Giacomo Matteotti
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Giacomo Matteotti (22 May 1885, Fratta Polesine, Province of Rovigo—10 June, 1924, near Rome) was an Italian socialist politician.
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Political career
A graduate in Law from the University of Bologna and from early on an activist in the socialist movement and the Italian Socialist Party, he opposed Italy's entry into World War I (for this reason, he was interned in Sicily during the conflict). As a follower of Filippo Turati, Matteotti became the leader of the United Socialist Party in the Italian Chamber of Deputies. He spoke out against Fascism and Benito Mussolini, and for a time was leader of what little opposition the National Fascist Party (PNF) had.
Murder
He was mysteriously murdered in June of 1924, after the publication of his book The Fascisti Exposed: A Year of Fascist Domination and two fierce and lengthy speeches in the Chamber of Deputies denouncing Fascism and its vulgar and violent tactics. Five men (Amerigo Dumini - a prominent member of the Fascist Ceka, Giuseppe Viola, Albino Volpi, Augusto Malacria and Amleto Poveromo) were arrested for the crime, only three were convicted but released two months later under amnesty by King Victor Emmanuel III; the sixth Fascist thug, Filippo Panzeri, was allowed to escape before the arrests of his accomplices. It is very likely that Mussolini was responsible for the incident in one way or another; indeed, speaking to the Parliament on January 3, 1925, Mussolini declared that he alone took all "political, moral and historical responsibility for all that has happened" (Speech to the Chamber: January 3, 1925).
Consequences of the murder
It is thought by eminent historians of the time including Pollard and Mack Smith that Mussolini probably had knowledge of the plot but did not order it. Matteotti was bundled into a car and stabbed repeatedly as he struggled to escape. His body was found 20 miles from Rome after an extensive search precipitated by Matteotti's wife's plea to Mussolini himself. Whoever the killer was, he was seen as a hero by many of the zealous fascists in Italy.
The death of Matteotti sparked widespread Fascist criticism: a general strike was threatened in retaliation and for a while it seemed that domestic and international pressure would force King into action, but as he was supported so strongly by Mussolini and was worried he would otherwise be replaced by his cousin, he did nothing, and Mussolini was soon able to use his influence over the media to regain the people's confidence. Most anti-Fascist parties left the Italian Parliament in protest - an event which came to be known as the Aventine secession; albeit in a less obvious manner than the previous Acerbo Law, this event arguably served to consolidate the grip of the PNF on Italian society.
Works
- 1924 The Fascisti Exposed: A Year of Fascist Domination, ISBN 0433761513de:Giacomo Matteotti
es:Giacomo Matteotti fr:Giacomo Matteotti it:Giacomo Matteotti he:ג'אקומו מאטיאוטי nl:Giacomo Matteotti nn:Giacomo Matteotti sv:Giacomo Matteotti