How many support did the Italian Social Republic have under the population?
How many support did the Italian Social Republic have under the population?
Can you describe me this topic?
Re: How many support did the Italian Social Republic have under the population?
It should be rather "How much support did the italian Republic have among the population"
Re: How many support did the Italian Social Republic have under the population?
Proper English, that is why. ☺ As to your question in the OP. Sorry, no idea.
-
- Member
- Posts: 10158
- Joined: 12 Jun 2008, 12:19
Re: How many support did the Italian Social Republic have under the population?
It was not insignificant, though I am not in a position to quantify it exactly.
The following Youtube film shows Mussolini addressing large crowds in Milan on 16 December 1944.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxe5dO2nH18
Furthermore, the names of some 52,000 men who died in RSI uniform are known.
So clearly Mussolini tapped into the anti-Communist part of Italian popular opinion until quite late in the war.
Cheers,
Sid.
The following Youtube film shows Mussolini addressing large crowds in Milan on 16 December 1944.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxe5dO2nH18
Furthermore, the names of some 52,000 men who died in RSI uniform are known.
So clearly Mussolini tapped into the anti-Communist part of Italian popular opinion until quite late in the war.
Cheers,
Sid.
-
- Member
- Posts: 399
- Joined: 23 Jul 2018, 13:54
- Location: Slovenia
Re: How many support did the Italian Social Republic have under the population?
As i understand it the official Italian explanation is that after 8. September 1943 the support for fascism and also Italian social republic was very low in Italy. Roberto Battaglia for example is saying that fascist congress in Verona in November 1943 made so many promises even many leftist or even socialist ones ( to attract workers ) because the position of republican neofascism was very bad between population. They were able to survive only because of German support. That seems probably true because Italian social republic had problems with loyality of judges, police, teachers, big worker and farmer strikes etc.
On another hand the same source is also saying that part of Italian youth joined the neofascist republican army because they were misled by nationalistic propaganda. Like that the honour of Italy was destroyed by allies, antifascists and the crown etc.
I should mention also that in Slovenia or in mixed teritory where Italians and Slovenes ( that is true also for Croatia ) lived neofascist propaganda was also using nationalistic and irredentistic propaganda and policy to gain support between Italians. For example in Postojna where before the war 3000 Italians lived in 1944 Italians organized an organization ''Spada Azzura'' which was according to police reports of Slovenian collaborators with Germans ''Domobranci'' hostile to Slovenes in general and was preparing to take military action against them at the right time. On the other hand the policy of ''Domobranci'' was to include Postojna and also Idrija with its rich mercury mine under so called Ljubljanska Pokrajina which had Slovenian administrator under Germans, general Leon Rupnik.
Sources:
Roberto Battaglia, Odporniško gibanje v Italiji, book published in Slovenia in 1971. Pages 238-244
Dr. Boris Mlakar, Domobranstvo na Primorskem, book published in Slovenia in 1982. Pages 202-204
On another hand the same source is also saying that part of Italian youth joined the neofascist republican army because they were misled by nationalistic propaganda. Like that the honour of Italy was destroyed by allies, antifascists and the crown etc.
I should mention also that in Slovenia or in mixed teritory where Italians and Slovenes ( that is true also for Croatia ) lived neofascist propaganda was also using nationalistic and irredentistic propaganda and policy to gain support between Italians. For example in Postojna where before the war 3000 Italians lived in 1944 Italians organized an organization ''Spada Azzura'' which was according to police reports of Slovenian collaborators with Germans ''Domobranci'' hostile to Slovenes in general and was preparing to take military action against them at the right time. On the other hand the policy of ''Domobranci'' was to include Postojna and also Idrija with its rich mercury mine under so called Ljubljanska Pokrajina which had Slovenian administrator under Germans, general Leon Rupnik.
Sources:
Roberto Battaglia, Odporniško gibanje v Italiji, book published in Slovenia in 1971. Pages 238-244
Dr. Boris Mlakar, Domobranstvo na Primorskem, book published in Slovenia in 1982. Pages 202-204