Italian
anarchism as a movement began primarily from the influence of
Mikhail Bakunin
Mikhail Alexandrovich Bakunin (; 1814–1876) was a Russian revolutionary anarchist, socialist and founder of collectivist anarchism. He is considered among the most influential figures of anarchism and a major founder of the revolutionary s ...
,
Giuseppe Fanelli
Giuseppe Fanelli (13 October 1827 – 5 January 1877) was an Italian revolutionary anarchist, best known for his tour of Spain 1868, introducing the anarchist ideas of Mikhail Bakunin.
Life and revolutionary path
Fanelli was born in Naples ...
, and
Errico Malatesta. Rooted in
collectivist anarchism, it expanded to include
illegalist individualist anarchism
Individualist anarchism is the branch of anarchism that emphasizes the individual and their will over external determinants such as groups, society, traditions and ideological systems."What do I mean by individualism? I mean by individualism th ...
,
mutualism,
anarcho-syndicalism, and especially
anarcho-communism
Anarcho-communism, also known as anarchist communism, (or, colloquially, ''ancom'' or ''ancomm'') is a political philosophy and anarchist school of thought that advocates communism. It calls for the abolition of private property but retains res ...
. It participated in the ''
biennio rosso
The Biennio Rosso (English: "Red Biennium" or "Two Red Years") was a two-year period, between 1919 and 1920, of intense social conflict in Italy, following the First World War.Brunella Dalla Casa, ''Composizione di classe, rivendicazioni e prof ...
'' and survived
Italian Fascism.
Platformism
Platformism is a form of anarchist organization that seeks unity from its participants, having as a defining characteristic the idea that each platformist organization should include only people that are fully in agreement with core group ideas, r ...
[''El movimiento libertario en Italia'' by Bicicleta: Revista de comunicaciones libertarias](_blank)
and
insurrectionary anarchism
Insurrectionary anarchism is a revolutionary theory and tendency within the anarchist movement that emphasizes insurrection as a revolutionary practice. It is critical of formal organizations such as labor unions and federations that are based ...
were particularly common in Italian anarchism and continue to influence the movement today. The
synthesist Italian Anarchist Federation appeared after
the war, and ''
autonomism
Autonomism, also known as autonomist Marxism is an anti-capitalist left-wing political and social movement and theory. As a theoretical system, it first emerged in Italy in the 1960s from workerism (). Later, post-Marxist and anarchist tende ...
o'' and ''
operaismo'' especially influenced Italian anarchism in the second half of the 20th century.
History
Origins
When the Italian section of the
International Workingman's Association
The International Workingmen's Association (IWA), often called the First International (1864–1876), was an international organization, international organisation which aimed at uniting a variety of different Left-wing politics, left-wing So ...
was formed in 1869, new and more famous (or infamous) anarchists began appearing on the scene, notable individuals include
Carlo Cafiero
Carlo Cafiero (1846–1892) was an Italian anarchist, champion of Mikhail Bakunin during the second half of the 19th century and one of the main proponents of anarcho-communism and insurrectionary anarchism during the First International
T ...
and
Errico Malatesta. Within the Italian section of the IWMA the ideas of
anarchist communism
Anarcho-communism, also known as anarchist communism, (or, colloquially, ''ancom'' or ''ancomm'') is a political philosophy and anarchist school of thought that advocates communism. It calls for the abolition of private property but retains res ...
as a clear, cohesive movement were formed. At an 1876 conference in Florence, the Italian section of the International Workingman's Association declared the principles of Anarchist-Communism, proclaiming:
It was also in Italy that early Anarchist attempts at revolution began. Bakunin was involved in an insurrection taking place in
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
in 1869,
[Anarchism, Insurrections, and Insurrectionalism by Joe Black] and in a failed attempt at insurrection in 1874 in
Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...
. In 1877, Errico Malatesta, Carlo Cafiero, and Costa began an attempt at revolution in Italy. They liberated two villages in
Campania
(man), it, Campana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, demog ...
before being put down by the military.
