From Fascism to European Federalism: the New Italian Face after World War II

Italy has a long tradition of European Federalist thought and political initiative and the Italian nation has its basis in the idea of a united Europe. In fact, the Risorgimento was a crucial period in Italy not only for the unification of the peninsula, but also for the development of the European idea, especially during the formation of the Italian national program when supranational values and ideals permeated the groups fighting for Italian unity. Italy played an important role in the rise of Federalism in Europe and it is particularly noteworthy that federalism was chosen as the solution to Fascism and Nazism, during World War II. The chapter is the result of an original international research, which highlights the role of individual national cultures in the creation of the political project of a federal Europe.