Giovanni Preziosi (24 October 1881, in

Torella dei Lombardi Torella dei Lombardi is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino, Campania, southern Italy. History The town was firstly mentioned in the 9th century as ''Turella''. In 1980, along with many other settlements in the province and the neigh ...

– 26 April 1945, in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

) was an Italian fascist politician noted for his contributions to Fascist Italy.

Early career

Born into a middle-class family, he joined the priesthood after completing his studies and, although he was

defrocked Defrocking, unfrocking, degradation, or laicization of clergy is the removal of their rights to exercise the functions of the ordained ministry. It may be grounded on criminal convictions, disciplinary problems, or disagreements over doctrine or ...

in 1911, he remained a lifelong adherent of

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

.Richard S. Levy (2005), ''Antisemitism: A Historical Encyclopedia of Prejudice and Persecution, Volume 2'', p. 556 He then followed a career in

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (pro ...

, founding the ''Vita Italiana all'estero'' as a magazine for emigrants. This was followed by his journal '' La Vita Italiana'', which was noted for its harsh criticism of Jews in the run-up to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He soon became involved in Fascist political circles, eventually becoming a member of Benito Mussolini's fascists and taking part in the

March on Rome The March on Rome ( it, Marcia su Roma) was an organized mass demonstration and a coup d'état in October 1922 which resulted in Benito Mussolini's National Fascist Party (PNF) ascending to power in the Kingdom of Italy. In late October 1922, ...

Antisemitism

Preziosi was not initially antisemitic but after Italy's poor returns for the involvement in the First World War he came to blame

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

ish elements in Italy for many of its ills.Levy, ''Antisemitism'', p. 557 He argued the Jews were incapable of being racially and spiritually Italian due to what he considered to be their "double loyalties" and the growth of

Zionism Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after '' Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...

and believed in the notions that Jews were behind

communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a ...

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, priva ...

and

democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...

. Much of his thought was influenced by ''La Libre Parole'', a newspaper founded by Edouard Drumont,

Howell Arthur Gwynne Howell Arthur Keir Gwynne, CH (3 September 1865 – 29 June 1950) was a Welsh author, newspaper editor of the London ''Morning Post'' from 1911 to 1937. , Mee, Arthur. ''Who's Who in Wales''. Cardiff, Western Mail Limited (1921). (p.170) Earl ...

's '' The Cause of World Unrest'' and ''

The Dearborn Independent ''The Dearborn Independent'', also known as ''The Ford International Weekly'', was a weekly newspaper established in 1901, and published by Henry Ford from 1919 through 1927. The paper reached a circulation of 900,000 by 1925, second only to the ...

'' of

Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production. By creating the first automobile that ...

. He became the first to translate ''

The Protocols of the Elders of Zion ''The Protocols of the Elders of Zion'' () or ''The Protocols of the Meetings of the Learned Elders of Zion'' is a fabricated antisemitic text purporting to describe a Jewish plan for global domination. The hoax was plagiarized from several ...

'' into

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

in 1921. Such were the strength of his beliefs that Preziosi criticized a contemporary antisemitic critic Paolo Orano for his 'soft' stance on Jews. Initially, although a hardliner in terms of his fascism, he denounced

Nazism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) i ...

as parochial, exclusionary and responsible for pushing Europe towards communism. In fact in his early years he had demonstrated a strong Germanophobia, even producing a book entitled ''Germania alla Conquista dell'Italia'' in 1916. However, from 1933 onward, he changed tack, becoming a strong advocate of close co-operation with

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

and occasionally criticized Italian fascism for its lack of emphasis on perceived Jewish wrongdoings. His views reached a wider audience after the passing of the Italian Racial Laws as he began to write articles for the national press as well as his own journal. Preziosi also wrote "''Ecco il diavolo: Israele''".

Later career

In 1923, Preziosi coadiuvated the Italian nationalist

Ettore Tolomei Ettore Tolomei (16 August 1865, in Rovereto – 25 May 1952, in Rome) was an Italian nationalist and fascist. He was designated a Member of the Italian Senate in 1923, and ennobled as Conte della Vetta in 1937. Pre-World War I activism Born int ...

in preparing the manifesto called the ''Provvedimenti per l'Alto Adige'' ("Measures for the Alto Adige"), becoming the blueprint for the

Italianization of South Tyrol In 1919, at the time of its annexation, the middle part of the County of Tyrol which is today called South Tyrol (in Italian ''Alto Adige'') was inhabited by almost 90% German speakers.Oscar Benvenuto (ed.):South Tyrol in Figures 2008", Provincia ...

campaign. Preziosi's growing prestige was rewarded in 1942 when he was made a minister of state. Following the formation of the puppet state of the Italian Social Republic Preziosi was initially moved to

where he was to serve as

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

's adviser on Italian affairs. Whilst in Germany he also had a show on Radio Munich, which was broadcast to Mussolini's Italy, and used it as a platform to attack the likes of

Guido Buffarini Guidi Guido Buffarini Guidi (17 August 1895 – 10 July 1945) was an Italian army officer and politician, executed for war crimes in 1945. Biography Buffarini Guidi was born in Pisa in 1895. When Italy entered World War I, he volunteered in an ...

and

Alessandro Pavolini Alessandro Pavolini (27 September 1903 – 28 April 1945) was an Italian politician, journalist, and essayist, notable for his involvement in the Fascist government, during World War II, and also for his cruelty against the opponents of fascis ...

as "Jew lovers". He returned to Italy in March 1944 to head up an ''Ispettorato Generale della Razza'' (General Inspectorate of Race). In this role he introduced a system based on the

Nuremberg Laws The Nuremberg Laws (german: link=no, Nürnberger Gesetze, ) were antisemitic and racist laws that were enacted in Nazi Germany on 15 September 1935, at a special meeting of the Reichstag convened during the annual Nuremberg Rally of ...

and used the new code to crack down on Jewish elements which were deemed unacceptable. Along with

Roberto Farinacci Roberto Farinacci (; 16 October 1892 – 28 April 1945) was a leading Italian Fascist politician and important member of the National Fascist Party before and during World War II as well as one of its ardent antisemitic proponents. English histo ...

he also became a close ally of

Julius Evola Giulio Cesare Andrea "Julius" Evola (; 19 May 1898 – 11 June 1974) was an Italian philosopher, poet, painter, esotericist, and radical-right ideologue. Evola regarded his values as aristocratic, masculine, traditionalist, heroic, and defiant ...

during this period in a pro-fascistic alliance. Preziosi's activities were at times frustrated by Mussolini, who held a long-standing personal hatred for this "former priest", but Preziosi's efforts still ensured that the puppet Italian state would be involved in the Nazi war effort. In the late days of the war, following a narrow escape from Partisans on the 26 April 1945, Preziosi fled on foot with his wife Valeria to the city of

where they found refuge in the homes of friends. The next day they were found to have taken their own lives by throwing themselves out of a fourth floor window. In his farewell letter Preziosi wrote:Renzo De Felice, ''Storia degli ebrei italiani sotto il fascismo''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Preziosi, Giovanni 1881 births 1945 deaths Antisemitism in Italy Catholicism and far-right politics Christian fascists Italian radio presenters Italian male writers Italian politicians who committed suicide Holocaust perpetrators in Italy Officials of Nazi Germany Roman Catholic conspiracy theorists People from the Province of Avellino People of the Italian Social Republic Protocols of the Elders of Zion Suicides by jumping in Italy Suicides in Milan 20th-century Italian Roman Catholic priests Italian conspiracy theorists 1945 suicides