42-536: Matteotti is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include: Giacomo Matteotti (1885–1924), Italian politician Gianmatteo Matteotti (1921–2000), Italian politician Luca Matteotti (born 1989), Italian snowboarder See also [ edit ] Ponte Giacomo Matteotti , is a bridge that links Lungotevere Arnaldo da Brescia to Piazza delle Cinque Giornate in Rome, Italy The Assassination of Matteotti ,
84-472: A Social Democratic parliamentary deputy after World War II , serving as Italy's Minister of Tourism in 1970–72 and Minister of Foreign Trade from 1972–1974. On 1 June 1924, the police chief Emilio De Bono ordered Otto Thierschädl, the spotter of the assassination squad, to be released from prison with a telegram signed "for the minister" of the interior: actually, the Minister of the interior, ad interim ,
126-433: A civil ceremony in 1916. They had three children: Giancarlo (1918–2006), Matteo (1921–2000) and Isabella (1922–1994). After Matteotti's assassination in 1924, his wife Velia was under house arrest until September 1933, but her heart and her health was broken and she died the following year. Several people who helped her were also imprisoned such as Carlo Rosselli . Matteotti's son Gianmatteo (also known as Matteo), became
168-436: A famous speech both attacking anti-fascists and confirming that he, and only he, was the leader of Fascism. He challenged the anti-fascists to prosecute him and claimed proudly that Fascism was the "superb passion of the best youth of Italy" and grimly that "all the violence" was his responsibility because he had created the climate of violence. Admitting that the murderers were Fascists of "high station", as Hitler later did after
210-699: A favourable vote from the Senate of the Kingdom. All opposition parties then united to agree to abandon Parliamentary proceedings until the government had clarified what had happened to Matteotti in what became known as the Aventino Secession . This was an attempt to give strength to the "moral question" that would point to public disapproval of fascism but also to put pressure on the King to dismiss Mussolini. However, Victor Emmanuel III refused to act, since
252-421: A fortnight since the murder, the judge appointed to investigate the crime had ordered the arrest of high-profile members of Mussolini's inner circle and questions were asked about Mussolini's personal involvement. In those weeks "Fascism fielded an articulated series of misdirections, obstructions of justice and red herrings , to declare the moral question closed". After a few weeks of confusion, Mussolini gained
294-583: A landslide victory and a subsequent two-thirds majority . This was the country's last multi-party election until the 1946 Italian general election . On 22 October 1922 Benito Mussolini , the leader of the National Fascist Party , attempted a coup d'état (titled by the Fascist propaganda as the March on Rome ) in which around 30,000 Italian fascists took part. The quadrumvirs leading
336-588: A time was the leader of the opposition to the National Fascist Party (NFP). In 1921 he denounced fascist violence in a pamphlet titled Inchiesta socialista sulle gesta dei fascisti in Italia ( Socialist enquiry on the deeds of the fascists in Italy ). A year before being killed, "a clear warning against him had appeared in the pages of the newspaper founded by Mussolini himself, Il popolo d’Italia ". In 1924 his book The Fascisti Exposed: A Year of Fascist Domination
378-531: Is a 1973 Italian historical drama film directed by Florestano Vancin Trofeo Matteotti , is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in Pescara, Italy [REDACTED] Surname list This page lists people with the surname Matteotti . If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name (s) to
420-518: Is considered the very beginning of the dictatorship in Italy . Five men ( Amerigo Dumini , the operational leader of the Ceka , the Fascist secret police; Giuseppe Viola, Albino Volpi, Augusto Malacria, and Amleto Poveromo) were arrested a few days after the kidnapping. Another suspect, Filippo Panzeri, fled from arrest. Only three men (Dumini, Volpi and Poveromo) were convicted and shortly after released under amnesty by King Victor Emmanuel III . Before
462-487: The Chamber of Deputies in which he took responsibility for squadristi violence but did not mention the assassination of Matteotti . This speech usually is taken as the beginning of the Fascist dictatorship because it was followed by several laws restricting or canceling common democratic liberties, all rubber-stamped by a Fascist-controlled Parliament. This was the first and only multi-party general election held under
