Achille Lauro (; 16 June 1887 – 15 November 1982) was an Italian businessman and politician. He is widely considered one of the main precursors of modern

populism Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term developed ...

Italian politics The politics of Italy are conducted through a parliamentary republic with a multi-party system. Italy has been a democratic republic since 2 June 1946, when the monarchy was abolished by popular referendum and a constituent assembly was electe ...

. He was nicknamed by his supporters ''Il Comandante'' ("The Commander").

Biography

Born the fifth of six children of the shipowner Gioacchino and of Laura Cafiero, he was on his part the shipowner and founder of the " Flotta Lauro", based in

Southern Italy Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half. The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the peop ...

. During the decades of Italian Fascist dictatorship (1922–1943), he became a member of the

National Fascist Party The National Fascist Party ( it, Partito Nazionale Fascista, PNF) was a political party in Italy, created by Benito Mussolini as the political expression of Italian Fascism and as a reorganization of the previous Italian Fasces of Combat. The ...

(PNF) and was named National Counselor of the

Chamber of Fasces and Corporations Chamber of Fasces and Corporations ( it, Camera dei Fasci e delle Corporazioni) was the lower house of the legislature of the Kingdom of Italy from 23 March 1939 to 5 August 1943, during the height of the regime of Benito Mussolini's National Fas ...

, appointed to this position by

Galeazzo Ciano Gian Galeazzo Ciano, 2nd Count of Cortellazzo and Buccari ( , ; 18 March 1903 – 11 January 1944) was an Italian diplomat and politician who served as Foreign Minister in the government of his father-in-law, Benito Mussolini, from 1936 until 19 ...

, son-in-law of

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...

himself, who was active in shipping commerce. Also during this period he was named president of the Naples football club

SSC Napoli Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly referred to as Napoli (), is an Football in Italy, Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in the city of Naples ( it, Napoli, nap, Napule), Camp ...

, where he succeeded Giorgio Ascarelli. After the

end of World War II End of World War II can refer to: * End of World War II in Europe * End of World War II in Asia World War II officially ended in Asia on September 2, 1945, with the surrender of Japan on the . Before that, the United States dropped two atomic ...

, following an initial participation in the

Common Man's Front The Common Man's Front ( it, Fronte dell'Uomo Qualunque, UQ), also translated as Front of the Ordinary Man, was a short-lived right-wing populist, monarchist and anti-communist political party in Italy. It was formed shortly after the end of the ...

, he became active in the Italian monarchist movement led by

Alfredo Covelli Alfredo Covelli (22 February 1914 – 25 December 1998) was an Italian monarchist politician. He was the leader of the Monarchist National Party. Covelli was born in Bonito, Campania. He graduated in literature and philosophy, in law and ...

and financially supported the foundation of the

Monarchist National Party The Monarchist National Party ( it, Partito Nazionale Monarchico, PNM) was a political party in Italy founded in 1946, uniting conservatives, liberal conservatives and nationalists. It was a right-wing competitor to Christian Democracy and was esp ...

(PNM), and was for a long time the mayor of

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

. In 1972, he joined the neo-fascist party

Italian Social Movement The Italian Social Movement ( it, Movimento Sociale Italiano, MSI) was a neo-fascist political party in Italy. A far-right party, it presented itself until the 1990s as the defender of Italian fascism's legacy, and later moved towards national ...

(MSI).David Broder: ''How Italy’s Far Right Fell in Love with the United States – An Interview with Gregorio Sorgonà'', jacobin.com 29 July 2022.
/ref> A square in the coastal town of

Sorrento Sorrento (, ; nap, Surriento ; la, Surrentum) is a town overlooking the Bay of Naples in Southern Italy. A popular tourist destination, Sorrento is located on the Sorrentine Peninsula at the south-eastern terminus of the Circumvesuviana rail ...

is named after him.

References

* Achille Della Ragione. ''Achille Lauro superstar: la vita, l'impero, la leggenda''. Napoli, 2003. * Serena Romano. ''Don Achille, 'o comandante''. Milano, 1992. * Pietro Zullino. ''Il Comandante''. Milano, 1976.

External links

Achille Lauro
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lauro, Achille 1887 births 1982 deaths Deputies of Legislature III of Italy Deputies of Legislature IV of Italy Deputies of Legislature VI of Italy Deputies of Legislature VII of Italy Italian businesspeople in shipping Italian Democratic Party of Monarchist Unity politicians Italian Social Movement politicians Mayors of Naples Members of the Chamber of Fasces and Corporations Monarchist National Party politicians National Fascist Party politicians National Democracy (Italy) politicians People from the Province of Naples People's Monarchist Party (Italy) politicians Politicians of Campania Senators of Legislature II of Italy Senators of Legislature V of Italy