Objective: To compare and contrast the collective memory strategies surrounding war dead and fallen “comrades” of Fascist Italy, Nazi Germany, and the contemporary Italian Far Right.

Analytical Skills: Comparing sources

2.1 Mourning and Memory in Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany

The language of martyrdom and sacrifice was a central component of fascist propaganda in Italy after World War I, a brutal and violent war which resulted in unprecedented casualties among Italians. Benito Mussolini co-opted the WWI “fallen,” framing their deaths as acts of ideological sacrifice for the Patria (or nation). In Nazi Germany, too, the NSDAP organized commemorative ceremonies in honor of the German soldiers killed during WWI.

Instructors should begin by screening the first 10 minutes of the documentary Mussolini: Monuments, Modernism And Marble, by Jonathan Meads and Ben Building, which introduces the Redipuglia monument in Italy and the rituals that took place there. Students should also be encouraged to read the 1944 script, “Ceremonies for the War Dead of the NSDAP,” which was intended to be read aloud at ceremonies for the war dead in Nazi Germany, or the 1936 article, “The Last Words of Our Dead,” which documents the final words of “our dead.” These primary sources tell us something about the ways the regimes in Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany managed the competition they faced from religion as a framework for collective belonging and spiritual meaning by creating their own cult of the dead. They also illuminate the origins of the contemporary Far Right’s political culture of collective commemoration of “martyrs.” 

Activity Instructions:

• Navigate to the “Themes” section of this website and click on “Martyrs.” Students should pick one of the posters featured in the aforementioned section and identify the similarities and differences between the memory culture of the historic Far Right and the contemporary approaches taken to honor the fallen “comrades” of today’s Italian neo-fascist community.

Examples to Consider:

• January 7
• Heroes [Come] from the People
• Alberto Giaquinto — In Your Name the Revolution Advances
• Mikis Mantakas — Europe in the Struggle for Freedom Will Not Forget Its Martyrs
• Stefano and Virgilio Mattei — We Will Not Forget