| Summary: | The memory and historiography of the First World War in Italy may be divided into four broad periods. During the immediate post-war period (1918-1922) debate mainly focused on such issues as the Italian defeat at Caporetto in 1917, the human and material costs of the war, and the peace treaty. In the subsequent decades (1922-1960), fascism was presented as the heir of the war, which became a fundamental element of its nationalist identity as well as part of the rituals of the regime. This nationalistic and fascist interpretation of the conflict then survived in many respects until the start of the 1960s. Perspectives on the war were subsequently revised over the next twenty years (1960-1980). The new cultural tendencies of these decades produced a history of the conflict from below, which encompassed the experiences of Italian soldiers, who were often seen as victims of the military machine. The historiography focused on their opposition to the war, including cases of indiscipline and mental breakdown. In more recent times (1980-2014) these trends have continued, and new studies have emerged, but many aspects of the war, including the home front and the international context (including Italy’s enemies) are still relatively neglected. Moreover, although there is a keen public interest in the First World War in north-east Italy, which was the theatre of operations, the period 1915-1918 is probably part of a faraway past for most Italians.
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