Italy between the Two World Wars

This chapter addresses the difficult relationship of the Italian doctrine with regard to the dramatic historical and political events occurring during the early decades of the twentieth century. In particular an examination of the legal implications of World War I, its main output of the League of Nations, and the impact on international law of activities carried out by the fascist government have been the focus of interest in this chapter. Such largely unexplored topics permit us to assess the role of Italian scholars during those challenging decades. Their active involvement in debates occurring at the time permit to identify nationalistic biases, open endorsement of external politics carried out by Italian governments, cases of self-censorships and their professional involvement as legal advisers for the government in complex situations. This analysis emphasises difficulties to maintain their self-proclaimed adherence to the positive law dogma aimed to build up a scholarship deprived of any political influence.