Il nemico della democrazia Il fascismo raccontato dalla stampa antifascista

The struggle against fascism, in the most acute crisis of the Italian State (1943-1945), is capable to influence the way of depicting the relationship between the regime and the masses. To build a democratic identity and a set of rules which can form the “common” space, in the press of the anti-fascist parties is developed a mode of communication that is ideal and based on shared norms, values and knowledge. Therefore, the anti-fascist parties give some fundamental answers on crucial questions to Italians, such as: what has been and represents the fascist regime for the Italian nation and what needs to be done against it. The confrontation over this issue generates a political radical conflict. Indeed, the phenomenon of the civil war affects the whole country - even if the northern and southern parts of Italy are involved differently in the armed conflict - and corresponds to the creation of a common perspective on the past and future. Filippo Focardi affirms that "like all the great armed conflicts (...), even the Second World War [affects] deeply on individual and collective memories, revolutionizing mental paradigms, depictions and national self-representations". The main object of this investigation is the examination of the way is mediated and transmitted fascism in the anti-fascist press from 25 July 1943 to 1945. The press is a privileged source for the purposes of research whereas it assumes the function of an ideological space and a fundamental tool for spreading the dynamics of delegitimization in order to influence public opinion. Moreover, as a mass media communication, the press represents an essential instrument that can reveal themes, ideas, information, images and stories. Thus, the research starts from the assumption that the journals are the primary sources for spreading political ideas during the civil war and for this reason aims to explain what kind of themes are used to mediate fascism in the party press organs of Christian Democracy, Italian Communist Party, Socialist Party and Action Party. It is not a survey on the interpretations of fascism produced by various political subjects but an examination of newspapers as a fulcrum of researching on the way is spoken about fascism during a politically conflictual and war situation. This means that are not priorities of the survey the publicist level of the newspapers, the theoretical constructs, the political and military strategy of political parties, nor the circle of readers. In fact, subject of the analysis is made the speeches used to interpret the event of 25 July and to counter the monarchist institution. Those discourses are employed in order to influence public opinion elaborating the image of fascism as an enemy of democracy. Thence, each argument structure gives special weight to historical-political reconstruction, combining ideological, cultural and media issues as factors of change in Italian society. Finally, understanding the political storytelling represents the attempt to add a new light in the state of studies around the narrative constructs which illuminate the conflictual dialectic between fascism and democracy.