Today's Itinerary and Activities
Day 2: May 7
Today we discussed the origins of Modern Italy and Fascism while in downtown Rome, including Italian surrender, resistance and the outbreak of the Civil War. Katelyn's blog post gives us a sense of what a walk through downtown Rome can tell us!
We considered the background leading up to the Second World War in Italy by considering the First World War and the rise of Fascism. We did this from the Vittoriano - the altar to the Fatherland and the resting place of the unknown soldier of the First World War when the Italians fought against the Austrians and Germans. One of the major questions related to the course was how an Italian can be seemingly loyal to Fascism one day and excited at the news of Mussolini's the next moment.
We visited the site of the round up of Jews on October 16, 1944 and considered the question of the Holocaust in Italy before moving on to the site of the March 23, 1944 partisan attack against the Bozen SS who were on their daily route march through the city. Here we considered briefly the question of the illegal combatant and what is legal during war. As well as the beginning of the preparation for German retaliation. How do the Germans prevent our deter partisan attacks?
Our first seminar question, presented today, was: What was attractive about Fascism? Why then did Italians celebrate in the streets on hearing of its collapse in Italy?
Today we discussed the origins of Modern Italy and Fascism while in downtown Rome, including Italian surrender, resistance and the outbreak of the Civil War. Katelyn's blog post gives us a sense of what a walk through downtown Rome can tell us!
We considered the background leading up to the Second World War in Italy by considering the First World War and the rise of Fascism. We did this from the Vittoriano - the altar to the Fatherland and the resting place of the unknown soldier of the First World War when the Italians fought against the Austrians and Germans. One of the major questions related to the course was how an Italian can be seemingly loyal to Fascism one day and excited at the news of Mussolini's the next moment.
We visited the site of the round up of Jews on October 16, 1944 and considered the question of the Holocaust in Italy before moving on to the site of the March 23, 1944 partisan attack against the Bozen SS who were on their daily route march through the city. Here we considered briefly the question of the illegal combatant and what is legal during war. As well as the beginning of the preparation for German retaliation. How do the Germans prevent our deter partisan attacks?
Our first seminar question, presented today, was: What was attractive about Fascism? Why then did Italians celebrate in the streets on hearing of its collapse in Italy?