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The London School of Economics and Political Science FASCISTIZING The London School of Economics and Political Science FASCISTIZING TURIN: COMPROMISING WITH TRADITION AND CLASHING WITH OPPOSITION Giovanni Graglia A thesis submitted to the International History Department of the London School of Economics for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, London, October 2013 1 Declaration I certify that the thesis I have presented for examination for the MPhil/PhD degree of the London School of Economics and Political Science is solely my own work other than where I have clearly indicated that it is the work of others (in which case the extent of any work carried out jointly by me and any other person is clearly identified in it). The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledgement is made. This thesis may not be reproduced without my prior written consent. I warrant that this authorisation does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of any third party. I declare that my thesis consists of 91,845 words. [See Regulations for Research Degrees, paragraphs 25.5 or 27.3 on calculating the word count of your thesis] 2 Abstract The thesis focuses on the response of the population of the Piedmontese city of Turin to the rise of Fascism and to the regime’s attempts to fascistize Italian society. Key concepts discussed in this thesis include regionalism, identity, local myths, forms of individual and group loyalty, passive resistance, and social mobilization – all factors often mentioned by historians looking at Turin but that have not yet been subject of a methodical study. This thesis also contributes to the ongoing historiographical debate on the nature of Fascist power by arguing that the dictatorship did not manage to fulfill its totalitarian aspirations and that the regime ultimately remained an authoritarian one. Moreover, this thesis highlights the overlooked concept of passive resistance and the way in which this limited the local consensus for the Fascist regime. In order to offer a discussion of the extent to which Turinese society was fascistized, this thesis looks at numerous local social groups, at their attitude towards the regime, and at how the rise of Fascism changed their internal dynamics. The thesis begins with a discussion of the Turinese press, which works as an introduction to the climate of the city during the Fascist period and as a study of local media. The focus then shifts to the traditionalist institutions present in Turin and the way in which these came to terms – or locked horns – with the Fascist regime: the second chapter deals with the royal family and its Piedmontese origins, the third is dedicated to the Catholic Church, and the fourth is a case-study of the two expositions (in 1931 and 1933) of the Holy Shroud (a Catholic relic belonging to the royal family). Lastly, the fifth chapter studies the city’s progressive forces, comparing the ways in which anti-fascist working- class and intellectual networks opposed the regime. 3 Table of Contents List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................................... 6 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 7 Totalitarianism, Fascist Power and Resistance ............................................................................. 8 “Piemontesismo” ........................................................................................................................ 15 Methodology ............................................................................................................................... 19 1. Censoring Turin: The Press and Fascist State Control ....................................................... 27 The Anti-Fascist Newspapers of Piero Gobetti and Antonio Gramsci ........................................ 29 The Problematic Process of Fascistization of La Stampa ............................................................ 35 Christian Newspapers and A-Fascism ......................................................................................... 44 Fascist Problems with the Press as Identified by a Fascist Newspaper: the case of Vent’Anni . 50 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 55 2. The Preservation of a Cult: Monarchy and Monarchism in Turin in the Fascist Period ...... 59 The Presence of the House of Savoy in Turin ............................................................................. 65 The Power of the House of Savoy: the Fascist Need for Support and the Requests of the Piedmontese Population ............................................................................................................. 74 The House of Savoy: Myth and Memory .................................................................................... 79 Reasserting the Myth: the Role of the Press .............................................................................. 85 Defending the Myth of the House of Savoy: Architectural Preservation and the Museo del Risorgimento ............................................................................................................................... 89 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 93 3. Spiritual Against Temporal Power: The Catholics in Turin ............................................... 95 Outside and Above Politics – Rhetorical Assertions or Actual Policy? ....................................... 98 The Active Pursuit of the Totalitarian Aims of the Turinese Catholic Church .......................... 112 The Response of the Local Population to the Policies and the Social Power of the Turinese Catholic Church ......................................................................................................................... 124 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 138 4. Rebellion Against Modernity: The Two Expositions of the Holy Shroud – 1931, 1933 . 142 The Symbolic Value of the Holy Shroud .................................................................................... 145 Mysticism and Spiritualism ....................................................................................................... 152 Mobilization and Impact on the Local Community ................................................................... 159 The Media Campaigns ............................................................................................................... 167 Mussolini’s visits and the Littoriali dello Sport – A Comparison .............................................. 171 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 176 4 5. Breaking Resisting Networks: Hostile Groups and the Process of Fascistization of Local Society ...................................................................................................................................... 180 Intellectuals’ Education and Workers’ Free-time – Fascist Attempts at Shaping the Cultural Development of the Turinese People ....................................................................................... 186 Challenges to the Networks’ Continuity in the early 1930s ..................................................... 202 Policing Anti-Fascist Networks in the 1930s ............................................................................. 211 The Private Dimension of Intellectual Anti-Fascism ................................................................. 218 Transnational Anti-fascism and the Role of France .................................................................. 221 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 224 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 226 The Nature of Fascist Rule in Turin ........................................................................................... 228 Turinese Institutions and Their Challenge to Fascist Social Power ........................................... 230 Values, Myth, and Continuity ................................................................................................... 233 Appendix ................................................................................................................................... 236 Bibliography.............................................................................................................................. 237 Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................. 248 5 List of Abbreviations In the Main Text CS: Casa Savoia CSi: Corrispondenza Sindone CTAS: Cultura, Turismo, Attività ACI: Azione Cattolica Italiana Sportive ASCI: Associazione Scout Cattolici CV: Carte Varie Italiani DF: Direttorio Federale FIUC: Federazione Italiana DN: Direttorio Nazionale Uomini Cattolici DGP: Direzione Generale FUCI: Federazione Universitaria Propaganda Cattolica Italiana DGPS: Direzione Generale GC: Gioventù Cattolica Pubblica Sicurezza GF: Gioventù Femminile
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