Enrico Corradini | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1865-07-20)20 July 1865 nearMontelupo Fiorentino |
| Died | 10 December 1931(1931-12-10) (aged 66) Rome |
| Political party | Italian Nationalist Association (1910–1923) National Fascist Party (1923–1931) |
| Occupation | Novelist,essayist, journalist, andnationalist political figure |
Enrico Corradini (20 July 1865 – 10 December 1931) was an Italiannovelist,essayist,journalist andnationalist political figure.[1][2]
Corradini was born nearMontelupo Fiorentino,Tuscany.
A follower ofGabriele D'Annunzio, he founded the newspaperIl Regno (1903-1905), together withintellectualsGiovanni Papini,Vilfredo Pareto, andGiuseppe Prezzolini. It quickly became a staple forirredentist andradical thought that was to blend intoFascism. In 1910, theItalian Nationalist Association (Associazione Nazionalista Italiana, ANI) was founded with the participation of Corradini, who was among the leaders. It made a name for itself after giving full support to Italianimperialism and theItalo-Turkish War of 1911 - Corradini wrote two political essays on the matter (Il volere d'Italia - "Italy's Desire", andL'ora di Tripoli - "Tripoli's Moment"). He expanded such bellicose theories in the weeklyL'Idea Nazionale, founded by him together withAlfredo Rocco andLuigi Federzoni. Corradini also published articles inLa Lupa based inFlorence between 1910 and 1911.[3]
L'Idea Nazionale was turned into a daily with financing from natural advocates ofmilitarism - military men and weapon manufacturers. Corradini and his paper created a generic nationalist theory after adoptingPopulism andCorporatism[citation needed], while advocating Italy's entry intoWorld War I - initially on the side of theTriple Alliance (theCentral Powers, to which Italy had committed itself), then on that of theTriple Entente (theAllies - which promised to grant Italy all its territorial demands). The group also focused on a violent press campaign againstPrime MinisterGiovanni Giolitti and other supporters ofneutrality.
Corradini developed the concept ofProletarian Nationalism in 1919:
We must start by recognizing the fact that there are proletarian nations as well as proletarian classes; that is to say, there are nations whose living conditions are subject... to the way of life of other nations, just as classes are. Once this is realized, nationalism must insist firmly on this truth: Italy is, materially and morally, a proletarian nation." (Report to the First Nationalist Congress,Florence, 3 December 1919)
After the war, ANI was led by Corradini into a merger with thePartito Nazionale Fascista (PNF). Nonetheless, Corradini made sure to detach himself from the more controversial actions of theBlackshirts, while being nominated byBenito Mussolini to theItalian Senate, and joining his government in 1928.
As a novelist, Corradini enjoyed success both as a novelist and a playwright. His early plays and novels had been D'Annunzian in manner and focused on existential concerns. In the new social climate of the Giolittian era, his creative writing took a strongly nationalist turn. His last two, and best-known, literary works, the novelsLa patria lontana ("The Distant Fatherland";1910) andLa guerra lontana ("The Distant War";1911), are vehicles for a vitalist,anti-democratic andimperialist ideology.[4]
Corradini died in Rome on 10 December 1931.
