The present paper examines letters and postcards from primary school pupils to Gen. Rodolfo Graziani (1882–1955), viceroy of Abyssinia, in 1936–1937. This source has never been used in school history research, although these documents were written or solicited in schools. So, they are a precious source to «understand the effectiveness of [Fascist] regime ideological propaganda in influencing the minds and consciences of young people» (Morandini, 2019, p. 398). The analyzed documents contribute to evaluating the consequences of the revision of school syllabuses that took place in 1934 under the Ministry of Francesco Ercole (1884–1945). In 1934, indeed, «school syllabuses were drastically changed, and school was subject to a process of Fascistization in order to become the place of birth of the new fascist man» (Paciaroni, 2019, pp. 1004–1005).
Imperial Writings: The Effects of 1934 Syllabuses in the Letters Sent By Pupils to Rodolfo Graziani (1936-1937)
Domenico Francesco Antonio Elia
2023-01-01
Abstract
The present paper examines letters and postcards from primary school pupils to Gen. Rodolfo Graziani (1882–1955), viceroy of Abyssinia, in 1936–1937. This source has never been used in school history research, although these documents were written or solicited in schools. So, they are a precious source to «understand the effectiveness of [Fascist] regime ideological propaganda in influencing the minds and consciences of young people» (Morandini, 2019, p. 398). The analyzed documents contribute to evaluating the consequences of the revision of school syllabuses that took place in 1934 under the Ministry of Francesco Ercole (1884–1945). In 1934, indeed, «school syllabuses were drastically changed, and school was subject to a process of Fascistization in order to become the place of birth of the new fascist man» (Paciaroni, 2019, pp. 1004–1005).I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
