascist regime. Their
efforts were central to Italy’s liberation and the establishment of its
democratic republic. While this story is often told at the national level, our
research examines its enduring local consequences."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
