Introduzione a 1943, lo sbarco in Sicilia. Studi su una guerra

Abstract

Following Italy's entry into the war in 1940, Sicily became a strategic hub in the Mediterranean. It served as a base for operations in Africa and, from 1943 onwards, was the target of Allied bombing raids. The island's inhabitants experienced the full force of total war. It was a pivotal moment. In fact, Fascism had placed the war effort at the very heart of its ideological programme. Rather than creating an imperial and racial dimension, war highlighted the limitations of Mussolini’s project to militarise Italian society. The Allied landing on 10 July 1943, before 25 July and well before 8 September, accelerated the crisis of the dictatorship in Sicily and foreshadowed what would happen on the Italian mainland. Drawing on the latest insights from Second World War history, this volume analyses the issues arising from the pivotal events of 1943, from the global war in the Mediterranean to the island's complex democratic transition.