Sammarinese Fascist Party
Encyclopedia
The Sammarinese Fascist Party or Partito Fascista Sammarinese (PFS) was a fascist political party that ruled San Marino
from 1923 to 1943.
It was founded and led by Giuliano Gozi
, a Sammarinese World War I
veteran who volunteered in the Royal Italian Army
, on 10 August 1922 and was modelled directly from the National Fascist Party
of surrounding Italy
. Gozi came from a distinguished family and was holding the posts of foreign minister (in San Marino, the foreign minister leads the cabinet) and interior minister, these two offices gave him control of the military
and police
. From the beginning, the party used violence and intimidation against opponents such as the Socialists. Its party newspaper was the Il Popolo Sammarinese, modelled after the Il Popolo d'Italia
. In terms of policy and ideology, the party was not innovative and stuck closely to Italian Fascism
. They pursued industrialization which turned a country of mostly farmers into factory workers. They did not adopt Anti-Jewish laws
like Italy did in 1938 as the tiny country did not have any visible Jewish community
.
In April 1923, Gozi was elected as the first Fascist Captain-Regent. After the October elections, both Captains-Regent were Fascists and would remain so in subsequent elections for the next two decades as all other political parties were banned in 1926 effectively making San Marino a single-party state
. However independent politicians continued to form a majority in the Grand and General Council
until 1932. In addition, the party was split between Gozi's faction and Ezio Balducci's faction forcing them to look to the Italian party for guidance and mediation.
In 1932, Balducci's faction started a rival newspaper, La Voce del Titano. The next year he was accused of plotting a coup and arrested by Italian authorities after fleeing to Rome
. Balducci and other alleged conspirators were purge
d from the party and tried and sentenced to hard labor
in 1934 by a special court but the punishment was never carried out.
The reconstructed Socialist Party began forming an anti-fascist resistance during this period. Three days after the arrest of Benito Mussolini
, PFS rule in San Marino collapsed after a massive rally and the first non-fascist government in twenty years was formed. 28 July would later become a national holiday. After Mussolini's rescue and the formation of the Italian Social Republic
, fascism began a resurgence. Being surrounded by the Italian Social Republic and close to the Gothic Line
, the government invited fascists back as part of a national unity government
and to prevent German occupation. The Republican Fascio of San Marino (Fascio Repubblicano di San Marino) was formed on 4 January 1944 by Gozi and two thousand loyal fascists. The Fascists restored the single-party state on 1 April. They were heavily modelled after the Republican Fascist Party
but they kept neutrality.
The Fascists briefly arrested Communists on May Day
, accusing them of planning illegal strikes. On 26 June, the Royal Air Force
mistakenly bombed San Marino, killing 63 civilians. The Fascists declared a day of national mourning and used it in anti-Allied
propaganda. On 17 September, Axis
forces occupied San Marino during their retreat but were driven out in the Battle of San Marino
by the Allies three days later. The Allies stayed for the next two months and ended Fascist political monopoly. Elections on 1 October threw out the Fascists and on 16 November the Republican Fascio was outlawed. Since 2,000 of the city's 15,000 citizens were banned from politics, it gave an advantage to the leftists.
In 1945, the Communist-Socialist coalition won the April elections and would remain in power until the fatti di Rovereta
in 1957. They put Gozi and fifty other Fascists on trial and imprisoned them.
San Marino
San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino , is a state situated on the Italian Peninsula on the eastern side of the Apennine Mountains. It is an enclave surrounded by Italy. Its size is just over with an estimated population of over 30,000. Its capital is the City of San Marino...
from 1923 to 1943.
It was founded and led by Giuliano Gozi
Giuliano Gozi
Giuliano Gozi was Captain-Regent of San Marino 5 times between April 1923 and April 1942. He served his last term with Giovanni Lonfernini.A previous Giuliano Gozi was also Captain Regent of San Marino for the following dates:...
, a Sammarinese World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
veteran who volunteered in the Royal Italian Army
Royal Italian Army
The Regio Esercito was the army of the Kingdom of Italy from the unification of Italy in 1861 to the birth of the Italian Republic in 1946...
, on 10 August 1922 and was modelled directly from the National Fascist Party
National Fascist Party
The National Fascist Party was an Italian political party, created by Benito Mussolini as the political expression of fascism...
of surrounding Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
. Gozi came from a distinguished family and was holding the posts of foreign minister (in San Marino, the foreign minister leads the cabinet) and interior minister, these two offices gave him control of the military
Military of San Marino
San Marino has one of the smallest military forces in the world. Its different branches have varied functions including: performing ceremonial duties; patrolling borders; mounting guard at government buildings; and assisting police in major criminal cases. There is also a military Gendarmerie which...
and police
Law enforcement in San Marino
Law enforcement in San Marino is the responsibility of the centralized Civil Police , together with the Corps of Gendarmerie of San Marino, and the Guardie di Rocca , who have provided assistance to the Gendarmerie since a Statute of 1987 which redefined their role, further supported by revised...
. From the beginning, the party used violence and intimidation against opponents such as the Socialists. Its party newspaper was the Il Popolo Sammarinese, modelled after the Il Popolo d'Italia
Il Popolo d'Italia
Il Popolo d'Italia , was an Italian newspaper founded by Benito Mussolini on November 15, 1914, as a result of his split with the Italian Socialist Party. Il Popolo d'Italia ran until July 24, 1943 and became the foundation for the Fascist movement in Italy after World War I...
