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4. The Family in Question
- Fordham University Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
Two decrees, issued to the Paulovich family in June 1930 and in mid-January 1931, frame the analysis in this chapter that explores the complex and ambiguous role of the family in Italian politics and culture in the Fascist state. Controversy over Paulovich's son's inclusion on the first surname decree revealed interwar tensions with regard to the family and social order. Traditional assumptions of family loyalties and responsibilities conflicted with Fascist attempts to reshape the family to further national aims. The chapter explores the influence of the state's reconciliation with the Catholic Church on the legal treatment of families, women, and children in Fascist Italy. It demonstrates how conflicting aims and understandings and competing loyalties led to conflicts of jurisdiction. Inconsistences in the application of laws prompted confusion over the Paulovich family's name restoration decree and paved the way for appeal.