| Type | Weekly newspaper (1911-1914) Daily newspaper (1914-1926) |
|---|---|
| Owner | Italian Nationalist Association |
| Founded | 1 March 1911 |
| Ceased publication | 1926 |
| Political alignment | Italian nationalism Italian irredentism Social conservatism Right-wing socialism Monarchism Anti-communism Anti-liberalism Militarism |
| Headquarters | Rome |
L'Idea Nazionale (Italian for "The National Idea") was an Italian political newspaper associated with theItalian Nationalist Association (ANI), which merged with theNational Fascist Party in 1923. The paper was published between 1911 and 1926.
L'Idea Nazionale was first published on 1 March 1911, the fifteenth anniversary of theBattle of Adwa.[1][2] The paper was a weekly publication and was based inRome.[2] It was founded by ANI activistEnrico Corradini.[3]Alfredo Rocco was also instrumental in the establishment of it.[4] In fact, the founders were part of the imperialist wing of the ANI.[2]
L'Idea Nazionale was coedited by Enrico Corradini,Roberto Forges Davanzati andLuigi Federzoni.[2] Other writers includedFrancesco Coppola,Maurizio Maraviglia and theRomanianElena Bacaloglu. For the first three yearsL'Idea Nazionale had a weekly periodicity. In 1914 after the beginning of theFirst World War, it was decided to turn it into a newspaper. To this end, the newspaper sought funding from industrialists with a nationalist and protectionist orientation.[5] On May 14, 1914, the new publishing company, "L'Italiana" (share capital of 700,000 lire divided into 140 shares) was set up.[6] Leading the negotiations was an industrialist close to the Nationalist Association:Dante Ferraris, a metallurgical industrialist and vice president ofFiat. The grants came from the steel, mechanical and sugar sectors: such as the Savona Steel Company and Italian Society for the Indigenous Sugar Industry,Ansaldo company andSocietà Italiana Ernesto Breda. Dante Ferraris was president of the first board of directors.[7]
Funding by the business community allowedL’Idea Nazionale to be published regularly. In return the Nationalists supported large-scale industry. In January 1916, for instance, Alfredo Rocco wrote that industrialists were kept away from the positions of power, when they should be more involved in political life.[8]
The Nationalist Association and its paper advocatedmilitaristic nationalism and the creation of anItalian empire. First, the newspaper endorsedItaly's war of 1911 against theOttoman Empire, urging for the annexation ofNorth African colonies. It then supportedirredentism, campaigning for Italy to enterWorld War I against theCentral Powers.
L'Idea Nazionale ceased publication in 1926 when it was merged withLa Tribuna.[7]