. In terms of policy and ideology, the party was not innovative and stuck closely to Italian Fascism
Italian Fascism
Italian Fascism also known as Fascism with a capital "F" refers to the original fascist ideology in Italy. This ideology is associated with the National Fascist Party which under Benito Mussolini ruled the Kingdom of Italy from 1922 until 1943, the Republican Fascist Party which ruled the Italian...
. They pursued industrialization which turned a country of mostly farmers into factory workers. They did not adopt Anti-Jewish laws
Anti-Jewish laws
Anti-Jewish Laws were adopted in the 1930s and 40s in Nazi Germany and exported to the European Axis powers and puppet states. Such legislation generally defined Jews, deprived them of a variety of civil, political, and economic rights, and laid the groundwork for expropriation, deportation, and...
like Italy did in 1938 as the tiny country did not have any visible Jewish community
History of the Jews in San Marino
The history of the Jews in San Marino, located within Italy reaches back to the Middle Ages.San Marino is a small land locked country in central Italy. There has been a Jewish presence in San Marino for at least 600 years....
.
In April 1923, Gozi was elected as the first Fascist Captain-Regent. After the October elections, both Captains-Regent were Fascists and would remain so in subsequent elections for the next two decades as all other political parties were banned in 1926 effectively making San Marino a single-party state
Single-party state
A single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a type of party system government in which a single political party forms the government and no other parties are permitted to run candidates for election...
. However independent politicians continued to form a majority in the Grand and General Council
Grand and General Council
The Grand and General Council is the parliament of San Marino. The council has 60 members elected for a five-year term.The electoral law was based on proportional representation from 1945 to 2007. Since then, it is based on the electoral system of Italian municipalities...
until 1932. In addition, the party was split between Gozi's faction and Ezio Balducci's faction forcing them to look to the Italian party for guidance and mediation.
In 1932, Balducci's faction started a rival newspaper, La Voce del Titano. The next year he was accused of plotting a coup and arrested by Italian authorities after fleeing to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. Balducci and other alleged conspirators were purge
Purge
In history, religion, and political science, a purge is the removal of people who are considered undesirable by those in power from a government, from another organization, or from society as a whole. Purges can be peaceful or violent; many will end with the imprisonment or exile of those purged,...
d from the party and tried and sentenced to hard labor
Hard Labor
Hard Labor is the eleventh album by American rock band Three Dog Night, released in 1974 .- Cover Artwork :The original album cover, depicting of the birth of a record album , was deemed too controversial and was soon reworked with a huge bandage covering the "birth". The cover also includes an...
in 1934 by a special court but the punishment was never carried out.
The reconstructed Socialist Party began forming an anti-fascist resistance during this period. Three days after the arrest of Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
, PFS rule in San Marino collapsed after a massive rally and the first non-fascist government in twenty years was formed. 28 July would later become a national holiday. After Mussolini's rescue and the formation of the Italian Social Republic
Italian Social Republic
The Italian Social Republic was a puppet state of Nazi Germany led by the "Duce of the Nation" and "Minister of Foreign Affairs" Benito Mussolini and his Republican Fascist Party. The RSI exercised nominal sovereignty in northern Italy but was largely dependent on the Wehrmacht to maintain control...
, fascism began a resurgence. Being surrounded by the Italian Social Republic and close to the Gothic Line
Gothic Line
The Gothic Line formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence in the final stages of World War II along the summits of the Apennines during the fighting retreat of German forces in Italy against the Allied Armies in Italy commanded by General Sir Harold Alexander.Adolf Hitler...
, the government invited fascists back as part of a national unity government
National unity government
A national unity government, government of national unity, or national union government is a broad coalition government consisting of all parties in the legislature, usually formed during a time of war or other national emergency.- Canada :During World War I the Conservative government of Sir...
and to prevent German occupation. The Republican Fascio of San Marino (Fascio Repubblicano di San Marino) was formed on 4 January 1944 by Gozi and two thousand loyal fascists. The Fascists restored the single-party state on 1 April. They were heavily modelled after the Republican Fascist Party
Republican Fascist Party
The Republican Fascist Party was a political party led by Benito Mussolini during the German occupation of Central and Northern Italy. It was founded as the successor of former National Fascist Party as an anti-monarchist party...
but they kept neutrality.
The Fascists briefly arrested Communists on May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
, accusing them of planning illegal strikes. On 26 June, the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
mistakenly bombed San Marino, killing 63 civilians. The Fascists declared a day of national mourning and used it in anti-Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
propaganda. On 17 September, Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
forces occupied San Marino during their retreat but were driven out in the Battle of San Marino
Battle of San Marino
The Battle of San Marino was an engagement on 17–20 September 1944 during the Italian Campaign of the Second World War, in which German Army forces occupied the neutral Republic of San Marino, and were then attacked by Allied forces...
by the Allies three days later. The Allies stayed for the next two months and ended Fascist political monopoly. Elections on 1 October threw out the Fascists and on 16 November the Republican Fascio was outlawed. Since 2,000 of the city's 15,000 citizens were banned from politics, it gave an advantage to the leftists.
In 1945, the Communist-Socialist coalition won the April elections and would remain in power until the fatti di Rovereta
Fatti di Rovereta
The fatti di Rovereta was a constitutional crisis in San Marino in 1957 in which the Grand and General Council was deliberately rendered inquorate to prevent the scheduled election of Captains-Regent...
in 1957. They put Gozi and fifty other Fascists on trial and imprisoned them.