Marquis Dino Perrone Compagni (born 22 October 1879 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 ...

– died 5 January 1950 in Florence) was a leading figure in the early years of Italian fascism.

Life

Perrone Compagni joined the

Italian Army "The safeguard of the republic shall be the supreme law" , colors = , colors_labels = , march = ''Parata d'Eroi'' ("Heroes's parade") by Francesco Pellegrino, ''4 Maggio'' (May 4) ...

at an early age and was a career soldier. However after reaching the rank of lieutenant he was demoted to private during 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 ...

for incompetence.

Philip Rees Philip Rees (born 1941) is a British writer and librarian formerly in charge of acquisitions at the J. B. Morrell Library, University of York. He has written books on fascism and the extreme right. Works *''Fascism in Britain'' (Harvester Pres ...

, ''

Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890 The ''Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890'' is a reference book by Philip Rees, on leading people in the various far right movements since 1890. It contains entries for what the author regards as "the 500 major figures on the r ...

'', 1990, p. 294 His first political activity was in the ''Association Italia e Vittorio Emanuele'', a minor

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

group before in November 1920 he switched to the fascists, becoming political secretary in Florence. Given his noble background Perrone Compagni came to represent the

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 ...

wing of fascism that looked out for the interests of landowners and magnates in opposition to the more

proletarian The proletariat (; ) is the social class of wage-earners, those members of a society whose only possession of significant economic value is their labour power (their capacity to work). A member of such a class is a proletarian. Marxist philoso ...

wing that followed the rough and ready leadership of the likes of Tullio Tamburini. Perrone Compagni became an important figure as

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 ...

stood on the brink of takeover by Benito Mussolini when he was appointed one of the four commandants-general of the fascist squads. His importance was emphasised 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, ...

when he commanded the Tuscan contingent of the fascist squadrons. Under Mussolini's government Perrone Compagni enjoyed wide power, particularly in Tuscany where he was effective head of the fascist machine. Such was his power in the region that he was given the nickname of 'Grand Duke' in Tuscany.Frank Snowden, ''The Fascist Revolution in Tuscany, 1919-22'', 2004, p. 160 His high profile made him a target for anti-fascists however and he was wounded in an ambush in

Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and pa ...

not long after the takeover. He would go on to serve as prefetto of Reggio Emilia from December 1926 to January 1930 before being appointed a Minister of State in 1932. In April 1934 he was appointed to the Italian Senate and in 1938 he secured the expulsion of his rival Carlo Scorza from that body. This was to be his last action of note as he disappeared into obscurity during the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

and took no role in post-war politics.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perrone Compagni, Dino 1879 births 1950 deaths Italian fascists Italian military personnel of World War I Margraves of Italy Nobility from Florence Politicians from Florence