Thank you for bringing to light how good the royal family was to this country, and how badly Italy needs a true leader, especially like the late King Umberto II. I used to be a republican, but I am no longer.
Thanks for reading. The sad situation of Italy (which is even worse today) came after I read a book on the monarchy which was really just a massive hit-job, that ended by saying, as if it were a good thing, that 'under the Republic, Italians had become comfortable with being at best a third rate power'. I thought that was the most horrible, depressing thing I had ever read and one of the best reasons for restoring the monarchy as soon as possible.
If you don't mind, could you tell me the name of the book? It sounds interesting.
And the quote is most certainly accurate. It is true that Italians have become comfortable with being a third-rate power. That is also a direct consequence of World War II. The massive guilt imposed on the nation after World War II has never really been shaken off. One must only consider how the Italian Republic has actively covered up the terrible ethnic cleansing of Italians in Istria and Dalmatia. The exiles who returned were treated with utmost disrespect by their own "countrymen" (namely, Communist officials and their henchmen). The King would have never tolerated it, and would have never tolerated the humiliation that Italy later underwent.
But perhaps I shouldn't say "also" because of World War II. For the guilt complex and the fall of the Savoy dynasty are intertwined. We need only look at the fate of Japan after World War II. Broken, humiliated, and partially obliterated via two horrific atomic bombings, and yet, they recovered and retained pride in themselves through the leadership of the Emperor. Italy and Germany, the two nations that became republics (or in Germany's case, remained a republic), have never fully recovered from the humiliation.
Anyway, I apologize for the long rant. But I do appreciate this website and you remind me of the greatness that my beloved Italy has always been capable of - if only she'd embrace again the monarchy, symbol of the national spirit.
Since you ask, the book is "The Fall of the House of Savoy" by Robert Katz but I do NOT recommend it. As I said, it is an extremely dishonest and partisan look at the history of the family and mostly a long hit-job on King Vittorio Emanuele III. The fact that the Royal Family is punished for the crimes of Mussolini (even more than the Mussolini family) is outrageous and evidence of republican hypocrisy. And, while it is not politically correct to say so it is nonetheless true, that Italy was by far the most humane and least cruel of the "Big 3" Axis powers. You saw it in how the Duke of Aosta cleared the minefields after being forced to surrender, to save needless British deaths, and in the kindness Italian soldiers showed to the oppressed Russian peasants in the Soviet Union who the Nazis were so casually cruel to. Anyway, an entire country should not have to suffer for the crimes of one man or one party.
Thank you for bringing to light how good the royal family was to this country, and how badly Italy needs a true leader, especially like the late King Umberto II. I used to be a republican, but I am no longer.
ReplyDeleteViva il Re!
Thanks for reading. The sad situation of Italy (which is even worse today) came after I read a book on the monarchy which was really just a massive hit-job, that ended by saying, as if it were a good thing, that 'under the Republic, Italians had become comfortable with being at best a third rate power'. I thought that was the most horrible, depressing thing I had ever read and one of the best reasons for restoring the monarchy as soon as possible.
DeleteIf you don't mind, could you tell me the name of the book? It sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteAnd the quote is most certainly accurate. It is true that Italians have become comfortable with being a third-rate power. That is also a direct consequence of World War II. The massive guilt imposed on the nation after World War II has never really been shaken off. One must only consider how the Italian Republic has actively covered up the terrible ethnic cleansing of Italians in Istria and Dalmatia. The exiles who returned were treated with utmost disrespect by their own "countrymen" (namely, Communist officials and their henchmen). The King would have never tolerated it, and would have never tolerated the humiliation that Italy later underwent.
But perhaps I shouldn't say "also" because of World War II. For the guilt complex and the fall of the Savoy dynasty are intertwined. We need only look at the fate of Japan after World War II. Broken, humiliated, and partially obliterated via two horrific atomic bombings, and yet, they recovered and retained pride in themselves through the leadership of the Emperor. Italy and Germany, the two nations that became republics (or in Germany's case, remained a republic), have never fully recovered from the humiliation.
Anyway, I apologize for the long rant. But I do appreciate this website and you remind me of the greatness that my beloved Italy has always been capable of - if only she'd embrace again the monarchy, symbol of the national spirit.
Since you ask, the book is "The Fall of the House of Savoy" by Robert Katz but I do NOT recommend it. As I said, it is an extremely dishonest and partisan look at the history of the family and mostly a long hit-job on King Vittorio Emanuele III. The fact that the Royal Family is punished for the crimes of Mussolini (even more than the Mussolini family) is outrageous and evidence of republican hypocrisy. And, while it is not politically correct to say so it is nonetheless true, that Italy was by far the most humane and least cruel of the "Big 3" Axis powers. You saw it in how the Duke of Aosta cleared the minefields after being forced to surrender, to save needless British deaths, and in the kindness Italian soldiers showed to the oppressed Russian peasants in the Soviet Union who the Nazis were so casually cruel to. Anyway, an entire country should not have to suffer for the crimes of one man or one party.
Delete