In this article, we have chosen to study the prefaces of textbooks for the teaching of the French language published between 1923 and 1933 which mention, and this for the first time in Italy, in the title or the subtitle, the term Civilization. We analyze the way in which the authors of the textbooks for teaching the French language decided to present Civilization. We identify their objectives by taking into consideration the introductory texts of these manuals where we can capture the ‘declarations of intent’ of the authors. We highlight the main speeches that crisscross the prefaces of these manuals.