Roberto Farinacci

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Roberto Farinacci
Quadrumvirate
Succeeded byAugusto Turati
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office
11 June 1921 – 5 August 1943
Constituencyat-large
Personal details
Born(1892-10-16)16 October 1892
Executed by firing squad
Political partyPSRI (1914–1919)
FIC (1919–1921)
PNF (1921–1943)
PFR (1943–1945)
Height1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Spouse
Anita Bertolazzi
​
(m. 1910)​
ProfessionJournalist, soldier
Military service
Allegiance Kingdom of Italy
Branch/service Royal Italian Army
Italian Air Force
Years of service1916–1917; 1936
Rank
Unit3rd Telegraphist Regiment
Blackshirts
Battles/wars

Roberto Farinacci (Italian pronunciation:

antisemitic proponents. English historian Christopher Hibbert
describes him as "slavishly pro-German".

Early life

Born in

Ras (local leader, a title borrowed from the Ethiopian aristocracy) of the Fascists in Cremona, publishing the newspaper Cremona Nuova (later on Il Regime Fascista) and organizing Blackshirts
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. In 1922, Farinacci appointed himself mayor of Cremona.

Prominence

Quickly rising as one of the most powerful members of the

xenophobic and antisemitic. Nevertheless, Farinacci's career continued to rise and played a considerable role in establishing Fascist dominance over Italy during and after the 1922 March 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 1929 Time 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] The Time article also claims that as secretary of the party he allowed the murderers of Italian Socialist Party deputy Giacomo Matteotti to be let free in 1926.[4]

In 1935, Farinacci fought in the

hand grenade near Dessie, an incident for which Ettore Muti ironically nicknamed him "Martin pescatore" (kingfisher). In the same year, Farinacci joined the Grand Council of Fascism and returned to national prominence. In 1937, Farinacci participated in the Spanish Civil War and in 1938 became a governmental minister and enforced the antisemitic racial segregation
measures declared by Mussolini.

In World War II

The outcome of a vote of Grand Council of Fascism in which Farinacci voted against

When World War II began, Farinacci sided with Nazi Germany. He frequently communicated with the Nazis 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 the Axis. In 1941, Farinacci became Inspector of the Militia in Italian-occupied Albania.

In July 1943, Farinacci took part in the

Mussolini's downfall. While the majority of the council voted to force Mussolini out of the government, Farinacci did not side against him. After Mussolini'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 (the

Unternehmen Eiche. 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 journal Crociata Italica, the main organ of a small group of clerical fascist
priests led by Don Tullio Calcagno.

firing 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".[5][6][7]

In the

Mussolini regime.[8][9]

Notes

  1. ^ book: The Pope at War: The Secret History of Pius XII, Mussolini, and Hitler, author: David I. Kertzer page: 230
  2. Time Magazine. 4 February 1929. Archived from the original
    on 27 October 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  3. ^ The Straight Dope: Did Mussolini use castor oil as an instrument of torture?
  4. Time Magazine. 4 February 1929. Archived from the original
    on 27 October 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  5. ^ Guido Gerosa, I gerarchi di Mussolini, p. 117
  6. ^ Giordano Bruno Guerri, Fascisti: Gli italiani di Mussolini, il regime degli italiani, p. 115
  7. ^ Giuseppe Pardini, Roberto Farinacci. Ovvero della rivoluzione fascista, p. 459
  8. ^ Kertzer, David I., The Popes Against the Jews, 283
  9. ^ De Felice (1993), passim

Sources

External links
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