Italian Partisans and British Forces in the Second World War: Working with the Enemy

This book challenges the traditional narrative that the British were hostile to the Italian Resistance and proposes a more nuanced interpretation of the relations between the two groups during the Italian campaign of 1943-1945. It argues that lines were blurred and relations existed on a scale that included grey and overlapping areas, and that an analysis of the concrete problems and difficulties that Italians and the British had to face when working together should take precedence over politics. This new interpretation enriches current historiography and pushes forward our understanding of the relationship between Italian partisans and British forces.

Format: Hardback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 12 April 2023
Publisher: Springer International Publishing AG

This book offers a groundbreaking new perspective on the complex relations between Italian partisans and British forces during the Italian campaign of 1943-1945. It challenges numerous assumptions that have persisted in both Italian and Anglophone historiography on this subject. In contemporary historiography, the debate continues as to whether the British were a hostile force seeking to undermine the Italian Resistance or a genuine and committed ally. Instead of a simplistic and artificial dichotomy between Italians and the British, this book proposes that lines were often blurred, and relations existed on a scale that encompassed a range of grey and overlapping areas. By adopting an innovative approach that examines the Italo-British interaction from a vantage point as close to the 'action' as possible, it offers a fresh interpretation based on how the British image was perceived in Italy. Politics takes a backseat in favor of an in-depth analysis of the practical challenges and difficulties that Italians and the British encountered when working together, as well as how these processes shaped the perception of Great Britain in Italy over the subsequent decades. This results in a comprehensive interpretation that enriches current historiography and advances our understanding of the relationship between Italian partisans and British forces.

Weight: 467g
Dimension: 210 x 148 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783031286810
Edition number: 1st ed. 2023