Franciscans in the wheels of political systems of the twentieth century

Abstract

The contribution covers the period from the arrival of the Italian authorities in the Littoral in 1918 or, rather, Italian and German occupiers at the onset of the Second World War until the mid-1960s, when the communist mea-sures had already expanded their grip on all spheres of social life in the state. In the introduction, the author describes the situation and activities of monasteries in the Littoral under Fascism. With the outbreak of the Second World War, the German occupier converted monasteries into institutions that served the new authorities and expulsed the mo-nastic communities. The end of the war and the establishment of the new communist government enabled monastic families to return to the monasteries, albeit to a limited extent, as many monks emigrated before the end of the war and monastery buildings required restoration. Finally, the solidification of the new government also entailed new arrests, interrogations, prison sentences, and restrictions imposed on monks.