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Alessandro Pavolini
Pavolini in 1930s
Secretary of theRepublican Fascist Party
In office 15 November 1943 – 28 April 1945
Leader	Benito Mussolini
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Minister of Popular Culture
In office 31 October 1939 – 6 February 1943
Prime Minister	Benito Mussolini
Preceded by	Dino Alfieri
Succeeded by	Gaetano Polverelli
Member of theChamber of Deputies /Chamber of Fasces and Corporations
In office 28 April 1934 – 25 July 1943
President	Giovanni Giuriati Costanzo Ciano Dino Grandi
Constituency	Florence
Personal details
Born	(1903-09-27)27 September 1903 Florence,Kingdom of Italy
Died	28 April 1945(1945-04-28) (aged 41) Dongo,Italian Social Republic
Political party	FIC (1920–1921) PNF (1921–1943) PFR (1943–1945)
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Spouse	Teresa Franzi ​ (m. 1929)​
Domestic partner	Doris Duranti (1940–1945)
Children	Ferruccio (1930) Maria Vittoria (1931) Vanni (1938)
Alma mater	University of Florence, Sapienza University of Rome
Profession	Lawyer, journalist

Alessandro Pavolini (27 September 1903 – 28 April 1945) was an Italian politician, journalist, andessayist. He was notable for his involvement in theItalian fascist government, duringWorld War II, and, as the leader and founder of theBlack Brigades, also for his cruelty against the opponents offascism.

A native ofFlorence, Pavolini was the son ofPaolo Emilio Pavolini [it], a major scholar ofSanskrit and otherIndo-European languages. A brilliant student, he earned a law degree at theUniversity of Florence and apolitical science degree atLa Sapienza in Rome, travelling to and from between the two cities. His brother was the writerCorrado Pavolini.

After joiningBenito Mussolini's movement in Florence, he took part in several actions of theBlackshirts, and led asquad during the 1922March on Rome – the moment when Fascism took over in Italy. Pavolini was assigned tasks in the cultural field (including youth programs launched by the fascists), while contributing to fascist publications such asBattaglie fasciste,Rivoluzione fascista, andCritica fascista.^[1] Thanks to his acquaintance with Florentine fascist leaderLuigi Ridolfi Vay da Verrazzano, he broke into active politics, becoming Ridolfi's deputy in 1927. From 1929 to 1934, he was local leader of theNational Fascist Party (PNF) in Florence, as well as editor of the fascist publicationIl Bargello (named after a military rank of theMiddle Ages), which urged all intellectuals to contribute; Pavolini aimed for an image of Fascism as cultural and aristocratic – he initiated a series of cultural events that survived both Fascism and his death, including the yearly costumed re-enactment of theItalian Renaissance-era sportCalcio Fiorentino, theMaggio Musicale Fiorentino music festival and thePonte Vecchio Artisans' Exhibit. Between 1934 and 1942, he was a regular contributor toCorriere della Sera as a "special guest".

After becoming a member of the national PNF leadership in 1932, he moved on from local politics to become the president of the Fascist Confederation of Professionals and Artists, which propelled him to a leadership position in the Council ofCorporations. He took part in theSecond Italo-Abyssinian War as a lieutenant inspecting the squadron led byGaleazzo Ciano (a group nicknamedLa Disperata), and as a correspondent forCorriere della Sera. Throughout his political career, Pavolini published cultural and literary essays, such asDisperata ("The Desperate"; 1937) andScomparsa d'Angela ("Angela's Disappearance"; 1940). In 1939, he was appointed by Mussolini Minister of Popular Culture, and served until January 1943.

Minister of Popular Culture (Minculpop in short) meant in fact Ministry of Propaganda and Pavolini had an iron grip on what the press could or could not publish. The written instructions to the press (includingradio broadcasts and "Luce" cinema newsreels) were dubbedveline (tissue paper) by the newsmen and covered an amazing variety of domains (from forbidding to publish photos of boxerPrimo Carnera knocked out and lying unconscious to the obligation of publishing flattering propaganda photos of Mussolini on a brand new Fiat tractor or forbidding to publish photos of Naples under the snow, fearing it would damage the tourism industry).

Minculpop also tackled the cinema industry (the famous and very creativeCinecitta studios in Rome were created by Mussolini's will to act as a counter against Hollywood productions; the Venice film festival is also a creation of the fascist period).

Pavolini was deeply involved in the cinema industry (either on the propaganda or on the entertainment sides of it) and famously had a much publicized affair withDoris Duranti, a film actress of the period who starred in theTelefoni Bianchi subgenre of light comedy films and prominently featured in the very first bare-bosomed scene in Italian cinema.

TheAllied invasion of Sicily andthe ousting of Mussolini in Rome broughtNazi intervention and the proclamation of a new fascist puppet state, the northernItalian Social Republic. Pavolini was integrated into the Republic's administration under Mussolini, and was immediately promoted head of the successor of the PNF, theRepublican Fascist Party (PFR) (the only person to occupy that post); he took part in the drafting of major documents, including the Veronamanifesto that called for the execution of formerGrand Council of Fascism members who had voted against Mussolini in April, and was behind the creation of theparamilitaryBlack Brigades. Towards the end of the war, Pavolini devised a plan, known as theRidotto Alpino Repubblicano, for the fascists to make alast stand in theValtellina valley in theAlps. He became its main advocate but the plan lacked commitment from the rest of the fascist regime and was not implemented.^[2][3]

Pavolini was captured after a desperate escape attempt which saw him swimming acrossLake Como and then trapped in aMexican standoff over a half submerged rock. When Pavolini ran out of bullets, he was finally apprehended and executed only under Italian law by thepartisans inDongo.^[4] Before burial, his body was hung upside down in public, along with Mussolini, Mussolini's mistressClara Petacci, the former Party SecretaryAchille Starace,Nicola Bombacci and others inPiazzale Loreto, Milan.^{[citation needed]}

Wikiquote has quotations related toAlessandro Pavolini.

• Teodori, Giovanni (2014)."PAVOLINI, Alessandro".Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (in Italian). Vol. 81: Pansini–Pazienza. Rome:Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana.ISBN 978-88-12-00032-6.
• Italian Government (Archived 2009-10-25) at www.geocities.com
• Newspaper clippings about Alessandro Pavolini in the20th Century Press Archives of theZBW

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