Cavaliere Guido Jung | |
|---|---|
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| Consigliere of Fascism | |
| In office July 1932 – January 1935 | |
| Duce of Fascism | Benito Mussolini |
| Italian Minister of Finance | |
| In office July 1932 – January 1935 | |
| Monarch | Victor Emmanuel III |
| Prime Minister | Benito Mussolini |
| Preceded by | Antonio Mosconi |
| Succeeded by | Paolo Ignazio Maria Thaon di Revel |
| In office February 1944 – April 1944 | |
| Monarch | Victor Emmanuel III |
| Prime Minister | Pietro Badoglio |
| Preceded by | Domenico Bartolini |
| Succeeded by | Quinto Quintieri |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1876-02-02)2 February 1876 Palermo,Palermo,Sicily |
| Died | 25 December 1949(1949-12-25) (aged 73) Sicily[1] |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Political party | National Fascist Party[2] |
| Occupation | Merchant, politician |
| Civilian awards |  Cavaliere dell'Ordine della Corona d'Italia |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Italy |
| Branch/service | Royal Italian Army |
| Years of service | 1914–1917, 1935–1939, 1944–1945 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Military awards |  Medaglia d'Argento al Valore Militare |
Guido Jung (2 February 1876 – 25 December 1949) was a successfulJewish-born Italian banker and merchant fromSicily.
He was a member of theGrand Council of Fascism and served asItalian Minister of Finance from 1932-35 underBenito Mussolini. Jung was an important player in international finance during the interwar period, leading Italian negotiations with the United States over tariff questions, heading Italo-German economic talks withHermann Göring, and representing Italy at theLondon Economic Conference during which he was heralded in press reports for his diplomatic tact.
As Italy's alliance with Germany grew stronger, Jung was ultimately sidelined by Mussolini due to his Jewish heritage, despite reports from theOrganization for Vigilance and Repression of Anti-Fascism that described him as a disciplined and loyal fascist. After the surrender of Italy, Jung briefly served as finance minister a second time – in 1944 – underPietro Badoglio but was dismissed after three months following allegations concerning the extent and depth of his roots in theNational Fascist Party. Though a fanatical fascist, Jung drew a sharp distinction between fascism andNazism, once comparing the Nazi Party to a baby and later reportedly callingAdolf Hitler a "blockhead".
An artillery officer in the Italian Army during both world wars, Jung commanded troops in both Europe and Africa. For various acts of bravery in combat, he was decorated with the Silver Medal of Military Valor on four separate occasions. He was created a knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy byVictor Emmanuel III.
Jung was born inSicily to a wealthy,Orthodox Jewish merchant family who had emigrated from Germany.[3][4][5] ThePalazzo Jung on via Lincoln in Palermo had belonged to the family. As a young man, he undertook a business apprenticeship in London.[6]
Jung took over the family business of fruit importing and ran it to continued commercial success.[3] He also served on the board of directors of the Bank of Palermo, in recognition of which he was, in 1906, invested into theOrder of the Crown of Italy at the degree ofCavaliere.[3]
DuringWorld War I, Jung served in theRoyal Italian Army's 25th Artillery Regiment, rising to the rank ofcaptain and being decorated with the Bronze Medal of Military Valor which was, on application of Jung's commander, subsequently converted to the Silver Medal of Military Valor.[3][6]
Jung, who in 1922 had served as financial attache at the Italian embassy inWashington, D.C., was elevated to theGrand Council of Fascism in the summer of 1932 by virtue of his appointment as Minister of Finance; the senior ministers of the government were alsode facto members of the Grand Council.[7][3][1]
Prime MinisterBenito Mussolini reasoned at the time that "a Jew should be at the head of finance".[1][8]
During an official visit byHermann Göring to Italy, Mussolini assigned Jung to meet with the German minister, prompting David Schwartz of theWisconsin Jewish Chronicle to write that "it must have been a lesson in tolerance".[9]
In May 1933, he represented Italy to theUnited States during tariff discussions and was feted with an official dinner at theWhite House byPresident of the United StatesFranklin Roosevelt.[10]
