This article examines how Fascism’s economic autarky impacted on church construction in the late 1930s. The shortage of copper in Italy due to sanctions imposed by the League of Nations and the ensuing Italian policy of self-sufficiency led to the installation of loudspeakers instead of bells in newly erected churches. The amplified sound of recordings and of tubular bells could be heard from far greater distances than that of traditional bells. Although these technologies disregarded the Catholic Church’s directives on utilising modern technical equipment in liturgy, their use was tolerated because of the economic circumstances. Indeed, some clergy endorsed these sound systems as a means of modernising the Church and as an act of patriotism. The practice, however, risked conflating ecclesiastical and Fascist broadcasts since the use of loudspeakers for political propaganda was widespread. In one case, the Fascist anthemGiovinezzawas played regularly from a church belfry: after the war, furious citizens destroyed this audio system. The decision by dioceses as to whether to adopt technological alternatives to bells exposed the conflicting positions within the Church towards both modernity and the Regime.

中文翻译：

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意大利法西斯没有钟声的教堂

本文探讨法西斯主义的经济自给自足如何影响 1930 年代后期的教堂建设。由于国际联盟实施的制裁和随后的意大利自给自足政策导致意大利铜短缺，导致在新建的教堂中安装扬声器而不是钟。录音和管钟的放大声音可以从比传统钟更远的距离听到。尽管这些技术无视天主教会关于在礼仪中使用现代技术设备的指令，但由于经济状况，它们的使用是被容忍的。事实上，一些神职人员认可这些音响系统是使教会现代化的一种手段，也是一种爱国主义行为。然而，这种做法，由于广泛使用扬声器进行政治宣传，因此冒着将教会和法西斯广播混为一谈的风险。在一种情况下，法西斯国歌焦维尼扎定期从教堂钟楼播放：战后，愤怒的市民摧毁了这个音响系统。教区关于是否采用技术替代钟的决定暴露了教会内部对现代性和政权的冲突立场。