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The particular kindness of friends: ex-Fascists, clientage and the transition to democracy in Italy, 1945–1960

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 May 2016

Rhiannon Evangelista
Rhiannon Evangelista*
Affiliation:
Department of History and Philosophy, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, USA
*
∗Email: revange2@kennesaw.edu
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Abstract

This article examines some of the social implications of Italy's limited purge of the bureaucracy and Fascist political class following the Second World War. Using the postwar personal correspondence of former Fascist government ministers Giuseppe Bottai (1895–1959) and Dino Alfieri (1886–1966), the article analyses the informal networks that promoted the continued influence of these ex-Fascists with high-ranking bureaucrats and other prominent individuals (such as Pope Paul VI and Aldo Moro). Thanks to the long-standing social practice of the raccomandazione, Bottai and Alfieri maintained their Fascist-era connections well into the postwar period, often serving as intermediaries between ‘ordinary Italians' and governmental, political and cultural elites. Although they no longer held political power, these ex-Fascists represented a class of ‘alternative elites' unassociated with the democratic values of the new Republic.

Quest'articolo esamina alcune delle principali implicazioni che la limitata epurazione della burocrazia e della classe politica fascista ebbero sulla società italiana del dopoguerra. Utilizzando la corrispondenza personale del dopoguerra degli ex ministri fascisti Giuseppe Bottai (1895–1959) e Dino Alfieri (1886–1966), l'articolo analizza le reti informali che permisero a tali personalità di influenzare ininterrottamente alte cariche della burocrazia così come personaggi di spicco della vita politica italiana, ad esempio Aldo Moro, mantenendo allo stesso tempo i contatti creati durante il ventennio con figure religiose come Paolo VI. Grazie al fenomeno della raccomandazione, Bottai ed Alfieri furono capaci di preservare i contatti instaurati nel ventennio fascista ed agirono spesso da intermediari tra ‘italiani ordinari’ ed elites governative, politiche e culturali del dopoguerra. Benchè non occupassero ruoli politici, questi ex-fascisti rappresentarono una ‘elite alternativa’, profondamente dissociata dai valori democratici della nuova Repubblica.

Keywords

Fascismregime changeraccomandazionenetworksGiuseppe Bottai (1895–1959)Dino Alfieri (1886–1966)
Type
Articles
Information
Modern Italy , Volume 20 , Issue 4 , November 2015 , pp. 411 - 425
Copyright
Copyright © 2015 Association for the study of Modern Italy 

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