Walter Audisio
Encyclopedia
Walter Audisio was an Italian partisan
and communist politician. He was responsible for the death of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini
.
hats during the Great Depression. Next he worked for years as an accountant
before entering a group of clandestine anti-fascists
in 1931. The local group was discovered by the Italian secret police
, the Organization for Vigilance and Repression of Anti-Fascism (Organizzazione per la Vigilanza e la Repressione dell'Antifascismo, or OVRA
). In 1934, Audisio was sentenced to five years of confinement on the island of Ponza
. Released during World War II
, he resumed his activities against the government of Benito Mussolini
, and in September 1943 he started to organize the first bands of partisans in Casale Monferrato
. During this time he held jobs in the Fascist civil service.
During the war, he joined the Italian Communist Party
and became the inspector of the Garibaldi Brigades, a faction of the National Liberation Committee
(CNL), commanding the formations operating in the Province of Mantova and the Po Valley
. By January 1945, he had become the principal figure of the Italian resistance movement
in Milan
. He used the Nom de guerre "Comandante Valerio", a name possibly also used by Luigi Longo
. As an official of the National Liberation Committee, he received on April 28, 1945 the order to enter Dongo and enforce the capital punishment
that was decreed against Mussolini and others in the fascist
hierarchy. The death of Mussolini remains shrouded in mystery today, but Audisio always claimed that he was the one who shot and killed the dictator and his mistress, Claretta Petacci.
After the war Audisio continued working with the communist movement, and in 1948, was elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies
for Alessandria
with the Italian Communist Party
as part of the Popular Democratic Front. He supported the party until 1963, when he entered the Italian Senate
. In 1968 he left to work for Italian gasoline
company Eni
. He died five years later in 1973 of a heart attack
. His memoirs, titled In nome del popolo italiano, were published two years after his death, in 1975.
Italian resistance movement
The Italian resistance is the umbrella term for the various partisan forces formed by pro-Allied Italians during World War II...
and communist politician. He was responsible for the death of Italian dictator 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....
.
Biography
In school, Audisio rose to the top of his class, and first worked making BorsalinoBorsalino
Borsalino is the name of a hat company known particularly for its fedoras. Established in 1857, Borsalino produces felt from Belgian rabbit fur at its factory in Alessandria, Italy....
hats during the Great Depression. Next he worked for years as an accountant
Accountancy
Accountancy is the process of communicating financial information about a business entity to users such as shareholders and managers. The communication is generally in the form of financial statements that show in money terms the economic resources under the control of management; the art lies in...
before entering a group of clandestine anti-fascists
Anti-fascism
Anti-fascism is the opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals, such as that of the resistance movements during World War II. The related term antifa derives from Antifaschismus, which is German for anti-fascism; it refers to individuals and groups on the left of the political...
in 1931. The local group was discovered by the Italian secret police
Secret police
Secret police are a police agency which operates in secrecy and beyond the law to protect the political power of an individual dictator or an authoritarian political regime....
, the Organization for Vigilance and Repression of Anti-Fascism (Organizzazione per la Vigilanza e la Repressione dell'Antifascismo, or OVRA
OVRA
The Organizzazione per la Vigilanza e la Repressione dell'Antifascismo was the secret police of the Kingdom of Italy, founded in 1927 under the regime of Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini and during the reign of King Victor Emmanuel III. The German Gestapo were the equivalent of the OVRA...
). In 1934, Audisio was sentenced to five years of confinement on the island of Ponza
Ponza
Ponza is the largest of the Italian Pontine Islands archipelago, located 33 km south of Cape Circeo in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It also the name of the commune of the island, a part of the province of Latina in the Lazio region....
. Released during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he resumed his activities against the government 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....
, and in September 1943 he started to organize the first bands of partisans in Casale Monferrato
Casale Monferrato
Casale Monferrato, population 36,058, is a town and comune in the Piedmont region of north-west Italy, part of the province of Alessandria. It is situated about 60 km east of Turin on the right bank of the Po, where the river runs at the foot of the Montferrato hills. Beyond the river lies the...
. During this time he held jobs in the Fascist civil service.
During the war, he joined the Italian Communist Party
Italian Communist Party
The Italian Communist Party was a communist political party in Italy.The PCI was founded as Communist Party of Italy on 21 January 1921 in Livorno, by seceding from the Italian Socialist Party . Amadeo Bordiga and Antonio Gramsci led the split. Outlawed during the Fascist regime, the party played...
and became the inspector of the Garibaldi Brigades, a faction of the National Liberation Committee
National Liberation Committee
The National Liberation Committee was the underground political entity of Italian Partisans during the German occupation of Italy in the last years of the Second World War. It was a multi-party entity, whose members were united by their anti-fascism...
(CNL), commanding the formations operating in the Province of Mantova and the Po Valley
Po Valley
The Po Valley, Po Plain, Plain of the Po, or Padan Plain is a major geographical feature of Italy. It extends approximately in an east-west direction, with an area of 46,000 km² including its Venetic extension not actually related to the Po River basin; it runs from the Western Alps to the...
. By January 1945, he had become the principal figure of the Italian resistance movement
Italian resistance movement
The Italian resistance is the umbrella term for the various partisan forces formed by pro-Allied Italians during World War II...
in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
. He used the Nom de guerre "Comandante Valerio", a name possibly also used by Luigi Longo
Luigi Longo
thumb|right|Luigi Longo portrayed on a 1981 [[USSR]] postage stamp.Luigi Longo , also known as Gallo, was an Italian communist politician and secretary of the Italian Communist Party from 1964 to 1972.-Early life:...
. As an official of the National Liberation Committee, he received on April 28, 1945 the order to enter Dongo and enforce the capital punishment
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
that was decreed against Mussolini and others in the fascist
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
hierarchy. The death of Mussolini remains shrouded in mystery today, but Audisio always claimed that he was the one who shot and killed the dictator and his mistress, Claretta Petacci.
After the war Audisio continued working with the communist movement, and in 1948, was elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies
Italian Chamber of Deputies
The Italian Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Parliament of Italy. It has 630 seats, a plurality of which is controlled presently by liberal-conservative party People of Freedom. Twelve deputies represent Italian citizens outside of Italy. Deputies meet in the Palazzo Montecitorio. A...
for Alessandria
Alessandria
-Monuments:* The Citadel * The church of Santa Maria di Castello * The church of Santa Maria del Carmine * Palazzo Ghilini * Università del Piemonte Orientale-Museums:* The Marengo Battle Museum...
with the Italian Communist Party
Italian Communist Party
The Italian Communist Party was a communist political party in Italy.The PCI was founded as Communist Party of Italy on 21 January 1921 in Livorno, by seceding from the Italian Socialist Party . Amadeo Bordiga and Antonio Gramsci led the split. Outlawed during the Fascist regime, the party played...
as part of the Popular Democratic Front. He supported the party until 1963, when he entered the Italian Senate
Italian Senate
The Senate of the Republic is the upper house of the Italian Parliament. It was established in its current form on 8 May 1948, but previously existed during the Kingdom of Italy as Senato del Regno , itself a continuation of the Senato Subalpino of Sardinia-Piedmont established on 8 May 1848...
. In 1968 he left to work for Italian gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
company Eni
Eni
Eni S.p.A. is an Italian multinational oil and gas company, present in 70 countries, and currently Italy's largest industrial company with a market capitalization of 87.7 billion euros , as of July 24, 2008...
. He died five years later in 1973 of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
. His memoirs, titled In nome del popolo italiano, were published two years after his death, in 1975.