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#1732781159690504-526: The Great Depression affected Italy along with the rest of the world starting in 1929, and Mussolini responded to it by increasing the role of the state in the economy to avoid a banking crisis. Back in October 1922, even though the coup failed in giving power directly to the Fascist party, it nonetheless resulted in a parallel agreement between Mussolini and the King that made Mussolini the head of
546-515: The Night of the Long Knives , Mussolini rhetorically claimed fault, stating "I assume, I alone, the political, moral, historical responsibility for everything that has happened. If sentences, more or less maimed, are enough to hang a man, out with the noose!" Mussolini concluded with a warning: Italy needs stability and Fascism would assure stability to Italy in any manner necessary. This speech
588-587: The Duce directly ordered the assassination ... but his moral responsibility is indisputable", perhaps with underlings believing they were carrying out Mussolini's desire by performing the kidnapping and murder on their own. Other historians, including Justin Pollard and Denis Mack Smith , thought Mussolini was probably aware of the assassination plot but that it was ordered and organized by someone else. Mauro Canali suggested in 1997 that Mussolini probably did order
630-487: The Duce's innocence. However, De Felice did not have a chance to study many documents pertaining to the inquest over the murder which were not easily available at the time of his research. The former socialist and anti-fascist journalist Carlo Silvestri in 1924 was a harsh accuser of Mussolini; later, when he joined the Italian Social Republic , he affirmed that Mussolini had shown him the papers for
672-472: The Fascist party, General Emilio De Bono , Italo Balbo (one of the most famous ras ), Michele Bianchi , and Cesare Maria de Vecchi , organized the march while Mussolini stayed behind for most of the march; Mussolini allowed pictures to be taken of him marching along with the Fascist marchers. Generals Gustavo Fara and Sante Ceccherini assisted to the preparations of the March of 18 October. Other organizers of
714-728: The Government was supported by a large majority of the Chamber of Deputies and almost all the Senate of the Kingdom. Moreover, he feared that compelling Mussolini to resign could be considered a coup d'état , that eventually could lead to a civil war between the Army and the Blackshirts. But during the summer, the trial against Matteotti's alleged murderers and the discovery of the corpse of Matteotti once again spread rage against Mussolini – newspapers launched fierce attacks against him and
756-697: The Italian government. A few weeks after the election, Giacomo Matteotti , the leader of the Unitary Socialist Party , requested during his speech in front of the Parliament that the elections be annulled because of the irregularities. On June 10, Matteotti was assassinated by the Blackshirts and his murder provoked a momentary crisis in the Mussolini government. The opposition parties responded weakly or were generally unresponsive. Many of
798-580: The Matteotti case, and eventually he changed his mind. Silvestri became a strong defender of Mussolini's innocence in Matteotti's murder and suggested that the socialist was killed by a plot, in order both to damage Mussolini's attempt to raise a leftist government (with the participation of Socialists and Popolari ) and to cover some scandals in which the Crown (with the American oil company Sinclair Oil )
840-520: The alliance of the socialist trade unions and the fascist counterpart. Moreover, he may have found evidence of bribes from Sinclair Oil in favour of Mussolini, in order to get permission for Sinclair's exploitation of petroleum reservoirs under Italian control and was deemed dangerous by Mussolini for his links to the British Labour Party. In 1912 he met Velia Titta, younger sister of the famous baritone Ruffo Titta , and they married in
882-485: The conflict for this reason. He was elected deputy of the Chamber of Deputies three times, in 1919 , 1921 and in 1924 . As a follower of Filippo Turati , Matteotti became the leader of the reformist Unitary Socialist Party (PSU) in the Italian Chamber of Deputies after a split from the more radical Italian Socialist Party . Matteotti openly spoke out against Fascism and Benito Mussolini , and for
