Italian reactions to the racial laws of 1938 as seen through the classified files of the Ministry of Popular Culture

Author: Visani, Alessandro¹

Source: Journal of Modern Italian Studies, Volume 11, Number 2, June 2006 , pp. 171-187(17)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

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Abstract:

Controversy rages around the question of Italians' reactions to the racial laws, introduced in 1938 and aimed against the Jews. Some have claimed that they were met with hostility, others that Italians were surprised and perplexed by the laws, and still others have argued that the laws were widely embraced. In the light of the documents cited in this essay it seems difficult to agree with those who assert a `lack of consensus' among Italians when it came to the Fascist `racial' laws. The documents presented and discussed here cast considerable doubt on the opinion shared by many historians that the greater part of the Italian people were more or less openly hostile to the racist and anti-Semitic campaign. The reality seems to have been very different.

Keywords: Fascism; Italians; Jews; racial laws; public opinion; Ministry of Popular Culture

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1080/13545710600658511

Affiliations: 1: Rome, Italy

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