Introduction

The life of Lelio Basso spans the history of the ‘short’ twentieth century – the aftermath of the First World War, the tragic decades of fascism, the post-war democratic reconstruction, the decline of party politics, the rise of international activism on human and peoples’ rights. His was an original, dissonant voice within the socialist tradition, with a view of socialism drawn from the history of the subaltern classes, that he put into practice in decades of high-profile political action. It is a lesson that today seems more relevant than ever.