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#1732781159690924-480: The fascist movement. On 13 September, a right-wing fascist deputy, Armando Casalini , was killed on a tramway in retaliation for Matteotti's murder by the anti-fascist Giovanni Corvi. During the autumn of 1924, the extremist wing of the Fascist Party threatened Mussolini with a coup and dealt with him on the night of San Silvestro in 1924. Mussolini devised a counter-manoeuvre, and on 3 January 1925, he gave
966-419: The framework of the constitution. This transition was made possible by the surrender of public authorities in the face of Fascist intimidation. Many business and financial leaders believed it would be possible to manipulate Mussolini, whose early speeches and policies emphasized free market and laissez-faire economics. While Mussolini appointed an economic liberal minister to the economy, this changed as
1008-611: The instigator of the crime, nor did she blame the fascist regime for it. Numerous monuments to Matteotti have been established, including a Monument in Rome along Lungotevere Arnaldo da Brescia, where the kidnap-murder took place. In Florestano Vancini 's film The Assassination of Matteotti (1973), Matteotti is played by Franco Nero . 1924 Italian general election Benito Mussolini National Fascist Party Benito Mussolini National Fascist Party General elections were held in Italy on 6 April 1924 to elect
1050-571: The link. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Matteotti&oldid=1243437400 " Categories : Surnames Surnames of Italian origin Italian patronymic surnames Surnames from given names Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata All set index articles Giacomo Matteotti Giacomo Matteotti ( Italian pronunciation: [ˈdʒaːkomo matteˈɔtti] ; 22 May 1885 – 10 June 1924)
1092-657: The march included the Marquis Dino Perrone Compagni and Ulisse Igliori. On 24 October 1922, Mussolini declared before 60,000 people at the Fascist Congress in Naples : "Our program is simple: we want to rule Italy." The Blackshirts occupied some strategic points of the country and began to move on the capital. On 26 October, former Prime Minister of Italy , Antonio Salandra , warned the incumbent Prime Minister Luigi Facta that Mussolini
1134-605: The members of the Chamber of Deputies . They were held two years after the March on Rome , in which Benito Mussolini 's National Fascist Party rose to power, and under the controversial Acerbo Law , which stated that the party with the largest share of the votes would automatically receive two-thirds of the seats in Parliament as long as they received over 25% of the vote. Mussolini's National List (an alliance of Catholic, liberal , and conservative political parties) used intimidation tactics against voters, resulting in
1176-408: The motive of the murder was linked to this corruption case, many scholars now believe Mussolini did order the murder which was planned and executed by his political police, called Ceka. In May 2024, Giorgia Meloni said in the 100 year anniversary of his death, that Italian fascists committed fraud in the 1924 Italian general election, and killed Matteotti. but she fell short of naming Mussolini as
1218-501: The murder, as Matteotti uncovered and wanted to make public incriminating documents proving that Mussolini and his associates sold Sinclair Oil Corporation exclusive rights to all Italian oil reserves . Judge Giovanni Spagnuolo, in relation to the business clue linked to the Sinclair Oil agreement, added in his 1946 indictment - refuting it in detail - that this "hypothesis clashes with the most elementary logic". Whether or not
1260-415: The repression of Fascist violence, he was sure the King would agree. Instead, the King refused to sign the military order. On 28 October, the King handed power to Mussolini, who was supported by the military, the business class, and political right. While the march itself was composed of fewer than 30,000 men, the King feared a civil war as he did not consider strong enough previous government, and Fascism
1302-705: The secret political police of Benito Mussolini . Matteotti was born in 1885 into a wealthy family, in Fratta Polesine , Province of Rovigo in Veneto . He graduated in law at the University of Bologna . An atheist and from early on an activist in the socialist movement and the Italian Socialist Party (PSI), he opposed Italy's entry into World War I and was interned in Sicily during
