Special Topics: The U.S., Italy & the Cold War

Even before World War II ended, tensions arose between the U.S. and the USSR over conflicting visions of the post-war world. These tensions escalated into what came to be known as the 'Cold War,' a conflict which shaped not only international relations for the next forty years, but also had profound consequences on the domestic cultures of the two superpowers and their allies.

Italy was an arena for this conflict, particularly as the U.S. and the Soviet Union jockeyed for influence after the defeat of Mussolini. Further, the Vatican played a vigorous role in the global crusade to defeat communism. Italy was also the home of one the largest communist parties found in a democratic nation and one of the leaders of Eurocommunism in the 1970s and 1980s. George Kennan, one of the key architects of the U.S. policy of containment, once stated that the U.S. had only to "live up to its best principles" in order to defeat the Soviet Union. This course will examine the roots, course and legacy of the Cold War by focusing on Italy as a case study. In the wake of the collapse of communism and the Soviet Union in 1989, what are the lessons of the past? To what extent can they be applied as Italy and the United States confront a new enemy in the global war on terror? Did Italy, the U.S. and their Western allies adopt means to defeat communism that undermined democratic practice and principles?

Students will analyze primary source documents, memoires, secondary sources and literary, film and artistic representations of the "Struggle for Soul of Mankind." Class format includes lecture, discussion, site visits and films/documentaries. This class is heavily discussion based. Students will lead class discussion, report on their analysis of primary sources and share the fruits of their research with their peers.