Italian Anarchism was first materialized in the Italian section of the
First International
The International Workingmen's Association (IWA), often called the First International (1864–1876), was an international organisation which aimed at uniting a variety of different left-wing socialist, communist and anarchist groups and trad ...
. The popularity of the IWA skyrocketed with the
Paris Commune
The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871.
During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...
. Because of limited knowledge of the actual events taking place, many militants had utopian visions of the nature of the Commune, leading to a popularity of Anarchist and other Socialist ideas. The radical republican
Giuseppe Mazzini
Giuseppe Mazzini (, , ; 22 June 1805 – 10 March 1872) was an Italian politician, journalist, and activist for the unification of Italy (Risorgimento) and spearhead of the Italian revolutionary movement. His efforts helped bring about the in ...
condemned the Commune because it represented everything he hated: class struggle, mass violence, atheism, and materialism. Mazzini's condemnation helped to increase the defection of many republicans to the ranks of the IWA.
As the split between Marx and Bakunin became more prominent, the Italian section of the IWA primarily took the side of Bakunin against the authoritarian behavior of Marx's General Council. Bakunin's defense of the Paris Commune against the attacks of Mazzini and Marx and Engels's incompetence in challenging them led to Bakuninism becoming the prominent strain of thought in the Italian IWA. In 1872, Bakunin, and Cafiero helped to organize a national federation of Italian IWA sections. All the delegates at the founding congress excluding
Carlo Terzaghi (a police spy) and two
Garibaldian socialists, were Anarchists.
Errico Malatesta
Errico Malatesta was an important
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 ...
anarchist. He wrote and edited a number of radical newspapers and was also a friend of
Mikhail Bakunin
Mikhail Alexandrovich Bakunin (; 1814–1876) was a Russian revolutionary anarchist, socialist and founder of collectivist anarchism. He is considered among the most influential figures of anarchism and a major founder of the revolutionary s ...
. Partly via his enthusiasm for the
Paris Commune
The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871.
During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...
and partly via his friendship with
Carmelo Palladino, he joined the
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 ...
section of the
International Workingmen's Association
The International Workingmen's Association (IWA), often called the First International (1864–1876), was an international organisation which aimed at uniting a variety of different left-wing socialist, communist and anarchist groups and trad ...
that same year, as well as teaching himself to be a mechanic and electrician. In 1872 he met
Mikhail Bakunin
Mikhail Alexandrovich Bakunin (; 1814–1876) was a Russian revolutionary anarchist, socialist and founder of collectivist anarchism. He is considered among the most influential figures of anarchism and a major founder of the revolutionary s ...
, with whom he participated in the International's
St. Imier Congress. For the next four years, Malatesta helped spread Internationalist propaganda in Italy; he was imprisoned twice for these activities.
In April 1877, Malatesta,
Carlo Cafiero
Carlo Cafiero (1846–1892) was an Italian anarchist, champion of Mikhail Bakunin during the second half of the 19th century and one of the main proponents of anarcho-communism and insurrectionary anarchism during the First International
T ...
, the
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
n
Stepniak and about 30 others started an
insurrection
Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority.
A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
in the
province of Benevento
The Province of Benevento ( it, Provincia di Benevento) is a province in the Campania region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Benevento.
Geography
The province has an area of 2,071 km2, and, , a total population of 279,308. There are 78 ...
, taking the villages of
Letino
Letino is a ''comune'' and small village in the province of Caserta, in Campania, southern Italy.
It was one of the villages liberated by the Italian Libertarian Communist Insurrection of 1877 by Errico Malatesta, Carlo Cafiero, Pietro Cesare Cec ...
and
Gallo without a struggle. The revolutionaries burned
tax
A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...
registers and declared the end of the King's reign, and were met by enthusiasm: even a local priest showed his support.
