The Softer Side of Resistance
Early Twentieth Century Italy, like the early Twentieth Century in the United States, was a time of promise for women’s progress. The issues forming the women’s rights platform seem basic and, especially because of our current placement in history, not too radical: the right to divorce, educational and employment rights, and perhaps most extreme, voting rights. In the early years of the Twentieth Century (although processes there were different from our concepts of democratic voting), some of these issues had even been brought to the ballot (Pickering-Iazza, Mothers, p.38). And contrary to popular perception, during the early years of Mussolini’s rule (which lasted from 1922-1943), public support for women’s issues was alive and well, and even receiving some measure of toleration from the Fascist government.
The story of women’s liberation in Italy right before and during Fascism is certainly not as simple as just looking at a time line. A chronology of important dates and legislation would not suffice in understanding the movement. It seems that a tug-of-war was going on, but because it involves more than just two players, the viewer of the struggle also becomes more involved. Economic crises, traditional religious beliefs, and widespread discontent with the outcome of WWI played as much of a role in defining (limiting?) the progress of women’s liberation as did Mussolini’s chauvinism.
Despite these obvious roadblocks, somehow the early Twentieth Century presented the timing and opportunity for women to pursue equal rights in a liberation movement that did gain momentum. Perhaps industrialization, and the rise of discontent in workers led women to the realization that they were being mist...
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...Fascism did receive total support (created and perpetuated by Mussolini) is nothing more than an illusion. Italy’s women’s movement, even if impeded by Mussolini’s Fascism, was not completely destroyed. We know that at the time, there were plenty of women who did resist Fascist gender discriminations. From hidden, silent resistance to the more overt anti-fascist writings, many brave women refused their consent.
Works Cited:
De Grazia, Victoria. How Fascism Ruled Women: Italy 1922-1945. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1992.
Pickering-Iazza, Robin ed.. Mothers of Invention. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1986.
Pickering-Iazzi, Robin ed.. Unspeakable Women: Selected Short Stories Written by Italian Women during Fascism. New York: The Feminist Press at the City University of New York, 1993.
Scola, Ettore, dir. A Special Day. 1976
The rise of nationalist movements and the modern nation-state has affected women’s political and economic participation and social freedoms. Based on the following documents, there were many opportunities and barriers that nationalist movements posed concerning women's rights in the twentieth century. Many women saw the opportunities of the movements accessible to women, but other women focused on the barriers and didn’t feel that the opportunities were accessible.
Samuelson said, “Another earthquake or series of them the size of the New Madrid earthquakes is inevitable in Indiana’s future.”
In the traditional political history of Italy the people outside of the ruling class of the society were rarely studied. Only with the use of social history did the issues of class and gender begin to be debated by scholars. Numerous recent articles have done a great job of analysing particularly men of high status. In this paper I will look at the lower classes of Renaissance Florence. More specifically, I will center my focus on the lives of women during this era, how they were treated and viewed by people of other classes and how women were viewed and treated by men.
Ginsborg P (1990). ‘A History of Contemporary Italy: Society and Politics: 1943-1980’ Published by Penguin; Reprint edition (27 Sep 1990).
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