Catholics and Communists in Twentieth-Century Italy: Between Conflict and Dialogue

Description

Catholics and Communists in Twentieth-Century Italy explores the critical moments in the relationship between the Catholic world and the Italian left, providing unmatched insight into one of the most significant dynamics in political and religious history in Italy in the last hundred years. The book covers the Catholic Communist movement in Rome (1937-45), the experience of the Resistenza, the governmental collaboration between the Catholic Party (DC) and the Italian Communist Party (PCI) until 1947, and the dialogue between some of the key figures in both spheres in the tensest years of the Cold War. Daniela Saresella even goes on to consider the legacy that these interactions have left in Italy in the 21st century. This pioneering study is the first on the subject in the English language and is of vital significance to historians of modern Italy and the Church alike.

Daniela Saresella is Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Milan, Italy.

Saresella has produced a compelling and enjoyable read based on fascinating as well as comprehensive research. She is clearly in full command of the subject, some feat given the time span. Highly recommended. * European Quarterly History * This very important book probably provides the best guide for Anglo-Saxon readers to the labyrinthine maze of Italian Catholic politics under the "First Republic", that is until the collapse of both the Christian Democrats and the PCI in the early 1990s. It should be in every college and university library. * The Tablet * Daniela Saresella's Catholics and Communists in Twentieth-Century Italy is a ground-breaking and extremely well-documented book. * EuropeNow * Daniela Saresella takes readers on an illuminating journey in the Italian Catholic political world, focusing especially on those many voices that from the late 19th century onward sought a dialogue with Communists and Socialists. Her insightful and broad-ranging book is a precious addition to the scholarship on 20th-century Italy and an indispensable read to comprehend the crucial role played by Catholics in Italian political and social life. * Ilaria Favretto, Professor of Contemporary European History, Kingston University, UK * A rich, detailed, and fascinating compendium to one of the most significant threads in modern Italian history: how Catholics and the political Left saw one another, interacted, and on occasion collaborated very productively. This book is an important contribution to a burgeoning transnational conversation that has revealed how the entanglement of religion and political economy helped to shape the 20th century. * Piotr H. Kosicki, Associate Professor of History, University of Maryland, USA and author of 'Catholics on the Barricades' (2018) *