In
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
he founded the weekly anarchist paper ''
La Questione Sociale'' (''The Social Question'') in which his most popular
pamphlet, ''
Fra Contadini'' (''Among Farmers''), first appeared. He lived in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
from 1885, where he resumed publication of ''La Questione Sociale'', and was involved in the founding of the first militant workers' union in
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, the
Bakers Union, and left an anarchist impression in the workers' movements there for years to come.
Returning to
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
in 1889, he published a newspaper called ''
L'Associazione'' in
Nice
Nice ( , ; Niçard dialect, Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department in France. The Nice urban unit, agg ...
until he was forced to flee to London. During this time he wrote several important pamphlets, including ''
L'Anarchia''. Malatesta then took part in the
International Anarchist Congress of Amsterdam (1907), where he debated in particular with
Pierre Monatte
Pierre Monatte (15 January 188127 June 1960) was a French trade unionist, a founder of the ''Confédération générale du travail'' (CGT, Generation Confederation of Labour) at the beginning of the 20th century, and founder of its journal '' La ...
on the relation between anarchism and
syndicalism
Syndicalism is a revolutionary current within the left-wing of the labor movement that seeks to unionize workers according to industry and advance their demands through strikes with the eventual goal of gaining control over the means of prod ...
(or
trade-unionism).
After the
First World War
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 ...
, Malatesta eventually returned to Italy for the final time. Two years after his return, in 1921, the Italian government imprisoned him, again, although he was released two months before the
fascists came to power. From 1924 until 1926, when
Benito Mussolini silenced all independent press, Malatesta published the journal ''
Pensiero e Volontà'', although he was harassed and the journal suffered from government censorship. He was to spend his remaining years leading a relatively quiet life, earning a living as an electrician. After years of suffering from a weak respiratory system and regular
bronchial attacks, he developed bronchial
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...
from which he died after a few weeks, despite being given 1500 litres of oxygen in his last five hours. He died on Friday, 22 July 1932.
The Socialist Revolutionary Anarchist Party
The Socialist Revolutionary Anarchist Party ( it, Partito Socialista Anarchico Rivoluzionario) was a short-lived
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 ...
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...
.
Founded in January 1891 at the
Capolago congress, at which around 80 delegates from Italian
socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...
and
anarchist groups participated. Notable figures included,
Errico Malatesta,
Luigi Galleani,
Amilcare Cipriani,
Andrea Costa
Andrea is a given name which is common worldwide for both males and females, cognate to Andreas, Andrej and Andrew.
Origin of the name
The name derives from the Greek word ἀνήρ (''anēr''), genitive ἀνδρός (''andrós''), that r ...
and
Filippo Turati
Filippo Turati (; 26 November 1857 – 29 March 1932) was an Italian sociologist, criminologist, poet and socialist politician.
Early life
Born in Canzo, province of Como, he graduated in law at the University of Bologna in 1877, and participa ...
. Malatesta envisioned the PSAR as the Italian federation of a new, anarchist and socialist,
International Workingmen's Association
The International Workingmen's Association (IWA), often called the First International (1864–1876), was an international organisation which aimed at uniting a variety of different left-wing socialist, communist and anarchist groups and trad ...
.
The founding of Unione Sindacale Italiana
Unione Sindacale Italiana is an Italian
trade union
A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...
that was founded in 1912, after a group of workers, previously affiliated with the
Confederazione Generale del Lavoro
General Confederation of Labour ( it, Confederazione Generale del Lavoro, CGdL) was an Italian labor union, founded in 1906, under the initiative of socialist militants. Having survived the Fascist dictatorship and the Second World War as an u ...
(CGI), met in
Modena and declared themselves linked to the legacy of the
First International
The International Workingmen's Association (IWA), often called the First International (1864–1876), was an international organisation which aimed at uniting a variety of different left-wing socialist, communist and anarchist groups and trad ...
