This book examines the historical process that led to the foundation of the Italian Republic and its constitution, viewed through the personal experiences and political reflections of Adriano Olivetti (between 1919 and 1960), general manager and president of the well-known typewriter manufacturer "Ing. C. Olivetti & C." An unbroken line of reasoning linked his maturing political reflections during the two post-war periods. The historical context of the 1950s did not prove to be very propitious, but the guidelines dispersed throughout the Italian cultural and political world from the movement that Olivetti founded were certainly seminal - generating a legacy of ideas that has only in part been recognized. What makes this study distinctive is the original approach to reading the history of Italy through Adriano Olivetti's eyes and thoughts, far from the more common Christian Democratic or Communist perspective of those years. It is simply another view of what the Italian Republic could be and was not.

In the journal articles, historiographical essays, and numerous references to the political thought of Adriano Olivetti, the term constantly used to characterize his thinking is 'utopia'. It is from this word, or rather, the misuse of this word, where one can begin to shed light on Olivettian political thinking. The term 'utopia', which has come to designate an entire vein of political literature, has also entered into common usage to define an impossible project, a wide-eyed dream; and a 'utopian' is that individual who longs for abstract projects instead of concrete ideas. It would be unproductive to resort to the diverse arguments of Firpo, of Mannheim, or of Bloch, of the philosophers of the Frankfurt School or others, since, as Giovanni Sartori has observed, after the word ceases to exist - where utopia is understood to mean impossibility - the impossibilities still remain. So, precisely because the literature on the political thought of Olivetti appears to suffer greatly from 'empirical' influences, it seems necessary to confront the complexities of his presumed utopianism with a methodological approach. This book investigates the inherent 'impossibilities', if they indeed exist, in the political thought of Olivetti. It also seeks to understand, as a result, if the Olivettian ideal is lacking in any true consistency, since it is secluded from an adequate analysis of historical reality, or if it is, rather, an idealism which does not lose sight of reality, in an attempt to overturn it as the basis for a plausible global vision. This book will be of interests to students and scholars in history, political economy and philosophy.

In A Companion to Antonio Gramsci some of the most important Italian scholars of Antonio Gramsci's thought combine their efforts to present an insightful and original intellectual portrait of one of the 20th century's most influential Marxist thinkers. Thematically organized into five parts, the volume focuses on the Sardinian's most important contributions. The first section offers readers a biographical sketch of Gramsci's life and work, the second presents his theories of history, the third and fourth examine his contributions to political theory, and the last deals with Gramsci's legacy and enduring influence. Contributors include: Alberto Burgio, Davide Cadeddu, Giuseppe Cospito, Angelo d'Orsi, Michele Filippini, Guido Liguori, Marcello Montanari, Vittorio Morfino, Stefano Petrucciani, Michele Prospero, Leonardo Rapone, Giuseppe Vacca, and Marzio Zanantoni.

This book examines the historical process that led to the foundation of the Italian Republic and its constitution, viewed through the personal experiences and political reflections of Adriano Olivetti (between 1919 and 1960), general manager and president of the well-known typewriter manufacturer "Ing. C. Olivetti & C." An unbroken line of reasoning linked his maturing political reflections during the two post-war periods. The historical context of the 1950s did not prove to be very propitious, but the guidelines dispersed throughout the Italian cultural and political world from the movement that Olivetti founded were certainly seminal - generating a legacy of ideas that has only in part been recognized. What makes this study distinctive is the original approach to reading the history of Italy through Adriano Olivetti's eyes and thoughts, far from the more common Christian Democratic or Communist perspective of those years. It is simply another view of what the Italian Republic could be and was not.

In the journal articles, historiographical essays, and numerous references to the political thought of Adriano Olivetti, the term constantly used to characterize his thinking is 'utopia'. It is from this word, or rather, the misuse of this word, where one can begin to shed light on Olivettian political thinking. The term 'utopia', which has come to designate an entire vein of political literature, has also entered into common usage to define an impossible project, a wide-eyed dream; and a 'utopian' is that individual who longs for abstract projects instead of concrete ideas. It would be unproductive to resort to the diverse arguments of Firpo, of Mannheim, or of Bloch, of the philosophers of the Frankfurt School or others, since, as Giovanni Sartori has observed, after the word ceases to exist - where utopia is understood to mean impossibility - the impossibilities still remain. So, precisely because the literature on the political thought of Olivetti appears to suffer greatly from 'empirical' influences, it seems necessary to confront the complexities of his presumed utopianism with a methodological approach. This book investigates the inherent 'impossibilities', if they indeed exist, in the political thought of Olivetti. It also seeks to understand, as a result, if the Olivettian ideal is lacking in any true consistency, since it is secluded from an adequate analysis of historical reality, or if it is, rather, an idealism which does not lose sight of reality, in an attempt to overturn it as the basis for a plausible global vision. This book will be of interests to students and scholars in history, political economy and philosophy.