Subjects: World History/ U.S. History, Genocide/Holocaust Studies, World Languages
Description:
In this lesson, students will learn that during and after World War II nearly 15,000 Italian citizens were imprisoned, tortured, and thrown alive into deep, narrow ravines called Foibe by Yugoslav Communists. Many have called this an act of ethnic cleansing of the regions known as Istria and Dalmatia. Thousands of Italian men and women were also sent to gulags while hundreds of thousands more were forcibly expelled from Istria and Dalmatia. The Communists also confiscated their properties. Students will learn why Yugoslav Communist partisans worked to eliminate all Italians from Istria and Dalmatia, considering historical perspective of the regions. They will determine why the Italian government (both left and right) wanted to cover-up the Foibe massacres until 2005, and why they eventually changed their approach to the atrocities. Following this lesson plan, students will be able to extrapolate from their research and deduce why some historical narratives might look to hide various acts of brutality, ethnic cleansing, and genocide, while giving copious attention to other acts of brutality and attempts at ethnic cleansing and even genocide.
https://www.njitalianheritage.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/The-Foibe-Massacres.pdf