, and later joined the
anarcho-syndicalist
Anarcho-syndicalism is a political philosophy and anarchist school of thought that views revolutionary industrial unionism or syndicalism as a method for workers in capitalist society to gain control of an economy and thus control influence i ...
International Workers' Association International Workers' Association may refer to:
* International Workingmen's Association
The International Workingmen's Association (IWA), often called the First International (1864–1876), was an international organisation which aimed at ...
(IWA; ''Associazione Internazionale dei Lavoratori'' in
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 ...
or ''AIT'' – ''Asociación Internacional de los Trabajadores'' in the common
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
reference).
The most
left-wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
''
camere del lavoro'' adhered in rapid succession to the USI, and it engaged in all major political battles for
labor rights – without ever adopting the
militarist
Militarism is the belief or the desire of a government or a people that a state should maintain a strong military capability and to use it aggressively to expand national interests and/or values. It may also imply the glorification of the mil ...
attitudes present with other trade unions. Nonetheless, after the outbreak of
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 ...
, USI was shaken by the dispute around the issue of Italy's intervention in the conflict on the
Entente Powers
The Triple Entente (from French '' entente'' meaning "friendship, understanding, agreement") describes the informal understanding between the Russian Empire, the French Third Republic, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland as well a ...
' side. The problem was made acute by the presence of eminent pro-intervention,
national-syndicalist voices inside the body:
Alceste De Ambris
Alceste De Ambris (15 September 1874 – 9 December 1934) was an Italian syndicalist, the brother of fascist politician Amilcare De Ambris. He had a major part to play in the agrarian strike actions of 1908 in Parma.
Life
De Ambris was born ...
,
Filippo Corridoni
Filippo Corridoni (19 August 1887, in Pausula today Corridonia, Italy – 23 October 1915, in San Martino del Carso, Italy) was an Italian trade unionist and syndicalist, and the friend of future fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. Corridoni died ...
, and, initially,
Giuseppe Di Vittorio
Giuseppe Di Vittorio ( Cerignola, 11 August 1892 – Lecco, 3 November 1957), also known as Nicoletti, was an Italian trade union leader and Communist politician. He was one of the most influential trade union leaders of the labour movement after ...
. The union managed to maintain its opposition to militarism, under the leadership of
Armando Borghi Armando may refer to:
* Armando (given name)
* Armando (artist) (1929–2018), the name used by Dutch artist Herman Dirk van Dodeweerd
* Armando (producer) (1970–1996), Chicago house producer
* ''Armando'' (album), studio album by rapper Pit ...
and
Alberto Meschi
Alberto Meschi (27 May 187911 December 1958) was an Italian anarchist, trade union organizer, writer, and anti-fascist fighter.
Meschi was born on 27 May 1879 in Borgo San Donnino (now Fidenza), Parma, Kingdom of Italy. He was involved in the wo ...
.
The Unione Anarchica Italiana and the ''biennio rosso''
In the Italian events known as the ''
biennio rosso
The Biennio Rosso (English: "Red Biennium" or "Two Red Years") was a two-year period, between 1919 and 1920, of intense social conflict in Italy, following the First World War.Brunella Dalla Casa, ''Composizione di classe, rivendicazioni e prof ...
'' the anarcho-syndicalist trade union
Unione Sindacale Italiana
Unione Sindacale Italiana (''USI''; ''Italian Syndicalist Union'' or ''Italian Workers' Union'') is an anarcho-syndicalist trade union. It is the Italian section of the International Workers' Association (IWA; ''Associazione Internazionale dei L ...
"grew to 800,000 members and the influence of the Italian Anarchist Union (20,000 members plus ''
Umanita Nova'', its daily paper) grew accordingly...Anarchists were the first to suggest occupying workplaces."
