8 - The Politics of Everyday Life

Summary

With the arrival of Fascism, my paese was divided in two; Fascism divided people, ruined friendships. On one side there were the real Fascists, and on the other there were those who were forced to be Fascists, the “meal ticket” [Fascists]. Here in Barolo, we weren't free to speak any more. In the tavern we were always careful, we always looked over our shoulder before we spoke: one wrong word was enough to get you into trouble.

a peasant from Barolo

For some Italians, discerning and navigating the dangers and opportunities presented by state-backed coercion constituted a way of life. This new form of politicized conflict varied in intensity and form according to region, locality, and class. But whether in Trieste or Trapani, similar patterns of repression emerged involving the same types of spaces, actors, and dynamics of state-backed social power. In this sense, Fascist political violence thus contributed in part to the nationalization of the Italians. One of an Italian's first “national” experiences was learning to appreciate the machinations of the authoritarian state apparatus and the boundaries of expected political behavior. For Italians who transgressed these boundaries, among the possible grim outcomes were a punch in the face, institutional confinement, discrimination in the labor market or state welfare, financial ruin, social ostracism, or mere intimidation and fear.