The relationship between the totalitarian States and the intellectuals seems interesting for two reasons: on the one hand the example of the intellectuals allows to think about the link between the individual and an intrusive and propagandist State; on the other hand, the ethic attitude of the intellectuals in an extreme political climate is at stake. The intellectuals, a category intended to reflect and criticize, have they behaved better than others categories of people under Fascism and Nazism? Can culture serve to develop a courageous and critical attitude? Based on the book Università e accademie negli anni del fascismo e del nazismo, edited by Giorgio Zunino, the authors of the following article think about these matters by bringing also other examples like that of Italian writers for youth.
Delcroix, S., & Giudicetti, G. p. (2010). Zones grises, noires et quelques éclaircies. Une réflexion sur la culture et les écrivains pendant le fascisme et le nazisme. Les Lettres Romanes, 64(3-4), 425-450. https://doi.org/10.1484/J.LLR.1.102074 (Original work published 2010)