L'associazione "Italia-URSS" dal dopoguerra alla Guerra Fredda: diplomazia culturale ufficiosa e propaganda sovietica (1944-1960)

The article reconstructs the main stages of the history of the Italian association for cultural relations with the Soviet Union – also known as “Italy-USSR” – from 1944 to 1960. The genesis of “Italy-USSR” relates to the post-war international cultural context. The polarization of the national and global political-ideological struggle led the association to a clear political turn: the fight against anti-Sovietism became an uncritical celebration of the Soviet Union. “Italy-USSR” thus scarcely succeeded in being an effective actor of the cultural Cold War, since it was not very capable of attracting people far from the Socialist and Communist parties. The new secretary Orazio Barbieri (1953-1958) wanted to strengthen an objective knowledge of the USSR even if 1956 – as well as the Pasternak case – confused many of its members. Paradoxically, Barbieri’s dynamism was the main weak spot in relations with the Italian Communist Party and the Soviet interlocutors who could not stand the autonomy of “Italy-USSR” in launching initiatives that were often considered too elitist and far from the masses. The ICP intervened to strengthen political control over the association just when the unofficial efforts of “Italy-USSR” had contributed to the signing of the 1960 intergovernmental cultural agreement between the two countries.