Roberto Farinacci | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Secretary of theNational Fascist Party | |
| In office 15 February 1925 – 30 March 1926 | |
| Preceded by | Quadrumvirate |
| Succeeded by | Augusto Turati |
| Member of theChamber of Fasces and Corporations | |
| In office 23 March 1939 – 5 August 1943 | |
| Appointed by | Benito Mussolini |
| Member of theChamber of Deputies | |
| In office 11 June 1921 – 2 March 1939 | |
| Constituency | Italy at-large |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1892-10-16)16 October 1892 |
| Died | 28 April 1945(1945-04-28) (aged 52) |
| Cause of death | Executed by firing squad |
| Political party | PSRI (1914–1919) FIC (1919–1921) PNF (1921–1943) PFR (1943–1945) |
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Spouse | |
| Profession | Journalist,soldier |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of Italy |
| Branch/service |  Royal Italian Army Italian Air Force |
| Years of service | 1916–1917; 1936 |
| Rank | |
| Unit | 3rd Telegraphist Regiment Blackshirts |
| Battles/wars | |
Roberto Farinacci (Italian pronunciation:[roˈbɛrtofariˈnattʃi]; 16 October 1892 – 28 April 1945) was a leadingItalian fascist politician and important member of theNational Fascist Party before and duringWorld War II, as well as one of its ardentantisemitic proponents. English historianChristopher Hibbert describes him as "slavishly pro-German".
Born inIsernia,Molise, Farinacci was raised in poverty and dropped out of school at a young age, moving toCremona and beginning working on a railroad there in 1909. Farinacci described himself as Catholic.[1] Around this time period, he became anirredentistsocialist and a major advocate of Italy's participation in the war whenWorld War I began. After the war, Farinacci was an ardent supporter ofBenito Mussolini and hisfascist movement. He subsequently established himself as theRas (local leader, a title borrowed from theEthiopian aristocracy) of the Fascists in Cremona, publishing the newspaperCremona Nuova (later onIl Regime Fascista) and organizingBlackshirts combat squads in 1919. The Cremona squads were amongst the most brutal in Italy and Farinacci effectively used them to terrorize the population into submission to Fascist rule.
Quickly rising as one of the most powerful members of theNational Fascist Party, gathering around him a large number of supporters, Farinacci came to represent the most radicalsyndicalist faction of the party, one that thought Mussolini to be a tooliberal leader (likewise, Mussolini believed Farinacci was too violent and irresponsible). Among Fascists, Farinacci was known to be particularlyanti-clerical,xenophobic andantisemitic. Nevertheless, Farinacci's career continued to rise and played a considerable role in establishing Fascist dominance over Italy during and after the 1922March on Rome.
In 1925, Farinacci became the second most powerful man in the country when Mussolini appointed him secretary of the party. He was used by Mussolini to centralize the party and then to purge it of thousands of its radical members. Then, Farinacci was removed. He disappeared from the limelight, practicing law for much of the late 1920s and early 1930s. In a 1929Time article, Farinacci was nicknamed the "castor oil man" of Fascism, based on his forcing of opponents of Fascism to swallow castor oil which he called the "golden nectar of nausea".[2] The effects of swallowing castor oil would cause the victims to suffer severe diarrhea followed by dehydration.[3] TheTime article also claims that as secretary of the party he allowed the murderers ofItalian Socialist Party deputyGiacomo Matteotti to be let free in 1926.[4]
In 1935, Farinacci fought in theSecond Italo-Abyssinian War as a member of theVoluntary Militia for National Security (MVSN), the new official name of the Blackshirts, eventually attaining the rank oflieutenant general. He lost his right hand fishing with ahand grenade nearDessie, an incident for whichEttore Muti ironically nicknamed him "Martin pescatore" (kingfisher). In the same year, Farinacci joined theGrand Council of Fascism and returned to national prominence. In 1937, Farinacci participated in theSpanish Civil War and in 1938 became a governmental minister and enforced the antisemiticracial segregation measures declared by Mussolini.
WhenWorld War II began, Farinacci sided withNazi Germany. He frequently communicated with theNazis and became one of Mussolini's advisors on Italy's dealings with Germany. For his part, Farinacci urged Mussolini to enter Italy into the war as a member of theAxis. In 1941, Farinacci became Inspector of the Militia in Italian-occupiedAlbania.
In July 1943, Farinacci took part in theGrand Council of Fascism meeting which led toMussolini's downfall. While the majority of the council voted to force Mussolini out of the government, Farinacci did not side against him. AfterMussolini's arrest, Farinacci fled to Germany in order to escape arrest.
The Nazi hierarchy considered putting Farinacci in charge of a German-backed Italian government in Northern Italy (theItalian Social Republic), but he was passed over in favor of Mussolini when the latter was rescued byOtto Skorzeny in September through the raid known asUnternehmen Eiche[5]. Afterwards, Farinacci went back to Cremona without taking active part in political life. However, he did continue to write politically oriented articles. He also funded the journalCrociata Italica, the main organ of a small group ofclerical fascist priests led by Don Tullio Calcagno.
In the morning of 26 April 1945, in the closing days of World War II, Farinacci fled Cremona and headed towardsValtellina, along with a small group of Fascist diehards. NearBergamo he parted from the main column and headed towardsVimercate along withmarquise Maria Carolina Vidoni Soranzo, secretary of the female Fasces, whose sister owned avilla there. On 27 April their car ran into apartisan patrol nearBrivio and refused to stop, resulting in a shootout in which the driver was killed and Marquise Vidoni Soranzo was mortally wounded. The uninjured Farinacci was captured along with twelvesuitcases, filled with money andjewels; he was brought to thetown hall of Vimercate and tried by a partisan court. He demanded to be brought to Cremona, claiming that "there they will tell you that I did good and that I must be released", and contesting all accusations against him; there was some indecision about the sentence, as the representatives of theChristian Democracy and of theItalian Liberal Party wanted to hand him over to the Allies, whereas those of theItalian Communist Party and of theItalian Socialist Party wanted to execute him. In the end he wassentenced to death and executed byfiring squad in the main square of Vimercate on 28 April 1945. The partisans wanted to shoot him in the back, but at last second he turned and was thus shot in the chest, reportedly shouting "Long live Italy".[6][7][8]
In theFlorestano Vancini's filmThe Assassination of Matteotti (1973), Farinacci is played by Max Dorian. Together withGiovanni Preziosi, Farinacci was one of the most prominent Fascist voices ofracial antisemitism during theMussolini regime.[9][10]
