Giuseppe Umberto "Pino" Rauti (19 November 1926 – 2 November 2012) was an Italian
fascist
Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...
and politician who was a leading figure on the
radical right for many years, although Rauti was describing himself as a "
leftist
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 ...
" and "non-
fascist
Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...
." Involved in active politics since 1948, he was one of founders and, for many years, the leader of the
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). He was the main representative of the MSI's left-wing.
Early years
Rauti was born in
Cardinale
Cardinale is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Claudia Cardinale, Tunisian-born Italian actress
* Gerald Cardinale, American politician
* Igino Eugenio Cardinale, Italian Roman Catholic archbishop and diplomat
* Lindsey Cardin ...
,
Calabria
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, demographics1_title2 ...
. As a youth Rauti volunteered for the
Guardia Nazionale Repubblicana
The Italian National Republican Guard (''Guardia Nazionale Repubblicana'', or GNR) was a gendarmerie force of the Italian Social Republic created by decree on December 8, 1943, replacing the Carabinieri and the National Security Volunteer Milit ...
of the
Italian Social Republic
The Italian Social Republic ( it, Repubblica Sociale Italiana, ; RSI), known as the National Republican State of Italy ( it, Stato Nazionale Repubblicano d'Italia, SNRI) prior to December 1943 but more popularly known as the Republic of Salò ...
before briefly going into exile with the
Spanish Foreign Legion
For centuries, Spain recruited foreign soldiers to its army, forming the Foreign Regiments () - such as the Regiment of Hibernia (formed in 1709 from Irishmen who fled their own country in the wake of the Flight of the Earls and the penal ...
. Rauti returned to Italy in 1946 and joined the
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) two years later. He became a leading member of the party and also joined the
New European Order
The New European Order (NEO) was a neo-fascist, Europe-wide alliance set up in 1951 to promote pan-European nationalism. The NEO, led by René Binet and Gaston-Armand Amaudruz, was a more radical splinter group that broke away from the European S ...
initiative. He became associated with
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 defiantly ...
and, along with Enzo Erra, served as editor of his journal ''Imperium''. Such was Rauti's support for Evola's philosophy that his own theoretical writings demonstrated so much of his mentor's influences as to be at times plagiarism.
In 1954 he established his own group within the MSI based around the ''Imperium'' group, the
Ordine Nuovo. However Rauti became disillusioned with the MSI, particularly after the party supported the presidency bid of
Giovanni Gronchi
Giovanni Gronchi, (; 10 September 1887 – 17 October 1978) was an Italian politician from Christian Democracy who served as the president of Italy from 1955 to 1962 and was marked by a controversial and failed attempt to bring about an "openi ...
and the premiership of
Giuseppe Pella
Giuseppe Pella (18 April 1902 – 31 May 1981) was an Italian Christian Democratic politician who served as the 31st prime minister of Italy from 1953 to 1954. He was also Minister of Treasury, Budget and of Foreign Affairs during the 1950s and ...
, and so his group split off at the 1956 party conference, with Rauti launching a tirade of abuse at the MSI leadership as he left.
Terrorism allegations
Alongside his political career Rauti was also the subject of a series of allegations linking him to the terror campaigns associated with the '
strategy of tension
A strategy of tension ( it, strategia della tensione) is a policy wherein violent struggle is encouraged rather than suppressed. The purpose is to create a general feeling of insecurity in the population and make people seek security in a strong go ...
'. A noted
anti-communist
Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, w ...
, Rauti sought to use a twin-track approach against the
communists
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 so ...
, with both strands calling for violent action. He supported the old tactic of direct street fights with far left militia groups but also endorsed a process of infiltrating these groups and thus provoking them to more action and more direct confrontation with law enforcement. Rauti hoped that his policy would create an atmosphere of civil unrest that he hoped would be more conducive to a
neo-fascist
Neo-fascism is a post-World War II far-right ideology that includes significant elements of fascism. Neo-fascism usually includes ultranationalism, racial supremacy, populism, authoritarianism, nativism, xenophobia, and anti-immigration sent ...
takeover.