In a subsequent meeting with Mussolini, U.S. ambassadorJohn W. Garrett reported that "he [Mussolini] was very gratified at the cordiality of Jung’s reception in America".[11]
As minister, Jung helped establish theIstituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale.[12] He was also the Italian delegate to theLondon Economic Conference and was credited in news reports with "keeping the conflicting elements of the parley from completely disrupting the conference".[13] During the same Conference, he signed an agreement, sponsored by Galeazzo Ciano and at the time kept secret to the world, with the minister of China, T.V. Soong, that concluded the long-lasting negotiations for the settlement of the Boxer Indemnity and the outstanding amount of the Skoda loan with Italy.[14]
In a 1933 interview with theJewish Telegraphic Agency, Jung comparedNazism to Fascism by equating it to the difference between "an infant to a ten-year-old boy".[5] The following year he is on record as referring toAdolf Hitler as a "blockhead" and a "blatherer".[15]
While he declared there was noantisemitism in Italy, Jung also dismissed the very existence of antisemitism, explaining toEmil Ludwig his belief that it was a "doctrine upheld by those sub-Alpine peoples who could not write at the time Rome saw Caesar, Vergil, and August".[5][15]
After being released from the cabinet, Jung, then aged 59, volunteered for military service inEthiopia ultimately commanding 6,000 men.[3][16] By this point, Jung had stopped adhering to Judaism. In 1935, he was received into the Roman Catholic faith.[4]
Nonetheless, in 1939, with the enactment of theItalian Racial Laws, he was dismissed from military service. His personal appeals to Mussolini to grant him an exception went unheeded, despite supporting reports from theOVRA that described him as a disciplined and loyal Fascist.[6]
In February 1944, following theArmistice of Cassibile, Jung was again given charge of the finance ministry.[2][17]
The appointment of Jung met with concern from the United States, with theU.S. Army's Psychological Warfare Branch charging that Jung had deep Fascist roots that significantly predated his earlier service as finance minister, possibly extending to theMarch on Rome.[18]
Jung's second stint as minister was short-lived and he was dismissed after just three months. At his request, he was restored to his military rank and assigned, first, to the 184th Paratroopers Artillery Regiment "Nembo" of the184th Infantry Division "Nembo" in theItalian Co-belligerent Army, and then to theCombat Group "Folgore".[6] During his service in Africa, and his later service in Europe, he would receive a total of three additional Silver Military Medals of Valor.[6]
At least two of Jung's brothers also served in theRoyal Italian Army duringWorld War I.[3] Guido Jung died in Sicily.[6]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister of Finance 1932–1935 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Finance 1944 | Succeeded by |
Members of theMussolini Cabinet | ||
|---|---|---|
| Head of government andduce of Fascism |  | |
| Minister of Aeronautics (since 1925) | ||
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | ||
| Minister of Agriculture (abolished in 1923) | ||
| Minister of Agriculture and Forestry (since 1929) | ||
| Minister of the Colonies (abolished in 1937) | ||
| Minister of Italian Africa (since 1937) | ||
| Minister of Communications (since 1924) | ||
| Minister of Corporations (since 1926) | ||
| Ministry of Popular Culture (since 1937) | ||
| Minister of the Interior | ||
| Minister of Domestic Economy | ||
| Minister of Domestic Education | ||
| Minister of Finance | ||
| Minister of Justice and Affairs of Religion | ||
| Minister of Industry and Commerce | ||
| Minister of Public Works | ||
| Minister of War | ||
| Minister of Labour and Social Security | ||
| Minister of Posts and Telegraphs | ||
| Minister of War Production (since 6 February 1943) | ||
| Minister of Public Education | ||
| Minister of Trades and Currencies | ||
| Minister of Press and Propaganda | ||
| Minister of Freed Territories from Enemies (abolished on 5 February 1923) | ||
| Minister of Treasure (merged into Ministry of Finance on 31 December 1922) | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
