But the 2011 anniversary saw a different kind of battle take place: the symbols of Italy itself were challenged from within the very heart of the government by a powerful and well-organized political minority. It did this from a position of political power, at both the regional and national levels, with LN ministers in the central government until the November crisis.Īfter comparisons with two previous commemoratory years, 19, which, we shall argue, were marked by conflict over the meaning of Italian unification and unity, we will discuss how the 2011 celebrations were similarly marked by considerable political disagreement over the content and form of these events. The Lega Nord (LN, Northern League) openly challenged the commemorations during 2011 and, implicitly, the basis of the nation-state. The commemorative cycle of events in 2011 served to highlight continuing discussions over the meaning of Italian national identity, the changing role of national symbols, and the presence and importance of regionalist and separatist movements in the North. This chapter will look in some detail at Italy's 150th anniversary commemorations from the point of view of political debate, national identity, and divided or fractured memory. Mimicking the long process of unification, the sesquicentennial commemorations, which began in 2010, continued throughout 2011, with further set pieces on 25 April and 2 June, and will be followed by a series of different and ongoing events until 2020. In Rome, the sites for these ceremonies included Gianicolo Hill (where critical battles for independence had taken place in 1848), the Altar of the Fatherland (constructed for the fiftieth anniversary celebrations in 1911), and the Pantheon (where some of Italy's monarchs are buried). Official celebrations were also planned for many key places linked to the history of the unification process and Italy in general. The central event took place at a parliamentary session where the two houses heard a speech delivered by President Giorgio Napolitano. The date 17 March was designated as a national holiday on a one-off basis in 2011, and on that day flags were raised across Italy to celebrate the nation's 150th birthday. It was not a day of revolution but instead a bureaucratic (albeit highly symbolic) political unification. This date, however, marked only a formal moment of annexation. On that day in 1861, Victor Emmanuel II had become the first king of Italy. On 17 March 2011, Italy celebrated its 150th anniversary.
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