NN. 561 – 562 “April the 25th. A symbolic date between memory and future”

(Thematic section edited by Vannino Chiti and Severino Saccardi)

On the 80^th anniversary of Italy’s liberation from Nazi-Fascist oppression, this volume dedicates its thematic section to such commemoration. In our particularly delicate historical moment, currently calling into question the values tied to such commemoration such as freedom, peace, civil coexistence among nations, democracy and the defense of supranational institutions emerging from the tragedies of 20^th century’s wars, it is essential to reassert them. The contributions of the various authors recall certain aspects of that historical moment, not in the spirit of a rhetorical celebration, but rather to highlight the need to keep alive the memory of what the Italian Resistance and Liberation were, along with various other resistances and liberations across the countries, which took part into the Second World War. This effort is crucial especially now that “direct memory” is gradually disappearing and only an echo, mostly at school, reaches the younger generations. Moreover, in the section April the 25^th will be treated as a supernational, above all European, dimension, since Europe – our “common home”- is directly called upon to take responsibility for the values inspired by that founding moment of our democratic life.