It is about culture(Anthropology) - Essay Example

It is about Culture This chapter is about Florentine life during the years following the First World War and before the Second World War. The effect of the War during wartime is also briefly covered. A lot of the chapter covers the lack of food which the peasants had during this time. This was not necessarily because of the war but because the Florentine Peasant life was a difficult one. They had large families and very little food. Women would have work very hard both on the field and at home and be in the unenviable position of indispensable and taken for granted.

The lack of men because of the war also meant that there were a lot of unmarried women at home. The end of First World War did not get any relief to the peasants. First the Socialists took over, and then the Fascists took over from the socialists. But it seemed that the condition of the peasants remained the same. They were first oppressed by the landlords, then by the Socialists, then by the Fascists and the Landlords. The food was always in short supply, meat was a rarity. Ironically during times of war the peasants in the villages fared a lot better than those living in the cities, as they could live of the wild.

And many people in the cities use to go to the rural area to get some food of there. The Barter system was also very prevalent. People worked for food and traded various items to sustain themselves. The degradation of Women is also covered very thoroughly in this chapter. They were encouraged not to work. They were also not encouraged to educate themselves. They were generally encouraged to stay at home. The Fascists further painted women who did not marry or bear children or selfish or unattractive.

While Women were expected to be virgin till marriage, men were expected to show of their virility before that. This created a situation where prostitution thrived. This had a psychological impact on women in Italy long after the war was over.There is a brief coverage of the family structure as well. While the male was the titular head of the household, his wife generally ran the family. Sharing of food with less fortunate neighbors even though the quantity was low was common. The fascists and the socialists are also given their due coverage and it is not a flattering picture.

While the socialist’s looted shops and farms, apparently to redistribute the wealth, but in reality it was to benefit a few. While the fascists did not make an attempt to cover up their intentions and joined hands with landlords and other wealthy people to wreak havoc on the peasants. There was always only misery for the peasants. It is horrifying to see that many times they had to content themselves those portions of the meat which would be considered uneatable today. This was something which continued till the end of Second World War.

It was a few years after the war ended, that people started thinking about other things apart from food and daily survival. The regular economy started thriving only after that.This chapter covers an era which most people in modern times would not understand, in terms which actually makes sense. That is why perhaps History is so important. It teaches us lessons which we should never forget.