How workers’ newspapers in Milan shaped democracy after World War II

What is it about?

Based on a rare collection of workers’ newspapers that were published in the factories of tire producer Pirelli in 1945-1948, the article illustrates the passage from fascist rule to democracy in Italy. The liberation from German occupying forces and Mussolini’s government in April 1945 generated in the working class expectations of radical change in labor relations as well as in national political affairs. In such a transitional phase the newly regained freedom of speech contributed to the rise of a plurality of voices also inside industry. At Pirelli, the management encouraged and supported the establishment of in-house periodicals to counterbalance the power of radical newspapers. Blue-collar and white-collar workers, managers and trade unionists got engaged in writing in the factory about the factory, trying to shape the future. The result was a “difficult democracy” – as the article’s title reveals – largely due to the economic and political constraints of the beginning Cold War.

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Why is it important?

This paper bridges labor and working class history with business history as well as Cold War studies. It is the first to provide extensive quotations from Pirelli’s early in-house publications – sources that are not easily accessible.

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