Rauti's name cropped up in the inquiry into the
Piazza Fontana bombing
The Piazza Fontana bombing ( it, Strage di Piazza Fontana) was a terrorist attack that occurred on 12 December 1969 when a bomb exploded at the headquarters of Banca Nazionale dell'Agricoltura (the National Agricultural Bank) in Piazza Fontana ...
whilst he had also been named as having attended high-level terrorism planning meetings in
Padua
Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...
in 1969. The
Treviso
Treviso ( , ; vec, Trevixo) is a city and ''comune'' in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 84,669 inhabitants (as of September 2017). Some 3,000 live within the Veneti ...
magistrates brought Rauti to trial in 1972 over possible involvement in the Piazza Fontana attack but ultimately he was acquitted due to a lack of evidence. Rauti was aided in this by being able to provide an alibi for the Padua meeting.
Rauti was known to be close to Mario Merlino and by extension was linked to Merlino's close comrade
Stefano Delle Chiaie
Stefano Delle Chiaie (13 September 1936, Caserta – 10 September 2019, Rome) was an Italian neo-fascist terrorist. He was the founder of ''Avanguardia Nazionale'', a member of '' Ordine Nuovo'', and founder of Lega nazionalpopolare. He went on ...
. He also collaborated with former ''Ordine Nuovo'' member
Franco Freda
Franco "Giorgio" Freda (born 11 February 1941) is one of the leading neo-Nazi and neo-Fascist intellectuals of the post-war Italian far-right. He founded a publishing house for neo-Nazi thought, and described himself as an admirer of Hitler. He ...
, producing a series of pamphlets with him in the 1960s. Some documents have also claimed that Rauti was either a 'contact' or a paid informer for the head of the ''
Servizio Informazioni Difesa
Servizio per le Informazioni e la Sicurezza Militare (abbreviated SISMI, ''Military Intelligence and Security Service'') was the military intelligence agency of Italy from 1977–2007.
With the reform of the Italian Intelligence Services app ...
'', which was itself linked to the strategy of tension. It has also been suggested that he was responsible for setting up the ''
Nuclei Armati Rivoluzionari
The Nuclei Armati Rivoluzionari ( en, Armed Revolutionary Nuclei), abbreviated NAR, was an Italian terrorist neo-fascist militant organization active during the Years of Lead from 1977 to November 1981. It committed 33 murders in four years, an ...
'' along with
Guido Giannettini. However, there was never any concrete evidence to link Rauti to terrorism and he was never convicted of any offences.
Return to the MSI
![Giorgio Almirante, Pino Rauti 1969](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Giorgio_Almirante%2C_Pino_Rauti_1969.gif)
Rauti returned to the MSI in 1969 and was given a seat on the Central Committee by
Giorgio Almirante
Giorgio Almirante (27 June 1914 – 22 May 1988) was an Italian politician, the founder and leader of neo-fascist Italian Social Movement until his retirement in 1987.
Early life
Almirante was born at Salsomaggiore Terme, in Emilia Romagna, ...
. Rauti's move was condemned by Clemente Graziani, who continued to lead a rump ''Ordine Nuovo'' outside the MSI although the two men actually remained close associates. Meanwhile, Rauti was elected to the
Italian Chamber of Deputies
The Chamber of Deputies ( it, Camera dei deputati) is the lower house of the bicameral Italian Parliament (the other being the Senate of the Republic). The two houses together form a perfect bicameral system, meaning they perform identical funct ...
in 1972.
[Eatwell, ''Fascism'', p. 263]
Rauti's position within the MSI was strengthened in 1977 when the main moderate faction broke away to form a new party,
National Democracy National Democracy may refer to:
* National Democracy (Czech Republic)
* National Democracy (Italy)
* National Democracy (Philippines)
* National Democracy (Poland)
* National Democracy (Spain)
See also
* Civic nationalism, a general concept
* Na ...
. This opened space for a new Evola-based movement to gain power within the party under Rauti and he placed his emphasis on youth by organising Camp Hobbit, a series of events for young party members that were noted for having a much more casual and fun-oriented vibe than previous party youth initiatives. The event was such a success that afterwards the MSI youth movement, the ''Fronte della Gioventù'', threw their lot in with Rauti's faction. Meanwhile, his influence continued to grow when he became a leading figure in the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
during the 1980s.
