Italian resistance movement: Encyclopedia II - Italian resistance movement - Origins of the movement

Italian resistance movement - Origins of the movement

Initially the resistance movement was composed of independent troops, spontaneously formed by members of political parties previously outlawed by the Fascist regime or by former officers of the disbanded Royal Army loyal to the monarchy. Later the Committee of National Liberation created by the Italian Communist Party, the Italian Socialist Party, the Partito d'Azione (a republican liberal party), Democrazia Cristiana and other minor parties took control of the movement, in accordance with the monarchic government and the Allies.

Finally the bands were distinguished in the communist "Garibaldi's Brigades"; "Giustizia e Libertà" brigades, related to Partito d'Azione; socialist "Matteotti's Brigades"; and several Catholic and autonomous groups; the greater part of fighters were in the former two. Between the autonomous formations there were the "Green Flames", "Di Dio" and "Mauri", composed of monarchics or former soldiers. Relations between the different groups weren't always good; for example, in 1945 in Porzus (in the province of Udine), "Garibaldi"'s partisans under Yugoslav command attacked and killed partisans of the Catholic and azionista Osoppo band, who refused to accept Tito's authority.

While the largest troops operated in mountainous districts of the Alps and the Appennini, there were also big formations in the Po plain; in the principal towns, the G.A.P. (Gruppi di azione patriottica, Patriotic Action Groups) carried out many acts of sabotage and guerrilla warfare, and the S.A.P. (Squadre di azione patriottica, Patriotic Action Squads) arranged massive strike actions and campaigns of propaganda.

In 1944, with the Allied forces nearby, the partisan resistance in Italy staged an uprising behind German lines, led by the Committee of National Liberation of Upper Italy (CLNAI). This rebellion led to the establishment of a number of provisional partisan governments throughout mountainous regions of northern Italy, of which Ossola was the most important to receive recognition from Switzerland and from Allied consulates in Switzerland. By the end of 1944, German reinforcements and Mussolini's remaining fascists had crushed the uprising, and the area's liberation had to wait until the final offensives of 1945.

In the valley of Carnia, anti-Communist forces from the Soviet Union under the command of ataman Domanov were used; they were promised the establishment of a Cossack republic in northeastern Italy, to be called Kosakenland. Also, profiting by the weakness of the Fascist puppet state, the Germans decided to annex Italian territories to the Reich; two new regions were established: the Alpenvorland, comprising Trentino-South Tyrol and the province of Belluno; and the Adriatisches Kustenland, comprising Istria, Quarnero and most part of today's Friuli Venezia Giulia.

During the war, Germans and Fascist soldiers committed a number of war crimes: summary executions, ransacking, and retaliations against civilians were common practices. Some of the most notorious events were the Ardeatine massacre, the Marzabotto massacre and the Sant'Anna di Stazzema massacre. Captured partisans or civilians were often tortured. The Decima Flottiglia MAS, an Italian unit under German command, is now remembered as one of the most ruthless military corp of the war.

After a few months of reorganization, another massive uprising was planned. On April 25, 1945, concurrently with the renewal of the Allied offensive, the CLNAI called out a general insurrection, which ended with the surrender of German forces and the liberation of principal towns.

The uprising showed to the world that not all Italians agreed with the Fascist rule and were even prepared to fight against it. Casualties amounted to approximately 44,700 killed and 21,200 wounded or disabled partisans; civilians killed in retaliations were nearly 10,000. 40,000 Italian soldiers died in concentration camps.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Origins of the movement", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki