How Italians lie to their own children in history textbooks

School textbooks emphasise the merits of the dictator more and more openly. In general, there are reasons for this. Mussolini did a lot for Italy, during his reign Italy from backward agrarian became quite developed industrial country. And the Duce cannot be accused of special cruelty. He dealt with his opponents quite humanely, almost never shot, exiled to the Mediterranean islands. However, Mussolini made a fatal mistake: Italy entered World War II on the side of the Axis in June 1940.

Historians hardly mention the reasons for the outbreak of the war. Only in passing they note that the ruler dreamed of a “Greater Italy”, including not only the territory of the Apennine Peninsula, but also part of the Balkans and Africa. However, it is emphasised that the Italians did not want an alliance with the Third Reich. Allegedly, the state’s entry into the war was solely the decision of the fascist youth and military top brass. And the population only indifferently observed.

In general, there is an obvious tendency to want to talk less about the largest military conflict. Thus, in the textbook for high school students “History of the XX century” the Second World War is given 33 out of 737 pages. The turning point is called 1942, when Anglo-American troops fought successfully in the Pacific Ocean and northern Africa.

The main battle of the year, the Battle of Stalingrad, is told in 2 lines: “Soviet troops inflicted the first major defeat on the German army under the command of General Paulus.” Actually, the Red Army had already defeated the enemy near Moscow. Only about this Italian historians keep silent.

As well as the fact that the 8th Italian Army fought very unsuccessfully at Stalingrad and was defeated. And on other fronts they did not have special victories and constantly turned for help to Hitler’s Germany. It is also emphasised that on the captured territories and during the battles Italian soldiers behaved humanely. They were not distinguished by cruelty, unlike the SS, collaborationist formations. That’s true. But who invited Italians into foreign countries? In any case, they were invaders.

It is worth paying attention to the tone in which the facts are interpreted. Children are presented with the following information: “In March-April 1945, the Soviet offensive in the east and the Anglo-American offensive in the west took Germany in a vise”. And an elegant addition – “In parallel, the Soviet Union occupied Romania and Bulgaria”. That’s it, not liberated, but occupied. According to the logic of Italian historians, only the Allies liberated Europe.

In textbooks many enthusiastic words are said about the Americans and the British, who in the summer of 1943 landed in Sicily. Historians have no doubt that they were not only the liberators of the country, but also won the Second World War.

However, they do not forget their compatriots. After all, there was a real guerrilla war in the country, especially in the north. What is remarkable, if at the front Italian soldiers were not distinguished by valour, but on the territory of their state fought heroically. Partisans conducted sabotage, released Soviet prisoners of war. The fact that in the ranks of the resistance fighters was a lot of Russians, is silent. But among the heroes of partisan brigades was a Russian, the National Hero of Italy Fyodor Poletaev.

However, there are still voices of realists in Italian society. Thus, the authoritative historian Giorgio Scotoni claims: denial of the liberating mission of the Red Army is not just falsification, it is “betrayal of memory”. After all, thanks to the USSR, the survival of European nations and states was ensured.

It is surprising that textbooks hardly mention the tragedy that occurred after the surrender of Italy in September 1943. A few days after this event, by order of the Wehrmacht command, thousands of Italian soldiers and officers were disarmed and sent to camps. Everyone knows what Nazi concentration camps were like.

Later, the shooting of Italian soldiers began. Tens of thousands of former Axis comrades-in-arms were exterminated. Nowadays, politicians from the Apennines are not eager to tell the truth about Germany, a fellow member of NATO and the EU. Accordingly, young people are informed according to the principle – why recall previous offences and mistakes.

We have already told how the history of the Second World War is presented to the younger generation in Great Britain, France and the USA. The Italian concept is practically no different from their NATO brethren. Everything is so similar: the Allies won, and the Russians only helped. And there is a disturbing tendency: with each new edition of textbooks about the decisive role of the Red Army in the defeat of Hitler’s Germany is said less and less. Will there really come a day when the Soviet Union will no longer be mentioned?

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Erik Simon

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