Individualist anarchism
Renzo Novatore
Abele Rizieri Ferrari (May 12, 1890 – November 29, 1922), better known by the pen name Renzo Novatore, was an Italian individualist anarchist, illegalist and anti-fascist poet, philosopher and militant, now mostly known for his posthumously p ...
was an important individualist anarchist who collaborated in numerous anarchist journals and participated in
futurism avant-garde currents. Novatore collaborated in the individualist anarchist journal ''Iconoclasta!'' alongside the young
stirnerist
illegalist Bruno Filippi[''The rebel's dark laughter: the writings of Bruno Filippi''](_blank)
/ref> Novatore belonged to the leftist section of the avant-garde
The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...
movement of Futurism alongside other individualist anarcho-futurists such as Dante Carnesecchi, Leda Rafanelli
Leda Bruna Rafanelli (1880–1971) was an Italian publisher, anarchist, and prolific author.
Early life
Leda Bruna Rafanelli was born on July 4, 1880, in Pistoia, Italy. After finishing elementary school, she became an apprentice at a local ...
, Auro d'Arcola, and Giovanni Governato.
Pietro Bruzzi published the journal ''L'Individualista'' in the 1920s alongside Ugo Fedeli and Francesco Ghezzi but who fell to fascist forces later. Pietro Bruzzi also collaborated with the Italian American individualist anarchist publication ''Eresia'' of New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
edited by Enrico Arrigoni
Enrico Arrigoni (pseudonym: Frank Brand) (February 20, 1894 Pozzuolo Martesana, Province of Milan – December 7, 1986 New York City) was an Italian American individualist anarchist, a lathe operator, house painter, bricklayer, dramatist and politi ...
.
The Fascist regime and afterwards
When the war ended, USI peaked in numbers (it was during this time that it joined the IWA, becoming known as the ''USI-AIT''). It became a major opponent of Benito Mussolini and the Fascist regime
Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...
, fighting street battles with the Blackshirts
The Voluntary Militia for National Security ( it, Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale, MVSN), commonly called the Blackshirts ( it, Camicie Nere, CCNN, singular: ) or (singular: ), was originally the paramilitary wing of the Nation ...
– culminating in the August 1922 riots of Parma
Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second mos ...
, when the USI-AIT faced Italo Balbo
Italo Balbo (6 June 1896 – 28 June 1940) was an Italian fascist politician and Blackshirts' leader who served as Italy's Marshal of the Air Force, Governor-General of Libya and Commander-in-Chief of Italian North Africa. Due to his young a ...
and his ''Arditi
Arditi (from the Italian verb ''ardire'', lit. "to dare", and translates as "The Daring nes) was the name adopted by a Royal Italian Army elite special force of World War I. They and the opposing German '' Stormtroopers'' were the first modern ...
''.
USI-AIT was outlawed by Mussolini in 1926, but resumed its activities in clandestinity and exile. It fought against Francisco Franco in the Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...
, alongside the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo
The Confederación Nacional del Trabajo ( en, National Confederation of Labor; CNT) is a Spanish confederation of anarcho-syndicalist
Anarcho-syndicalism is a political philosophy and anarchist school of thought that views revolutionar ...
and Federación Anarquista Ibérica
The Iberian Anarchist Federation ( es, Federación Anarquista Ibérica, FAI) is a Spanish organization of anarchist militants active within affinity groups in the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT) anarcho-syndicalist union. It is often ...
, and took part in the Spanish Revolution. After World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
and the proclamation of the Republic, former members of the union followed the guidelines of the Federazione Anarchica Italiana The Italian Anarchist Federation ( it, Federazione Anarchica Italiana) is an Italian anarchist federation of autonomous anarchist groups all over Italy. The Italian Anarchist Federation was founded in 1945 in Carrara. It adopted an "Associative Pac ...
that called for the creation of a unitary movement, and joined the Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro (CGIL).
The prominent Italian anarchist Camillo Berneri
Camillo Berneri (also known as Camillo da Lodi; May 28, 1897 – May 5, 1937) was an Italian professor of philosophy, anarchist militant, propagandist and theorist. He was married to Giovanna Berneri, and was father of Marie-Louise Berneri a ...
