As early as the late 1940s, the first exhibitions and memoirs placed the courage and suffering of partisans at the centre.

Soon, however, public memory of the resistance came to be shaped by the dividing lines of the Cold War. Although many partisan groups had roots in Christian Democratic or republican-liberal circles, public perception increasingly linked the Resistenza above all with the Communist Party (PCI). This impression grew stronger in the 1960s, when centre-left governments began to emphasise the Resistenza as a founding element of republican identity. Literature, music, film, and the visual arts turned it into a symbol of the anti-fascist struggle and of a new national self-understanding. Novels, songs, and films from this period contributed to the creation of myths. Many former partisans embarked on political careers in parties, trade unions, or civic organisations.

From the 1980s onwards, growing efforts were made to integrate supporters of the fascist Repubblica sociale italiana (RSI) into a supposedly more ‘balanced’ commemorative culture. This shift, however, led to a form of relativisation: resistance and collaboration were treated as equivalent, RSI supporters were recast as ideologically driven patriots, and increased attention was paid to acts of violence perpetrated by the Resistenza.

In 1991, historian Claudio Pavone fundamentally challenged the dominant interpretation of the Resistenza as nothing more than a war of liberation. He distinguished instead between ‘three wars’: a national war of independence against German occupation, a class war against economic elites, and a civil war against Italian fascists. This perspective highlighted the social and ideological tensions within the Resistenza and pointed as well to violence directed at entrepreneurs and large landowners.

Since the 2000s, state institutions and civil-society actors have increasingly sought to preserve the legacy of the Resistenza as part of Italy’s collective memory and national identity. Memorial sites have been upgraded, commemorative practices standardised, and the European dimension more strongly emphasised, particularly with regard to German-Italian relations. With the passing of the last eyewitnesses, memory has shifted ever more into symbolic forms: monuments, historic sites, and public ceremonies.

In recent years, political forces on the right have repeatedly provoked controversy by relativising Italian fascism or casting it in a milder light. These tendencies have fuelled tensions around the public commemoration of 25 April, which has become a contested symbol of resistance to fascism and foreign occupation.

The memory of the Resistenza thus remains politically contested. Its interpretation continues to be shaped by social conflicts, between the claim to historical recognition and reconciliation on the one hand and revisionist tendencies on the other.