The role of Frantisek Behounek in the historical recosntruction of the airship "Italia" expedit... more The role of Frantisek Behounek in the historical recosntruction of the airship "Italia" expedition is examined. The literature about the expedition of the "Italia" airship to the North Pole, which ended in tragedy on May 25,1928, has been very vast in Italy and abroad. However, all previous literature fails to express the real historical significance of that event, which impressed the whole world. The presence of the press, which told the tragic facts during their happening by means of the new radio technologies of Guglielmo Marconi, influenced the narration from the very beginning, with their tones of propaganda and rhetoric. In the following years, many books of memories were published, but they were strongly influenced by the need to “revenge” the survivors of the disaster against the fascist government, which blamed them for the outcome. In the post-war period, finally, the literary production of General Nobile prevailed, and described him as the political victim of fascism; it also gave a biographical image of the events, always aimed at refuting the accusations which Nobile received. A new course of historiographical investigations was conducted by our research, based on primary, unpublished and independent sources, hereby opening up new scenarios that reveal the complexity and great relevance of the expedition in the history of the early 20th century.
The role of Frantisek Behounek in the historical recosntruction of the airship "Italia" expedit... more The role of Frantisek Behounek in the historical recosntruction of the airship "Italia" expedition is examined. The literature about the expedition of the "Italia" airship to the North Pole, which ended in tragedy on May 25,1928, has been very vast in Italy and abroad. However, all previous literature fails to express the real historical significance of that event, which impressed the whole world. The presence of the press, which told the tragic facts during their happening by means of the new radio technologies of Guglielmo Marconi, influenced the narration from the very beginning, with their tones of propaganda and rhetoric. In the following years, many books of memories were published, but they were strongly influenced by the need to “revenge” the survivors of the disaster against the fascist government, which blamed them for the outcome. In the post-war period, finally, the literary production of General Nobile prevailed, and described him as the political victim of fascism; it also gave a biographical image of the events, always aimed at refuting the accusations which Nobile received. A new course of historiographical investigations was conducted by our research, based on primary, unpublished and independent sources, hereby opening up new scenarios that reveal the complexity and great relevance of the expedition in the history of the early 20th century.
Uploads