, who volunteered to fight against Franco was killed instead in Spain by gunmen associated with the Communist Party of Spain
The Communist Party of Spain ( es, Partido Comunista de España; PCE) is a Marxist-Leninist party that, since 1986, has been part of the United Left coalition, which is part of Unidas Podemos. It currently has two of its politicians serving a ...
.
Postwar years and today
In the immediate postwar years there existed failed attempts at a resurgence of anarchosyndicalism. The Italian Anarchist Federation was founded in 1945 in Carrara
Carrara ( , ; , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, in central Italy, of the province of Massa and Carrara, and notable for the white or blue-grey marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some west-northwest of Florence. Its mot ...
. It adopted an "Associative Pact" and the "Anarchist Program" of Errico Malatesta. It decided to publish the weekly ''Umanità Nova
''Umanità Nova'' is an Italian anarchist newspaper founded in 1920.
It was published daily until 1922 when it was shut down by the fascist regime. In some places, its circulation exceeded that of the socialist paper '' Avanti!'' Upon the fal ...
'' retaking the name of the journal published by Errico Malatesta.
Inside the FAI a tendency grouped as (GAAP – Anarchist Groups of Proletarian Action) led by Pier Carlo Masini was founded which "proposed a Libertarian Party with an anarchist theory and practice adapted to the new economic, political and social reality of post-war Italy, with an internationalist outlook and effective presence in the workplaces...The GAAP allied themselves with a similar development within the French Anarchist movement, the Federation Communiste Libertaire, whose leading light was Georges Fontenis."
Another tendency which didn't identify either with the more classical FAI or with the GAAP started to emerge as local groups. These groups emphasized direct action, informal affinity group
An affinity group is a group formed around a shared interest or common goal, to which individuals formally or informally belong. Affinity groups are generally precluded from being under the aegis of any governmental agency, and their purposes m ...
s and expropriation
Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to pri ...
for financing anarchist activity. From within these groups the influential insurrectionary anarchist Alfredo Maria Bonanno will emerge influenced by the practice of the Spanish exiled anarchist Josep Lluís i Facerias.
In the IX Congress of the Italian Anarchist Federation in Carrara
Carrara ( , ; , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, in central Italy, of the province of Massa and Carrara, and notable for the white or blue-grey marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some west-northwest of Florence. Its mot ...
, 1965 a group decided to split off from this organization and creates the ''Gruppi di Iniziativa Anarchica'' which was mostly composed of individualist anarchists who disagreed with important aspects of the "Associative Pact" and was critical of anarcho-syndicalism. The GIA published the bi-weekly ''L'Internazionale''. Another group split off from the Anarchist Federation and regrouped as ''Gruppi Anarchici Federati''. The GAF later starts publishing ''Interrogations'' and ''A Rivista Anarchica''.
In the late sixties a new generation of young people created various informal anarchist groups and projects outside of the original formal organizations of the Italian Anarchist Federation and the Unione Sindacale Italiana
Unione Sindacale Italiana (''USI''; ''Italian Syndicalist Union'' or ''Italian Workers' Union'') is an anarcho-syndicalist trade union. It is the Italian section of the International Workers' Association (IWA; ''Associazione Internazionale dei L ...
. On 12 December 1969, a bomb went off at the Piazza Fontana in Milan that killed 17 people and injured 88. Giuseppe Pinelli, an Italian railroad worker and anarchist, was picked up, along with other anarchists, for questioning regarding the attack. Just before midnight on 15 December 1969, Pinelli was seen to fall to his death from a fourth floor window of the Milan police station. Most commentators now agree the bomb was placed by neofascist activists as part of a plot inspired by sections of the secret services. Later, in the Years of Lead, the trend of anarchism was violently repressed, while it survived throughout and continued to exist.
