The 1968 movement in Italy or Sessantotto was inspired by distaste or discontent with traditional Italian society and by similar international protests. In May 1968 all universities, except Bocconi, were occupied. In the same month a hundred artists, including Giò Pomodoro,

Arnaldo Pomodoro Arnaldo Pomodoro (born 23 June 1926) is an Italian sculptor. He was born in Morciano, Romagna, and lives and works in Milan. His brother, Giò Pomodoro (1930–2002) was also a sculptor. Pomodoro designed a controversial fiberglass crucifix f ...

, Ernesto Treccani and Gianni Dova occupied the Palazzo della Triennale for 15 days.

Movement '68

The background of the movement came from the newly transformed economy of Italy. The country had recently increased industrialization and a new modern culture began to develop. The movement has its roots in the strikes and university occupations of the 1960s, along with international headlines about

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

political triumphs in the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

. Students of working or peasant backgrounds mainly drove the movement in an effort to change traditional

capitalist Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...

and

patriarchal Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of authority are primarily held by men. The term ''patriarchy'' is used both in anthropology to describe a family or clan controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males, and in fem ...

society. The new education system allowed for a large populace to be educated and, consequently question existing societal functions. The unrest began with student protests which were initially underestimated by politicians and the press; this soon turned into "the struggle of workers." In the first moments of the student protest, the right wing in the universities were among the movement's leaders. The Battle of Valle Giulia at Rome University on 1 March 1968 was the last action in which left- and right-wing students were together because, on 16 March following the assault on the University La Sapienza, there was a gap between "movementists" and reactionaries. The left came to dominate the movement and the right-wing debates on what actions should be used to further the movement.

Aftermath

The counter-cultural attitudes of the movement ended up creating conflicts within the Italian Left. The movement did bring a form of solidarity among the youth and a new politicized generation was created. There is debate about when and how a new political generation was formed.Luca Codignola, Il Sessantotto fu una rivolta generazionale ma fino ad un certo punto (''L'Occidentale'', 9 December 2007).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Italy movement, 1968 1968 protests 1968 riots 1968 in Italy Political history of Italy Riots and civil disorder in Italy 1960s in Rome Protests in Italy Years of Lead (Italy)

Movement '68

Aftermath

See also

References