Italian School Uniform: Ozzano Monferrato School (1938)


Figure 1.-- Here we see the Ozzano Monferrato School during the 1938-39 school year just before war was to break out in Europe. We are not sure why some of the boys wear smocks and other boys wear their Balilla uniforms.

Here we see an Italian school during the 1938-39 school year just before war was to break out in Europe. The photograph is from the Ozzano Monferrato School, near Turin. This is an interesting image, but we do not fully understand it. The Fascist influence can be seen in the Balial uniforms that some of the boys are wearing. I believe that the uniforms were just worn on separate occassions. We are not sure why only some of the boys war yhe uniforms. About half of the boys wear smocks, the normal school outfit. This is especially confusing because as we understood it, participation was virtually mandatory. Another curious aspect of the photigraph is some of the boys wear smocks, but the girls do not look to be wearing them, although this is some what indistinct in the photograph. Hopefully our Italian readers will help us better understand this image.

1938-39

Here we see this an Italian school during the 1938-39 school year just before war was to break out in Europe. This was a tumultuous period in European history. Mussollini hooked Italy's future with Hitler and NAZI-Germany with the Rome-Berlin Axis--the Pact of Steel. After Hitler followed up Munich with the seizure of te rest of Czechoslovakia, Musollini seized Albania, the beginning of Italy's move toward war. World War II proved to be a disaster both for Italy and Musollini.

Ozzano Monferrato School

The photograph is from the Ozzano Monferrato School, near Turin. We are not sure what kind of school it was, but it looks like a state primary school.

School Clothing

This is an interesting image, but we do not fully understand it. The Fascist influence can be seen in the Balial uniforms that some of the boys are wearing. I believe that the uniforms were just worn on separate occassions. We are not sure why only some of the boys war yhe uniforms. About half of the boys wear smocks, the normal school outfit. This is especially confusing because as we understood it, participation was virtually mandatory. Some of the boys wear smocks. I'm not sure if they are black or dark blue. Note that while the smovks look similar, there was no uniformity with the collars. Apparently the boys had to wear large white collars, but there was nonuniform style of collar. Another curious aspect of the photograph is some of the boys wear smocks, but the girls do not look to be wearing them, although this is some what indistinct in the photograph. I think they may be wearing the Fascist girls' uniform. Some of the girls may be wearing white smocks. Hopefully our Italian readers will help us better understand this image.

The Balilla

The 20th Century has seen the rise of two basic types of boys uniformed youth groups. The Scouts have been the most important. Totalitarian political movements in the 1920s, however, sought to cretate their own scout-like groups that they could use to indoctrinate virtually all young Italians in the principles of Fascism. When fascist and communist parties seized power, they often forced competing youth groups like the Scouts to close.






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Created: 4:15 PM 10/17/2004
Last updated: 4:15 PM 10/17/2004