[lbo-talk] World War as Class War

[C. G. Estabrook]

It's been argued that the Ghibellines as feudal landowners largely supported the 
emperor, while the Guelfs represented mercantile interests in the late-medieval 
towns of N Italy and S Germany. That's a distinction that was to have a certain 
future.

But Venice, the premier mercantile city, although part of the Lombard League 
against the emperor in the 12th c., stood splendidly aloof.

(On a recent visit to Venice, I signed a petition calling for the revocation of 
the Treaty of Campo Formio [1797], and the consequent restoration of Venice's 
independence.  The organizers seemed unconcerned that I wasn't a citizen, 
because they don't consider themselves Italian, either.) --CGE

Joseph Catron wrote:
> On Wed, Jan 20, 2010 at 3:00 PM, Carrol Cox <cbcox at ilstu.edu> wrote:
> 
> But how do you adjudicate the debate between the Guelfs &
>> Ghibellines?
>>
> 
> Were the Ghibellines not objectively the progressive force, Julius Evola's
> mystical obsession over them notwithstanding?
>