Piero Gobetti and Gaetano De Sanctis: A Brief History of a Political and Cultural Relationship

Drawing on a substantial body of unpublished and previously unexplored sources, this article
reconstructs the political and cultural relationship between Piero Gobetti and Gaetano De
Sanctis – a connection hitherto neglected by scholarship. It traces their exchanges from
their first documented meeting in 1918 to their final contacts in 1925, and then maps the
broader network of personal and intellectual ties that, during the 1930s and 1940s, linked
De Sanctis to several former Gobetti collaborators who had by then joined or gravitated
around the Giustizia e Libertà movement. Finally, the article brings to light private materials
that reveal De Sanctis’s enduring and heartfelt devotion to Gobetti’s memory. By uncovering
these ties, it opens a new chapter in the intellectual biographies of both figures and refines
our understanding of the intersections between liberal and Catholic anti-fascism.

Keywords: Piero Gobetti, Gaetano De Sanctis, Anti-fascism, Giustizia e Libertà.

Parole chiave: Piero Gobetti, Gaetano De Sanctis, Antifascismo, Giustizia e Libertà.

An «Indomitable Will to Do Good»: The Correspondence between Gaetano De Sanctis and Elena
Ceva Valla between Anti-fascism and Teaching

This article examines the relationship between Gaetano De Sanctis, a classical historian
and Catholic, and Elena Valla, his student at the University of Turin, an associate of Piero
Gobetti, and, later, a teacher and member of Giustizia e Libertà with her husband Umberto
Ceva. Spanning the interwar and postwar years, their unpublished correspondence traces
their lives and the material and moral challenges of anti-fascist choices. The letters reflect
upon the meaning of being a master in times of conformity, the hope found in dialogue with
youth, and, after 1945, the pedagogical dimension of civic as well as scholarly commitment.
Through their bond and networks, the article highlights the convergence of two distant
traditions – Catholic and liberal‑socialist – united by discomfort with a contemporaneity
rejected in the name of freedom of conscience and critique.

Keywords: Elena Ceva Valla, Gaetano De Sanctis, Anti-fascism, Giustizia e Libertà.

Parole chiave: Elena Ceva Valla, Gaetano De Sanctis, Antifascismo, Giustizia e Libertà.

Romania’s Participation in the International Exhibition in Rome (1911)

The study dedicated to Romania’s participation in the 1911 International Exhibition
is based on archival sources from Bucharest and Rome, as well as on research into the
contemporary press covering the event. This specific approach to the history of cultural
diplomacy focuses on analysis of Romanian identity images and their reception in Italy.
The study examines the design and organization of the Romanian exhibition stands at the
event in Rome, which featured reproductions of Roman archaeological remains from the
territory of ancient Dacia, as well as religious art objects (influenced by Italian art) from
the 14th-18th centuries or modern and traditional art. The Romanian identity images thus
outlined aimed to consolidate in Italy the idea of the common origin of the two peoples/
nations, the relationship between them being seen as one of «brotherhood», and ancient
Rome appearing as the maternal authority of the contemporary civilization of Latin peoples,
both from the Danube and from the Peninsula.

Keywords: Rome International Exhibition (1911), Romania, National identity, Imagology,
Cultural Diplomacy.

Mots clés: Exposition internationale de Rome (1911), Roumanie, Identité nationale,
Imagologie, Diplomatie culturelle.

Parole chiave: Esposizione internazionale di Roma (1911), Romania, Identità nazionale,
Imagologia, Diplomazia culturale.

Roads and Engines, Modernity and Conflicts: The State Road System in Puglia (1928-1940)

This research – focused on the Puglia region, with a particular emphasis on the Bari
province as a case study – aims to investigate the advent of motorization in Italy and the
role of the state agency Azienda autonoma statale della strada (Aass), established in 1928.
It seeks to explore the function of motorization and of Aass as modernity agents during the
interwar period. The material and immaterial impact on the landscape is analyzed, as well
as the repercussions on multiple levels: mentality, cultural practices and folklore, space and
time perception, and the conflictual reactions triggered by this new modernity. Along the
axis of relations between center and periphery, the complex network of interdependencies
between roads and motor vehicles, politics and technostructure is also examined, with a
particular focus on Araldo di Crollalanza, fascist leader in Bari, undersecretary (1928-30)
and then secretary (1930-35) of Public Works, and Eugenio Gra, chief engineer of the Aass
Department for Puglia and Basilicata until 1936.

