Voices Against Fascism:
Justice Through Oral History

Panel: Narrating History | Q&A: Thurs. April 14 @ 6pm

Voices Against Fascism:
 Justice Through Oral History

Leena Haider (International Relations, Anthropology)

Abstract and Author Bio

Abstract: This research project concentrates on the impact and the significance of oral history in Italy, particularly highlighting fascist Italy. Oral history is passed on by the act of storytelling. This can be through family members transferring their stories onto generations or friends or acquaintances sharing their view of events that eventually reach other listeners. The ritual of storytelling is unique due to the fact that each individual narrating the story has their own perspective of the events they witnessed or experienced and it may differ from others who experienced the same historical events. Oral story telling allows a person the opportunity to speak their truth. This is especially significant to those individuals who could not express their frustration or disagreement of the treatment they endured in fascist Italy. The works of Alessandro Portelli and Luisa Passerini have been utilized to understand and compare and contrast some testimonies of the same events. Psychological trauma, time, strong personal views, and the influence of others can alter a person’s memory, either erasing particular events or forming false memories.

Author Bio: Leena Haider is currently a junior studying International Relations at CAS. She is studying Italian language and culture as part of her language and regional specification requirement for her major. She has a strong interest in political and social research, some of which she have done and presented at other colleges like University of California Berkeley (2020), Stanford University (2022), and John Hopkins University (2022).

Italian culture is usually perceived as passionate and romantic. Tourists from all over the world visit Italy and indulge in Italian food while taking photos in front of popular Italian tourist sites. Their fascination with a foreign country and its culture only touches the surface of its past. Italy is rich in history and most non-Italians, including myself, often neglect to educate themselves on Italy’s previous struggles, society, and development.

Fascism reached Italy in 1919 when Benito Mussolini gained immense support from the Italians to establish a strong, united nation. After the end of World War 1, many Italians struggled with unemployment and there was unrest within Italian politics. Political parties constantly quarreled with one another, and on the streets, the public frequently witnessed protests and disagreement between communists and socialists. Mussolini gradually began giving passionate speeches on the topic of having a strong leader that would eradicate the stress of the Italian people. He managed to convince the public that there was an urgent need for a leader who could pull them out of their postwar struggles.

After driving away the communists and socialists from the streets, he initiated a march towards Rome. Thousands of his supporters walked to the city and intimidated the government officials into resignation. The system of monarchy was still present in Italy at that time and King Victor Emmanuel, afraid of Mussolini and the army he had gathered, appointed him Prime Minister when he asked. In 1922, Mussolini officially came to power.

Mussolini’s view of a fascist state was the idea of a dictatorship. He claimed fascism was about spontaneity, intuition, impulse and faith (Duggan, 2014) and although these were present, they were exaggerated and executed with brutality. Mussolini’s positive stance on nazi Germany’s invasion of Austria-Hungary reflected his outlook and expectations of his party’s objective. The powerful empire he had visualized for Italy could only be achieved through force and lack of freewill. He ensured there was no free speech by allowing his police officers to viciously beat up those who conveyed their disapproval of the fascist government. Each beating and method of torture was to set an example of what would happen if an individual were to defy the fascist government. The horrific treatment towards the Italian public almost guaranteed their silence—at least in public.

Individuals who were unable to express their anger and frustration with the fascist regime had more liberty to do so with their family, friends, or others who had identical opinions. Their fear and pain was passed down through generations and eventually became part of their descendants or connections identity. Although we now have the advantage of using historical books to verify and read about events that occurred in the past, we often disregard the significance of oral testimonies. Data compiled on historical events is through the use of witnesses retelling their stories. Written history books in school and college do not always elaborate on the events. Skimming through the dates and the crucial points of the event, a person will not be able to fully empathize with the tragedy. In contrast, with oral history, we are capable enough to recognize the effect of the event on the individual recounting their experience. This is due to the listener having the ability to sense the other person’s emotion in their voice, their speech pattern, and their selection of words.

Italian historian, Alessandro Portelli, has written books that dive into the art of oral storytelling. Portelli’s The Order Has Been Carried Out (1999), uses the Fosse Ardeatine massacre (1944) to compare and contrast the similarities and inconsistencies in oral recollection. His book concentrates on the events leading to the massacre, how it was performed and the outcome, while taking in account the written transcripts of the oral interviews he conducted. Heavy details provided by the some of the survivors brush over the appearance of the soldiers, the noise of the gunshots, the cries of the victims, the response of the public, and the impact of the event on the survivor reporting the incident. The Fosse Ardeatine massacre is easier to visualize and comprehend as a result of its personal and emotional attachment to the individual reporting it. What is most fascinating about Portelli’s interviews is the fact that half of the narrations conflict one another.

There is a general truth to oral recollection, but it may not be the complete truth. Individuals who have observed the same event have their own version of the incident. Taking Fosse Ardeatine as an example, there were survivors who blamed the partisans for the massacre, insisting they could have willingly handed themselves over to the nazis. There were those who disapproved of the partisans initial attack on the nazi soldiers, claiming the nazis had no choice but to retaliate. Lastly, there are some who viewed the partisans as heroes, believing their attack to be a beacon of hope for a future without nazis. Applying responsibility, or lack there of, played a major role in how their story was told. There was a general agreement on how brutal the nazis were in delivering their revenge, but otherwise, each survivor had a different villain.

An issue that Portelli took particular notice to was misremembering or false memories. Over time, it is possible to forget memories or generate new ones. This can be attributed to age, trauma, or being conditioned by another person’s report of the incident one is trying to remember.

Language is also incredibly vital in interpreting the effects of fascist Italy on the storytellers. Passerini explains in Fascism in Popular Memory (1987) how the survivors she interviewed often demeaned themselves or the Italian public for the rise of fascism in Italy. Her research reveals that the Italian population that resisted fascism often used humor as a coping mechanism. There were comical poems, songs, and jokes verbally transferred from one person to another, many of which ridiculed Mussolini in a humorous manner. Interpreting some of these verses or statements, it is evident that they were used as a means to cope.

On a final note, human beings are distinctive creatures that are fascinating to study and learn about. Our past shapes us into the people we are. Examining the testimonials of the survivors of fascist Italy, there is a question of whether they found themselves running from the past or if they accepted it and found a way to move beyond it. Trauma presents itself in different forms. Perhaps oral testimonies were a way for some of the survivors to move on from their trauma. In Portelli’s work, he quotes Maxine Hong Kingston, writing, "The word for revenge is ‘report a crime’ or ‘report to five families.’ The revenge is the story.’” The survivors of fascist Italy could not voice their beliefs or concerns in fascist Italy out of fear, but they had an opportunity to speak their mind openly without any consequences or danger. When survivors cannot get justice in the court of law, they will find ways to receive justice one way or another