Rosario Napolitano addresses the diplomatic relations between Italy and Estonia during the interwar period

On 21 November at 16.15 Rosario Napolitano, lecturer at the Technical University and the Art Academy of Riga, will present a lecture titled "The diplomatic relations between Italy and Estonia during the interwar period: from the de jure recognition to the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact (1921-1939)" in room 114 at Jakobi 2. The lecture will be delivered in English, and everyone is welcome to attend.

This presentation will examine how Fascist diplomacy sought to implement Benito Mussolini's foreign policy in Estonia during the 1920s and 1930s. Italy was among the first countries to recognize Estonia (and Latvia) de jure in January 1921, with Lithuania's recognition following in 1922, facilitated by the diplomatic efforts of Italian Foreign Minister Carlo Sforza. From that point, Italy fostered diplomatic, economic, and cultural relations with Estonia, which will be highlighted during the lecture. Notable developments include the establishment of Italian language courses in Tartu and later in Tallinn already in the early 1920s, as well as a business agreement signed in 1928. However, these diplomatic ties began to wane in 1939, when, following the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, Estonia and the Baltic states fell under the sphere of influence of the Soviet Union, leading to their occupation and annexation in 1940.

Rosario Napolitano received his Ph.D. in International Studies at the University of Naples "l'Orientale" with a thesis titled "La censura sovietica nei Paesi baltici: dal processo Daniel-Sinjavskij al crollo dell'ŪRSS" (The Soviet censorship in the Baltic states, from Daniel-Sinyavsky trial to the collapse of USSR). Now he works at the Italian-Latvian cooperation centre of Riga Technical University and at the Faculty of Humanities of Art Academy of Fine Arts of Latvia where he teaches Italian language and culture. His research interests include Fascist cultural diplomacy in the Baltic states during the interwar period and policies of Sovietization in Soviet Latvia within the cultural sphere. His last publications are " A Chapter in Latvian Cinema History: The Process of Cinefication (1940–1941; 1944–1953)" published in Acta Historica Tallinnensia (co-author, Prof. Epp Lauk- Vytautas Magnus University Kaunas) and "A diplomat between two countries: Arnolds Spekke as cultural link between Latvia and Italy" published on Baltic Worlds.

The lecture can be followed online in Teams. 

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This lecture is part of the International History Seminars organized by the Department of Contemporary History at the Institute of History and Archaeology. The seminars aim to provide an international-history perspective on understanding contemporary politics.