1917, l’anno “impossibile”

Abstract

The agitations of the period of the war were a protest with an anti-militarist character which marked the beginning of a popular insurrection that involved, for a week, all the regions of Italy. The period was characterized by a profound unease which had both economic and social causes: in 1914-15 there were many clashes between citizens in favor of intervention and those against it. During the years of the war the spontaneous protests involved almost exclusively women and children. The defining aspect of the protest was a moral revolt against injustice: in the countryside against the local authorities, in the towns against the government, speculators and shopkeepers and against all those who did not seem to be paying the price of the war. The length of the war produced a greater awareness of rights: in relation to sacrifices, the people demanded a broader social equality and the end of privilege