GAMES IN DEVELOPMENT

The Trial of Antonio Gramsci
E-mail reacting@barnard.edu for availability

The Trial of Antonio Gramsci takes students into the turbulence of Italian politics during the 1920s. In October 1926, the fascist government of Benito Mussolini banned all political parties “for the defense of the state.” Antonio Gramsci, founding member of the Italian Communist Party, has been arrested on charges of treason. Gramsci has made no secret of his disdain for Western democracy and even lived in the Soviet Union for a year. He has openly called for revolution as the only effective antidote to the fascist menace. At the trial some students represent the fascist government as judge and prosecuting attorneys. Others, mainly representing the liberal party, challenge the government’s insistence that national security takes precedence over civil liberties. Catholics are torn between their religious loyalties and their dismay over the Vatican’s support of Mussolini’s government. Socialists and communists attempt to overcome their internecine struggles in an effort to build an effective alliance against the fascist regime.

Some of the issues facing the court include: Does Gramsci have the right to free speech? Should he enjoy additional protection as a freely elected member of parliament? Does he deserve the support of Liberals and Catholics as a fellow parliamentarian? Does the Vatican have the right to intervene because it does not like atheist communists? In fact, what role should religion play in modern secular politics? Is it the responsibility of the Italian people to protect parliamentary democracy in defiance of the present government’s policies? Is it unpatriotic to go against one’s own government? Central texts include works on liberal democracy (Locke, Mill, Paine), Socialism/Communism (Marx, Engels, Lenin, Gramsci), and Fascism (Nietsche, Mussolini, Palmieri).

About the Author:

Brigitte H. Schulz is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Trinity College where she teaches courses on communism/postcommunism and political development from a comparativist perspective. Her publications include two books and numerous articles translated into seven world languages. She is currently working on a book entitled Democracy and Violence. The Gramsci game was developed for a course presently taught by the author at Trinity’s Rome campus entitled “Transitions to Democracy: Communism and Fascism in Historical Perspective.