ABSTRACT
Many themes from the poetry of the Second World War are found in a simpler form in the songs. The reduction of political ideas to symbols, which allows for an uncomplicated emotional community, can also bring the sides very close together, as is clear in a comparison between the stirring ‘Avanti popolo’ [Forward, People!], with its refrain:
Bandiera rossa, bandiera rossa, Bandiera rossa trionfera!
