Il Mulino and the East-West ideological confrontation. From destalinization to 1968

The chapter focuses on the group of intellectuals gathered around the journal Il Mulino and on their vision of democracy and democratic reformism: a vision shaped by their diverse cultural backgrounds, their appraisal of Cold War realities and their belief in the increasing “planetary” dimension of international relations. As well as their belief in the fundamental role of intellectuals to inspire political change, the authors explore Il Mulino’s myth of a worldwide “frontier” of democracy, especially during the years of Kennedy’s presidency. The chapter finally draws attention on the crisis of the journal’s cultural project in the second half of the 1960s when these intellectuals were challenged by the deteriorating high hopes of the reformist’s wave and uncertainties about the détente.