Libya, the "Nineteenth Region of Italy": between oppression and integration.

The history of Italy is strictly interconnected with the phenomenon of colonisation. Since the Liberal era, the need to possess overseas territories has become increasingly compelling, gaining particular urgency during the Fascist era. The features of the colonisation process changed over time according to the condition of the epoch; however, the main objective remained the same: becoming an imperialistic authority on par with the other European powers. The thesis attempts to reconstruct the occupation of Libya; the central question guiding this analysis is whether the Libyan colony, part of the Italian Empire, was integrated within it, or whether the contrast between propaganda and historiographical interpretations reveals a different reality. The first chapter of the thesis will report the factual historical events that concluded with the conquest of the regions of Tripolitania, Cyrenaica and Fezzan. This process lasted almost 20 years, from 1911 with the Italo-Turkic war, followed by the local resistance represented by the figure of Omar al-Mukhtar. With the fascist regime in power in the colony and the assassination of the Imam al-Mukhtar, peace was finally achieved in 1932 – a goal so dearly desired by the regime and pursued through strategies of tangible repression. This chapter will analyse the secondary sources primarily, such as the treatises of Giorgio Rochat, Angelo Del Boca, Olindo De Napoli, Nicola Labanca, and others. Moreover, the chapter employs newspaper articles as a primary source. The second chapter analyses the historiographical perspective, considering several aspects of colonialism and the vision that the Italian population, especially under the fascist regime, had towards the indigenous population in the colony. It draws on the scholars of colonialism who examined the topic through various lenses such as anthropology, law, propaganda and the concept of race. The third chapter will focus on the monetary investments and the contribution to the colony’s development by Italo Balbo, Governor of Libya from 1934 until 1940, especially in the tourism sector, with a view to upgrading the colony and integrating it as part of Italy. This objective will be realised through the analysis of the review LIBIA, founded in 1937. This periodical largely aims to represent Libya as an attractive tourist destination and a developing country. Moreover, Libya was also intended to be a destination for Italians who were forced to emigrate from their homeland due to economic reasons. Indeed, one of the Fascists’ objectives was to create an Italian territory where the population could settle rather than seek their fortune abroad, such as in the Americas. This periodical has a pivotal role in analysing the improvements and efforts implemented in Libya from 1937 until 1940, and in interpreting the perception that Italy had towards the Libyan colony. In conclusion, the analysis of the primary and secondary sources will be targeted towards the research objective.