Giacomo Matteotti

From Freepedia

Giacomo Matteotti (22 May 1885 - 10 June 1924) was an Italian politician.

He was the leader of the United Socialist Party in the Chamber of Deputies. He spoke out against fascism and Il Duce, and for a time was the leader of the little opposition the party had. He was mysteriously murdered in June of 1924, after the publication of his book The Fascisti Exposed: A Year of Fascist Domination. Five men [Amerigo Dumini, 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 the King. The sixth Fascist thug, Filippo Panzeri, was allowed to escape before the arrests of his accomplices. It is very likely Mussolini was responsible for the incident in one way or another; indeed, speaking to the Parliament on January 3, 1925, Mussolini declared that he took all "political, moral and historical" responsibility for the murder. Whoever the killer was, he was seen as a hero by many of the zealous propaganda-fed fascists in Italy. The death of Matteotti sparked Fascist criticism, but Mussolini was soon able to use his influence over the media to regain the people's confidence.

Publications

• 1924 The Fascisti Exposed: A Year of Fascist Domination, ISBN 0433761513