In 1987 Rauti, by then deputy-secretary of the MSI, was one of two candidates seeking to succeed
Giorgio Almirante
Giorgio Almirante (27 June 1914 – 22 May 1988) was an Italian politician, the founder and leader of neo-fascist Italian Social Movement until his retirement in 1987.
Early life
Almirante was born at Salsomaggiore Terme, in Emilia Romagna, ...
as leader of the MSI, the other being
Gianfranco Fini
Gianfranco Fini (born 3 January 1952) is an Italian politician who served as the president of the Italian Chamber of Deputies from 2008 to 2013. He is the former leader of the far-right Italian Social Movement, the conservative National Allianc ...
. Continuing to present a policy platform based on the ideas of Evola, Rauti also demonstrated elements of
Nouvelle Droite
The Nouvelle Droite (; en, "New Right"), sometimes shortened to the initialism ND, is a far-right political movement which emerged in France during the late 1960s. The Nouvelle Droite is at the origin of the wider European New Right (ENR). Vario ...
thinking, having been converted to
ethnopluralism
Ethnopluralism or ethno-pluralism, also known as ethno-differentialism, is a political concept which relies on preserving and mutually respecting separate and bordered ethno-cultural regions. Among the key components are the "right to difference" ( ...
and support for
nationalism
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a in-group and out-group, group of peo ...
in the developing world.
Fini however, presenting a more moderate platform, secured the leadership by taking 727 votes to Rauti's 608.
[Eatwell, ''Fascism'', p. 264]
Leadership of MSI
Despite his defeat Rauti's position within the party was soon strengthened. Fini looked to the success of
Jean-Marie Le Pen
Jean Louis Marie Le Pen (, born 20 June 1928) is a French far-right politician who served as President of the National Front from 1972 to 2011. He also served as Honorary President of the National Front from 2011 to 2015.
Le Pen graduated fro ...
and the
Front National
The National Rally (french: Rassemblement National, ; RN), until 2018 known as the National Front (french: link=no, Front National, ; FN), is a far-rightAbridged list of reliable sources that refer to National Rally as far-right:
Academic:
...
in France and, seeking to utilise the template they had established, sought to make opposition to
immigration
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
the central policy of the MSI.
The move provoked alarm as it seemed that Fini was seeking to abandon fascism altogether and instead turn the MSI to
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 ...
. This radical departure, combined with some poor electoral showings, led to Rauti replacing Fini as leader in 1990.
As leader Rauti sought to underline the party's fascism as being a radical revolutionary creed that, he argued, should not be considered
right-wing
Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authorit ...
. He also underlined his opposition to the United States and Western values as well as his support for ethnopluralism. However the 3.9% of the vote captured at the 1990 regional elections represented the worst return in MSI history and a further slump in support in local elections in
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
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saw him removed from the leadership in July 1991 and replaced by Fini.
Fiamma Tricolore
Rauti remained a hard-line critic of Fini's leadership until 1995 when Fini declared the dissolution of the MSI and the foundation, in its place, of the
Alleanza Nazionale
National Alliance ( it, Alleanza Nazionale, AN) was a conservative political party in Italy.Luciano Bardi - Piero Ignazi - Oreste Massari, ''I partiti italiani'', Egea 2007, pp. 151, 173n. It was the successor of the Italian Social Movement (MSI) ...
. Seeing this a break from the
fascist
Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...
heritage which he felt was central to the MSI, Rauti led a group of militants to break away and form the
Fiamma Tricolore
The Social Movement Tricolour Flame ( it, Movimento Sociale Fiamma Tricolore, MSFT), commonly known as Tricolour Flame (''Fiamma Tricolore''), is a neo-fascist political party in Italy.
History
The party was started by the more radical members of ...
, which he saw as continuing the path of fascism. Although commentators had expected the party to be a fringe movement it polled surprisingly well in the
1996 election and even managed to capture a seat in the European Parliament in the
1999 election.
Retirement and comeback
Rauti stood down as leader in 2002 in favour of
Luca Romagnoli
Luca Romagnoli (born 12 September 1961 in Rome) is an Italian politician and former Member of the European Parliament for Southern Italy with the neo-fascist party Tricolour Flame, being a Non-Inscrit (for a short time, ITS group member) in the ...
