Abstract

The article examines the reaction of Italian emigrants in the United States to the First World War, placing it within a broader perspective starting from the outbreak of the military conflict while their motherland was still neutral. It argues that enlistment should not be the only parameter to assess Italian Americans' support of the war. Although the essay acknowledges instances of draft evasion and dissent, for either personal reasons or ideological motivations, it draws attention to a significant mobilisation in support of Italy's war effort, which also took the form of raising financial contributions and shipping other material aid, besides marking the development of an Italian identity on the part of the emigrants.