In the early seventies a platformist tendency emerged within the Italian Anarchist Federation which argued for more strategic coherence and social insertion in the workers movement while rejecting the synthesist "Associative Pact" of Malatesta Malatesta may refer to:
People Given name
* Malatesta (I) da Verucchio (1212–1312), founder of the powerful Italian Malatesta family and a famous condottiero
* Malatesta IV Baglioni (1491–1531), Italian condottiero and lord of Perugia, Bettona, ...
which the FAI adhered to. These groups started organizing themselves outside the FAI in organizations such as O.R.A. from Liguria
it, Ligure
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which organized a Congress attended by 250 delegates of grupos from 60 locations. This movement was influential in the ''autonomia
Autonomism, also known as autonomist Marxism is an anti-capitalist left-wing political and social movement and theory. As a theoretical system, it first emerged in Italy in the 1960s from workerism (). Later, post-Marxist and anarchist tend ...
'' movements of the seventies. They published ''Fronte Libertario'' della lotta di classe in Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...
and ''Comunismo libertario'' from Modena.
Another group tended to emphasize anarcho-syndicalism and published ''Per l'Azione Diretta'' from Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
and ''Bolletino d'Informazione Anarcosindicalista''. The Federation of Anarchist Communists
The Alternativa Libertaria/FdCA is a Platformism, platformist anarchist political organisation in Italy. It was originally established in 1985 through the fusion of the Revolutionary Anarchist Organisation ( it, Organizzazione Rivoluzionaria Anarc ...
(Federazione dei Comunisti Anarchici), or FdCA, was established in 1985 in Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
from the fusion of the ''Organizzazione Rivoluzionaria Anarchica'' (''Revolutionary Anarchist Organisation'') and the ''Unione dei Comunisti Anarchici della Toscana'' ('' Tuscan Union of Anarchist Communists''). In 1986, the Congress of ORA/UCAT adopted the name Federation of Anarchist Communists
The Alternativa Libertaria/FdCA is a Platformism, platformist anarchist political organisation in Italy. It was originally established in 1985 through the fusion of the Revolutionary Anarchist Organisation ( it, Organizzazione Rivoluzionaria Anarc ...
.
The synthesist Italian Anarchist Federation and the platformist Federation of Anarchist Communists
The Alternativa Libertaria/FdCA is a Platformism, platformist anarchist political organisation in Italy. It was originally established in 1985 through the fusion of the Revolutionary Anarchist Organisation ( it, Organizzazione Rivoluzionaria Anarc ...
continue existing today but insurrectionary anarchism
Insurrectionary anarchism is a revolutionary theory and tendency within the anarchist movement that emphasizes insurrection as a revolutionary practice. It is critical of formal organizations such as labor unions and federations that are based ...
continues to be relevant as the recent establishment of the Informal Anarchist Federation
Informal Anarchist Federation (FAI) (in Italian: ''Federazione Anarchica Informale'') is an insurrectionary anarchist organization. It has been described by Italian intelligence sources as a "horizontal" structure of various anarchist groups, u ...
shows.
Timeline
* 1865 Foundation of the International Revolutionary Brotherhood.
* 1869 Foundation of the Italian section of the International Workingman's Association
The International Workingmen's Association (IWA), often called the First International (1864–1876), was an international organization, international organisation which aimed at uniting a variety of different Left-wing politics, left-wing So ...
.
* 1876 – The red-and-black flag was first used by the Italian section of the First International.
* 1891: Foundation of the Socialist Revolutionary Anarchist Party
Italian anarchism as a movement began primarily from the influence of Mikhail Bakunin, Giuseppe Fanelli, and Errico Malatesta. Rooted in collectivist anarchism, it expanded to include illegalist individualist anarchism, mutualism (economic theor ...
.
