Abstract

At historical and historiographical level, coming to terms with fascism means, first and foremost, coming to terms with its papers. From the immediate post-war period until recent decades, the archives of the organs of the fascist regime have been characterized by embezzlements, irretrievable dispersions and more or less accidental discoveries. The events surrounding the archives of the Special Court for the Defense of the State are a significant part of this history. The recovery, preservation and definitive consultation of those papers since the 1990s thanks to the intervention of Parliament constitute emblematic moments of Italy’s difficulties in coming to terms with the history of the Ventennio.