, who immediately adopted a policy of seeking to work with
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; born 29 September 1936) is an Italian media tycoon and politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy in four governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies ...
's
House of Freedoms
The House of Freedoms ( it, Casa delle Libertà, CdL) was a major centre-right political and electoral alliance in Italy, led by Silvio Berlusconi.
History
The CdL was the successor of the Pole of Freedoms/Pole of Good Government and the Pole fo ...
coalition. Rauti became a strong critic of the direction taken by Romagnoli leading to him being expelled from the party he had founded in early 2004.
He then established his own party, the
Social Idea Movement
Social Idea Movement (''Movimento Idea Sociale'', MIS) is an Italian neo-fascist political party.
It was founded in 2004 by a split of the Tricolour Flame party. Its leader was, until his death Pino Rauti, former leader of the Italian Social Mov ...
.
Rauti died in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
, aged 85.
Personal life
Besides his career in politics Rauti was also a noted journalist, joining the staff of the
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
-based daily ''
Il Tempo
''Il Tempo'' (meaning ''Time'' in English) is a daily Italian newspaper published in Rome, Italy.
History and profile
''Il Tempo'' was founded in Rome by Renato Angiolillo in 1944. At the initial phase the newspaper was a conservative publicat ...
'' in 1953. He would also act as one of the Italian correspondents for the
Aginter Press Aginter Press, also known under the name Central Order and Tradition ( pt, Ordem Central e Tradição), was an international anti-communist mercenary organization disguised as a pseudo-press agency and active between 1966 and 1974. Founded in Lisb ...
.
His daughter
Isabella
Isabella may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Isabella (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Isabella (surname), including a list of people
Places
United States
* Isabella, Alabama, an unincorpor ...
,
senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
from
Mantua
Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard language, Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, province of the same name.
In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture ...
, married
Gianni Alemanno
Giovanni "Gianni" Alemanno (born 3 March 1958) is an Italian politician who from April 2008 until June 2013 was Mayor of Rome for the centre-right People of Freedom.
He was the Secretary of the National Movement for Sovereignty from 2017 to 201 ...
in 1992; Alemanno was
Mayor of Rome
The mayor of Rome ( it, sindaco di Roma) is an elected politician who, along with the City Council of Rome, Rome City Council ( it, Assemblea Capitolina) of 48 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Rome. As Rome is a ''Comune, ...
for one term from 2008 to 2013; he was not re-elected into office.
Gianni Alemanno Former Mayor of Rome
the couple separated in 1996, got back together in 200
Electoral history
Source
Ministry of the Interior
Published works
* ''Storia d'Italia nei discorsi di Mussolini, 1915-1945'', (with Giuseppe Carlucci), 1966
* ''L'immane conflitto: Mussolini, Roosevelt, Stalin, Churchill, Hitler'', 1967
* ''Le mani rosse sulle forze armate'', (with Guido Giannettini), 1975
* ''Le idee che mossero il mondo'', ed. Europa, 1980
* ''Benito Mussolini'', ed. Europa, 1989
* ''Storia del fascismo'' (with Rutilio Sermonti), in 6 volumi:
** 1 - Le interpretazioni e le origini, 2003, ed. Controcorrente
** 2 - Dannunzianesimo, biennio rosso, marcia su Roma, 2004, ed. Controcorrente
** 3 - La conquista del potere, 2009 ed. Controcorrente
** 4 - Verso il governo, 1978, Centro editoriale nazionale
** 5 - L'espansione e l'Asse, 1979, Centro editoriale nazionale
** 6 - Nel grande conflitto, 1979, Centro editoriale nazionale
* ''Fascismo e Mezzogiorno'', (with Rutilio Sermonti), ed. Europa, 1990
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rauti, Pino
1926 births
2012 deaths
People from the Province of Catanzaro
Italian neo-fascists
Italian anti-communists
Italian journalists
Italian male journalists
Italian Social Movement politicians
Tricolour Flame politicians
People of the Italian Social Republic
Spanish military personnel
MEPs for Italy 1979–1984
MEPs for Italy 1984–1989
Historians of fascism