Mosse's Legacy: Myths and Ideology in Cold War Europe

The essay aims to explore the European context of the Cold War, considering insights and intuitions intrinsic to Mosse’s historical, political, and cultural analysis. The article is structured in three sections. The first one deals with Mosse’s conception of the role of the historian and intellectual in a modern mass society. To Mosse, he or she can never remain alien to politics but, on the contrary, is called upon to take full responsibility for the impact of his/her actions on the community. The second section focuses on Mosse’s interpretation of mass society in the international context of the Cold War. Special attention is here devoted to the relationships between politics and religion: a topic crucial in Mosse’s approach both in his historiography and his views on his times. The third part proposes an exemplification of how Mossean intuitions can meaningfully contribute to the comprehension of the European reality during the Cold War.