UNA RIVOLUZIONE «ANTIASBURGICA». CAOS POSTBELLICO, VIOLENZA E ASCESA FASCISTA NELL'ISTRIA POST-ASBURGICA (1918-1923 (original) (raw)

This essay attempts to examine established visions of postwar in Istria, through the methodological perspectives of recent (post-) Habsburg historiography, starting from the category of "national indifference." Instead of focusing on the clash between "Italians" and "Slavs," it focuses on the chaotic dynamics of the post-1918 transition and the resulting violent conflicts in a rural context that was anything but nationalized. By appropriating Italian-speaking nationalism and reconfiguring the persistent Habsburg heritage, the new fascist movement managed to mobilize peasant masses on political-ideological grounds that contributed to radicalizing local rifts and conflicts. Aimed against "internal enemies" identified as "Austrians," "Bolsheviks" and "Slavs," Istrian fascism worked to establish total loyalty to the new state order.