Storia degli ebrei italiani sotto il fascismo

The new introduction (1993) surveys recent contributions to the study of Italian fascism and its antisemitic aspects. Notes the tendency to minimize fascist responsibility for the fate of Italian Jews or to view anti-Jewish policy as a result of Nazi influence. Traces the evolution of antisemitism in Italy, noting the lack of a racist tradition and the importance of Catholic antisemitism. Analyzes the impact of German-Italian political relations after 1933 on Mussolini's policy towards the Italian Jews and Zionism. His attitude was influenced by his antisemitic entourage, the implications of the Abyssinia campaign, and the fascist myth of a "new civilization". The Italian population expressed little support for the racist policy. Ch. 8 discusses the Holocaust period and the cooperation of the Italian Social Republic (1943-1945) in Nazi massacres and deportations, and attempts by the Italian Church and the Vatican to save Jews. Includes a documentary appendix. (From the Bibliography of the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism - The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)