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1344-492: The socialists, liberals, and moderates boycotted Parliament in the Aventine Secession , hoping to force the King to dismiss Mussolini. On 31 December 1924 Blackshirt leaders met with Mussolini and gave him an ultimatum—crush the opposition or they would do so without him. Fearing a revolt by his own militants, he decided to drop all trappings of democracy. On 3 January 1925, Mussolini made a truculent speech before
1386-583: The trial against the murderers, the High Court of the Senate started a trial against general Emilio De Bono , commander of the Fascist paramilitary Blackshirts (MVSN), but he was discharged. After the Second World War , in 1947, the trial against Francesco Giunta , Cesare Rossi , Dumini, Viola, Poveromo, Malacria, Filippelli and Panzeri was re-opened. Dumini, Viola and Poveromo were sentenced to life imprisonment. In none of these three trials
1428-435: Was Prime Minister Benito Mussolini . On 10 June 1924, Matteotti was bundled into a Lancia Kappa by five men while he was walking to Parliament to work. They were Amerigo Dumini, Albino Volpi, Giuseppe Viola, Amleto Poveromo and Augusto Malacria, all acting as members of the secret political police of Benito Mussolini . Inside the car, he was stabbed several times with a carpenter's file as he struggled to escape. His corpse
1470-628: Was an Italian socialist politician and secretary of the Partito Socialista Unitario . He was elected deputy of the Chamber of Deputies three times, in 1919 , 1921 and in 1924 . On 30 May 1924, he openly spoke in the Italian Parliament alleging the Italian fascists committed fraud in the 1924 general election, and denounced the violence they used to gain votes. Eleven days later, he was kidnapped and killed by
1512-411: Was demanding his resignation and that he was preparing to march on Rome. Facta did not believe Salandra and thought that Mussolini would govern quietly at his side. To meet the threat posed by the bands of Fascist troops now gathering outside Rome, Facta (who had resigned but continued to hold power) ordered a state of siege for Rome. Having had previous conversations with King Victor Emmanuel III about
1554-425: Was evidence declared of Mussolini's involvement, due to trial extinction for the death of the defendant. The involvement of Benito Mussolini in the assassination is much debated. Historians have suggested different theories over the years. The first important biographer of Mussolini, Renzo De Felice , was convinced that the Duce was innocent. Aiding him were Aurelio Lepre and Emilio Gentile , who also believed in
1596-489: Was found after an extensive search near Riano , 23 kilometres north of Rome, on 16 August 1924. The death of Matteotti sparked widespread criticism of Fascism and of the Prime Minister Benito Mussolini . In the days following Matteotti's disappearance, it became clear Matteotti had been assassinated on the order of people at the top of the regime, prompting the outrage of the opposition. Within
1638-477: Was involved. De Felice argued that maybe Mussolini himself was a political victim of a plot, and almost surely he was damaged by the crisis that followed the murder. Many fascists left the Party, and his government was about to collapse. Moreover, his secret attempt to bring Socialists and Popolari into a new reformist government was ruined. John Gunther wrote in 1940 that "Most critics nowadays do not think that
1680-476: Was no longer seen as a threat to the establishment. Mussolini was asked to form his cabinet on 29 October while some 25,000 Blackshirts were parading in Rome. Mussolini legally reached power in accordance with the Statuto Albertino , the Italian constitution. The March on Rome was not the conquest of power which Fascism later celebrated but rather the precipitating force behind a transfer of power within
1722-553: Was prevented due to the mobilization of the armed corps, which intervened in the city", as a fraud in the 1924 elections (however won by PNF thanks to the Acerbo Law , which put in place an electoral system that guaranteed a majority to the Fascists). According to some theories, this speech was not the only cause of his murder. In fact, according to Renzo De Felice 's essay Breve Storia del Fascismo , Matteotti publicly condemned
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1764-408: Was published and he made two impassioned and lengthy speeches in the Chamber of Deputies denouncing Fascism and declaring that the last election, marked by intimidation and militia violence, was "invalid". In the speech Matteotti gave on 30 May 1924 in Parliament, he strongly contested the violence, saying: "In Naples in one conference that the head of the constitutional opposition was to hold, he
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