Keywords: State roads, Azienda autonoma statale della strada, Motorization, Puglia, Bari.

Parole chiave: Strade statali, Azienda autonoma statale della strada (Aass), Motorizzazione,
Puglia, Bari.

Gaetano Salvemini, Angelo Tasca and Italian and French Politics after the Second World War

This article examines the reflections of Gaetano Salvemini and Angelo Tasca during the
early years of the Cold War, a period which has received limited scholarly attention in the
biographies of both figures. Tasca, who had acquired French citizenship since 1936, dedicated
himself to a critical analysis of the history and current situation of the communist movement,
while Salvemini, having returned to Italy after years of exile in the United States, resumed
his academic position as a professor at the University of Florence. After 1945, Tasca served
as a key source of information for Salvemini on French politics, while Salvemini defended
him against criticism targeting his work on fascism, communism, and his associations with
the Vichy regime. By drawing on their correspondence and published writings, this study
explores how exile and wartime experiences shaped their interpretations of French and Italian
political and cultural history, as well as their engagement in Cold War debates.

Keywords: Gaetano Salvemini, Angelo Tasca, Cold War, Anti-communism, Intellectuals.

Mots-clefs: Gaetano Salvemini, Angelo Tasca, Guerre froide, Anticommunisme, Intellectuels.

Parole chiave: Gaetano Salvemini, Angelo Tasca, Guerra fredda, Anticomunismo,
Intellettuali.

Atom, Peace, and Progress: The Pci and the Peaceful Use of Atomic Energy (1955-1963)

This essay explores the internal debate within the Italian Communist Party (Pci) on the
peaceful use of atomic energy between 1955 and 1963, adopting a perspective that moves
beyond traditional party-centered historiography. Set against the backdrop of a historical
phase characterized in Italy by rapid economic growth and the preparatory steps toward
center-left governments, the analysis highlights how the issue of atomic energy prompted
significant theoretical and political reflections within the Pci. The debate not only influenced
the party’s policy positions but also enabled it to put forward concrete proposals on
reform and governance, while sustaining the socialist vision as a viable alternative to the
model of modernization promoted by the capitalist system.

Keywords: Italian Communist Party, Modernisation, Capitalism, Atomic bomb, Nuclear
energy.

Parole chiave: Partito comunista italiano, Modernizzazione, Capitalismo, Bomba atomica,
Energia nucleare.

Perpetual Peace as a Political Problem: On Über den ewigen Frieden by Friedrich Gentz

This article examines Friedrich Gentz’s early reflections on perpetual peace through a close reading
of Über den ewigen Frieden (1800), written in response to Kant’s 1795 project. This youthful text
clarifies Gentz’s critique of the rationalistic and normative premises of Enlightenment theories of
peace. Rather than rejecting the cosmopolitan horizon, Gentz subjects it to a critical reassessment
grounded in political prudence and historical experience. What emerges is a realistic, though not
pessimistic, conception of international order, centred on balance and equilibrium rather than on
juridical abstractions. By focusing on this early intervention prior to Gentz’s later involvement
in Metternichian politics, the article situates his thought within the transformations of European
political theory at the turn of the nineteenth century, highlighting his position between Kantian
universalism and post-Enlightenment political realism.

Keywords: Perpetual peace, European balance of power, International order, Political realism.

Parole chiave: Pace perpetua, Equilibrio europeo, Ordine internazionale, Realismo politico.

«Eurafrica»: A Project between Manipulation and Hope

The idea of «Eurafrica» put forth at various times since the second half of the nineteenth
century forms the core concept of this article. Given its evocatory and indefinite nature,
it has been promoted by intellectuals and politicians of different orientations, from the
early supporters of colonialism to its twentieth-century opponents. Most notably, the vision
of Eurafrica has intersected with the rise of the pan-European ideal, and it has figured
prominently in the debate about the constitution of the European Community. The
fundamental concept underpinning Eurafrica is that of a shared destiny between Europe
and Africa. Some on both sides have seen it as a project realizing a mutually beneficial
complementarity. Others have tried to conceal behind it the continuation of a patronizing
and exploitative relationship that was easily unmasked as a neocolonial plot. As things stand
today, might Eurafrica be rediscovered as an ideal framework for a renewed partnership
between Europe and Africa?

Keywords: Eurafrica, Colonialism, European integration, Eu-Acp partnership, Migrations.

Parole chiave: Eurafrica, Colonialismo, Integrazione europea, Partenariato Ue-
Acp, Migrazioni.