Page 364 - Le Operazioni Interforze e Multinazionali nella Storia Militare - ACTA Tomo II

1004 XXXIX Congresso della CommIssIone InternazIonale dI storIa mIlItare • CIHm

An evaluation of the italo-turkish war on l’Unità, problemi
della vita italiana and la Voce (october 1912 – july 1914)

lorenzo mARmIRolI

uture historian of our colonial enterprise, looking for the reasons that made popular the conquest
“F in Italy, shall bestow an important role to the illusion, largely spread, of the existence in Libya
1
of huge fertile territories [...]”
With such words L’Unità, problemi della vita italiana comments and explains the waves
of national euphoria that forerun and go along the Italo-Turkish War: the magazine fol-
lows carefully the hoaxes of Tripoli and sets a campaign in order to reveal them:
“To demolish these fantasies, to create in the country a true knowledge of the natural conditions of the
colony, to forbid that the illusions of fall 1911 keep on cheating the minds and keep on holding them ready
for spending, spending, spending, waiting for gains still too far away [...]” 2
L’Unità: problemi della vita italiana (1911 - 1920), directed by G. Salvemini (1873
– 1957) and edited in Florence, just like La Voce (1908 – 1916), directed mostly by G.
Prezzolini (1882 – 1982) are two of the most important Italian cultural magazines of the
th
beginning of the 20 century.
The present contribution focuses on the interest the two magazines show for the
Italo-Turkish War after the Italian military conquest, up to the July Crisis, which ob-
viously draws the whole public attention. The present item is only a small part of the
author’s PhD project, entitled The Echo of First World War on Cultural Magazines: a
Comparison between Italy and Austria-Hungary.
The opinion of L’Unità about the Libyan war is totally negative. The recollection that
the conquest leaves is bitter, most of all because the Nationalist propaganda presents the
enterprise to the public as “facilissima”. On the other hand La Voce presents different
issues about the conflict: the Italo-Turkish War leads the magazine to a more patriotic-
oriented policy, and modern historian might already perceive the changes in the mood of
La Voce which forerun and prepare that cultural environment to the outburst of the Great
War and its reaction towards. Indeed, it is important to point out the fact that Salvemini
leaves La Voce and founds L’Unità, problemi della vita italiana because of different
views about Italian cultural life, and the Italo-Turkish War as well plays an important

1 E. Giretti, L’Unità. 1913. “Illusioni e delusioni”. L’Unità, problemi della vita italiana (from now on simply
L’Unità) n°4, 24 Jan.: “Lo storico futuro della nostra nuova impresa coloniale, ricercando le cause che
resero popolare in Italia la conquista, dovrà assegnare un gran posto alla illusione, largamente diffusa, della
esistenza in Libia di immensi tratti di territorio naturalmente fertilissimi […].”
Unless otherwise indicated translations from Italian to English are those of the author.
2 C. Maranelli. 1914. “Nuove discussioni tripoline”. L’Unità n°3, 16 Jan.: “Demolire queste fantasie, creare nel
paese una conoscenza esatta delle condizioni naturali della colonia, impedire che le illusioni dell’autunno del
1911 continuino a sviare le menti e a mantenerle nella beata disposizione a spendere, spendere, spendere, in
attesa di guadagni di là da venire [...]”