Democratization, Local Government and Political Parties during the Allied Occupation of Southern Italy after 1943

verfasst von: Stefan Laffin
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).
Organisationseinheit(en): Historisches Seminar
Typ: Artikel
Journal: Journal of contemporary history
Band: 59
Seiten: 450-470
Anzahl der Seiten: 21
ISSN: 0022-0094
Publikationsdatum: 07.2024
Publikationsstatus: Veröffentlicht
Peer-reviewed: Ja
ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete: Kultur und Raum, Verlauf, Soziologie und Politikwissenschaften
Elektronische Version(en): https://doi.org/10.1177/00220094241234554 (Zugang: Offen)

BibTeX

@article{106057d88ef04ffca714065eeeef32dc,
title = "Democratization, Local Government and Political Parties during the Allied Occupation of Southern Italy after 1943",
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 {\textquoteleft}you can't have a democracy without political parties{\textquoteright}, 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{\textquoteright} 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",
author = "Stefan Laffin",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2024.",
year = "2024",
month = jul,
doi = "10.1177/00220094241234554",
language = "English",
volume = "59",
pages = "450--470",
journal = "Journal of contemporary history",
issn = "0022-0094",
publisher = "SAGE Publications Ltd",
number = "3",
}