[Psychoanalysis and facism: two incompatible approaches. The difficult role of Edoardo Weiss]

Edoardo Weiss, the only direct disciple of Freud in Italy, returned to Trieste, his native town, in 1919 after a long period of psychoanalitical studies in Vienna. An enthusiastic acceptance of Freud's ideas in the cultural, mainly Jewish, circles in Trieste was parallel to a sort of distrust of the Fascist ideology. In 1930 Weiss decided to move to Rome where he hoped to be able to found an Italian psychoanalytical movement. The Catholic Church, Fascist Ideology, philosophical Idealism and scientific Positivism were all factors hampering the spread of psychoanalysis in Italy. In 1932 Weiss founded the Italian Psychoanalytical Society in Rome with a very small number of followers. The relations between Weiss' newborn Society and the dictatorship were going to be quite troublesome. Ernst Jones was drastically accused by Weiss of misrepresenting his entrée with Mussolini. Thanks to Weiss' efforts the Italian society was acknowledged by the I.P.A. Finally, mention will be made of Weiss' forced move to America as a result of the racial laws, and of the consequences for the future of Psychoanalysis in Italy.