* 1900: The Anarchist Gaetano Bresci
Gaetano Bresci (; November 10, 1869May 22, 1901) was an Italian-American anarchist who assassinated King Umberto I of Italy on July 29, 1900. Bresci was the first European regicide not to be executed, as capital punishment in Italy had been a ...
assassinates King Umberto I of Italy
Umberto I ( it, Umberto Rainerio Carlo Emanuele Giovanni Maria Ferdinando Eugenio di Savoia; 14 March 1844 – 29 July 1900) was King of Italy from 9 January 1878 until his assassination on 29 July 1900.
Umberto's reign saw Italy attempt colo ...
.
* 1912: Foundation of the ''Unione Sindacale Italiana
Unione Sindacale Italiana (''USI''; ''Italian Syndicalist Union'' or ''Italian Workers' Union'') is an anarcho-syndicalist trade union. It is the Italian section of the International Workers' Association (IWA; ''Associazione Internazionale dei L ...
'' trade-union (joined the International Workers' Association International Workers' Association may refer to:
* International Workingmen's Association
The International Workingmen's Association (IWA), often called the First International (1864–1876), was an international organisation which aimed at ...
founded in 1922).
* 1918: Beginning of the Italian Factory Occupations known as biennio rosso.
* 1920: Publication of the newspaper ''Umanità Nova
''Umanità Nova'' is an Italian anarchist newspaper founded in 1920.
It was published daily until 1922 when it was shut down by the fascist regime. In some places, its circulation exceeded that of the socialist paper '' Avanti!'' Upon the fal ...
'' (New Humanity).
* 1920: Founding of the Unione Anarchica Italiana.
* 1936–1939: Sébastien Faure Century, contingent of the Durruti Column
The Durruti Column (Spanish: ''Columna Durruti''), with about 6,000 people, was the largest anarchist column (or military unit) formed during the Spanish Civil War. During the first months of the war, it became the most recognized and popular mi ...
in the Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...
.
* 1945: Establishment of the Italian Anarchist Federation.
* 1986: Foundation in Italy of the Federation of Anarchist Communists
The Alternativa Libertaria/FdCA is a Platformism, platformist anarchist political organisation in Italy. It was originally established in 1985 through the fusion of the Revolutionary Anarchist Organisation ( it, Organizzazione Rivoluzionaria Anarc ...
.
* 2003: Foundation of the Informal Anarchist Federation
Informal Anarchist Federation (FAI) (in Italian: ''Federazione Anarchica Informale'') is an insurrectionary anarchist organization. It has been described by Italian intelligence sources as a "horizontal" structure of various anarchist groups, u ...
.
See also
* Autonomism
Autonomism, also known as autonomist Marxism is an anti-capitalist left-wing political and social movement and theory. As a theoretical system, it first emerged in Italy in the 1960s from workerism (). Later, post-Marxist and anarchist tende ...
* ''Accidental Death of an Anarchist
''Accidental Death of an Anarchist'' ( it, Morte accidentale di un anarchico) is a play by Italian playwright Dario Fo that premiered in 1970. Considered a classic of 20th-century theater, it has been performed across the world in more than for ...
''
* European individualist anarchism#Italy
* Fasci Siciliani
* Federazione Anarchica Italiana The Italian Anarchist Federation ( it, Federazione Anarchica Italiana) is an Italian anarchist federation of autonomous anarchist groups all over Italy. The Italian Anarchist Federation was founded in 1945 in Carrara. It adopted an "Associative Pac ...
* Federation of Anarchist Communists
The Alternativa Libertaria/FdCA is a Platformism, platformist anarchist political organisation in Italy. It was originally established in 1985 through the fusion of the Revolutionary Anarchist Organisation ( it, Organizzazione Rivoluzionaria Anarc ...
* Socialism in Italy
Footnotes
Further reading
*
* Kenyon Zimmer, '' Immigrants Against the State: Yiddish and Italian Anarchism in America.'' Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2015.
*
External links
Anarchy in Italy
*
Italian anarchists outside Italy
at the Kate Sharpley Library
Anarchism in Italy
at the Kate Sharpley Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Italy, Anarchism in
Modern history of Italy
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...