Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 450-470 |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| Journal | Journal of contemporary history |
| Volume | 59 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Publication status | Published - Jul 2024 |
Abstract
The article seeks to cast doubt on the prevailing notion that regards the Allied occupation of (Southern) Italy as a harbinger of democracy by examining it from a local, decidedly bottom-up analytical perspective. I argue that the Allies disfavored the formation of political parties and the expression of political thought, even though ‘you can't have a democracy without political parties’, as the Italian-American Charles Poletti, one of the principal American civil affairs officers (CAO) organizing the occupation on-site, phrased it. This was particularly true during the first phase of the occupation, when military priorities reigned supreme. However, even at a later point, after the CAOs had theoretically assumed the role of an external supervising authority, a deep distrust of the country's political parties informed much of the Allies’ attitudes. Rather than serving as a foundational layer for democracy, the Allies perceived the country's political parties as a threat to democratization insofar as these were believed to obstruct the former's political and economic agendas. Such antagonisms between occupier and occupied, of course, especially applied to Italy's largest and most well-organized party during the period of the Allied occupation – the Partito Comunista Italiano (PCI).
Keywords
- Allied occupation, Charles Poletti, communism, political parties, Second World War
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Sciences(all)
- Cultural Studies
- Arts and Humanities(all)
- History
- Social Sciences(all)
- Sociology and Political Science
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In: Journal of contemporary history, Vol. 59, No. 3, 07.2024, p. 450-470.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Democratization, Local Government and Political Parties during the Allied Occupation of Southern Italy after 1943
AU - Laffin, Stefan
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2024.
PY - 2024/7
Y1 - 2024/7
N2 - The article seeks to cast doubt on the prevailing notion that regards the Allied occupation of (Southern) Italy as a harbinger of democracy by examining it from a local, decidedly bottom-up analytical perspective. I argue that the Allies disfavored the formation of political parties and the expression of political thought, even though ‘you can't have a democracy without political parties’, as the Italian-American Charles Poletti, one of the principal American civil affairs officers (CAO) organizing the occupation on-site, phrased it. This was particularly true during the first phase of the occupation, when military priorities reigned supreme. However, even at a later point, after the CAOs had theoretically assumed the role of an external supervising authority, a deep distrust of the country's political parties informed much of the Allies’ attitudes. Rather than serving as a foundational layer for democracy, the Allies perceived the country's political parties as a threat to democratization insofar as these were believed to obstruct the former's political and economic agendas. Such antagonisms between occupier and occupied, of course, especially applied to Italy's largest and most well-organized party during the period of the Allied occupation – the Partito Comunista Italiano (PCI).
AB - The article seeks to cast doubt on the prevailing notion that regards the Allied occupation of (Southern) Italy as a harbinger of democracy by examining it from a local, decidedly bottom-up analytical perspective. I argue that the Allies disfavored the formation of political parties and the expression of political thought, even though ‘you can't have a democracy without political parties’, as the Italian-American Charles Poletti, one of the principal American civil affairs officers (CAO) organizing the occupation on-site, phrased it. This was particularly true during the first phase of the occupation, when military priorities reigned supreme. However, even at a later point, after the CAOs had theoretically assumed the role of an external supervising authority, a deep distrust of the country's political parties informed much of the Allies’ attitudes. Rather than serving as a foundational layer for democracy, the Allies perceived the country's political parties as a threat to democratization insofar as these were believed to obstruct the former's political and economic agendas. Such antagonisms between occupier and occupied, of course, especially applied to Italy's largest and most well-organized party during the period of the Allied occupation – the Partito Comunista Italiano (PCI).
KW - Allied occupation
KW - Charles Poletti
KW - communism
KW - political parties
KW - Second World War
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85202210371&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/00220094241234554
DO - 10.1177/00220094241234554
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85202210371
VL - 59
SP - 450
EP - 470
JO - Journal of contemporary history
JF - Journal of contemporary history
SN - 0022-0094
IS - 3
ER -