Giacomo Matteotti (22 May 1885, Fratta Polesine, Province of Rovigo—10 June 1924, near Rome) was an Italian socialist politician. May 22 is the 142nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (143rd in leap years). ... 1885 (MDCCCLXXXV) is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Rovigo (It. ... June 10 is the 161st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (162nd in leap years), with 204 days remaining. ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus – SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC mythical, 1st millennium BC Region Latium Area  - City Proper  1285 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 2,553,873 almost 4,300,000 1. ... Socialism is a social and economic system (or the political philosophy advocating such a system) in which the economic means of production are owned and controlled collectively by the people. ...

Political career

A graduate in Law from the University of Bologna and from early on an activist in the socialist movement and the Italian Socialist Party, he opposed Italy's entry into World War I (for this reason, he was interned in Sicily during the conflict). As a follower of Filippo Turati, Matteotti became the leader of the United Socialist Party in the Italian Chamber of Deputies. He spoke out against Fascism and Benito Mussolini, and for a time was leader of what little opposition the National Fascist Party (PNF) had. The University of Bologna (Università di Bologna, UNIBO) is the university of Bologna, the second biggest university in Italy. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Combatants Allies: Serbia, Russia, France, Romania, Belgium, British Empire, United States, Italy, and others Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire Casualties Military dead:5 million Civilian dead:3 million Total dead:8 million Military dead:4 million Civilian dead:3 million Total dead:7 million The First World... The word internment is generally used to refer to the imprisonment or confinement of people, generally in prison camps or prisons, without due process of law and a trial. ... Sicilian redirects here; for other uses, see Sicilian (disambiguation). ... Filippo Turati (1857- ) was an Italian Socialist leader, born at Canzo (Como). ... The United Socialist Party (Italian: Partito Socialista Unitario, PSU) is the name of three successive socialist (Social democratic) political parties in Italy. ... The Italian Chamber of Deputies (Italian: Camera dei Deputati) is the lower house of the Parliament of Italy. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (July 29, 1883 – April 28, 1945) led Italy from 1922 to 1943. ... The National Fascist Party (Partito Nazionale Fascista; PNF) was an Italian party, created by Benito Mussolini as the political expression of Fascism (previously represented by groups known as Fasci). ...

Murder

He was mysteriously murdered in June of 1924, after the publication of his book The Fascisti Exposed: A Year of Fascist Domination and two fierce and lengthy speeches in the Chamber of Deputies denouncing Fascism and its vulgar and violent tactics. Five men (Amerigo Dumini - a prominent member of the Fascist Ceka, Giuseppe Viola, Albino Volpi, Augusto Malacria and Amleto Poveromo) were arrested for the crime, only three were convicted but released two months later under amnesty by King Victor Emmanuel III; the sixth Fascist thug, Filippo Panzeri, was allowed to escape before the arrests of his accomplices. It is very likely that Mussolini was responsible for the incident in one way or another; indeed, speaking to the Parliament on January 3, 1925, Mussolini declared that he alone took all "political, moral and historical responsibility for all that has happened" (Speech to the Chamber: January 3, 1925). Amerigo Dumini (1894, Saint Louis, Missouri—1967, probably in Bologna) was an Italian fascist activist and assassin. ... The House of Savoy was a dynasty of nobles who traditionally had their domain in Savoy, a region between Piedmont, Italy, France and French-speaking Switzerland. ... Victor Emmanuel III of Italy , Vittorio Emanuele III in Italian (11 November 1869 – 28 December 1947), was the King of Italy (29 July 1900 – 9 May 1946), Emperor of Ethiopia (1936 - 1943) and King of Albania (1939 - 1943). ... 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Consequences of the murder

It is thought by eminent historians of the time including Pollard and Mack Smith that Mussolini probably had knowledge of the plot but did not order it. Matteotti was bundled into a car and stabbed repeatedly as he struggled to escape. His body was found 20 miles from Rome after an extensive search precipitated by Matteotti's wife's plea to Mussolini himself. Whoever the killer was, he was seen as a hero by many of the zealous fascists in Italy.

The death of Matteotti sparked widespread Fascist criticism: a general strike was threatened in retaliation and for a while it seemed that domestic and international pressure would force Victor Emmanuel into action, but as the King was supported so strongly by Mussolini and was worried he would otherwise be replaced by his cousin, he did nothing. Thus, Mussolini was soon able to use his influence over the media to regain the people's confidence. Most anti-Fascist parties left the Italian Parliament in protest - an event which came to be known as the Aventine secession; albeit in a less obvious manner than the previous Acerbo Law, this event arguably served to consolidate the grip of the PNF on Italian society. A general strike is a strike action by an entire labour force in a city, region or country. ... Anti-fascism is the opposition to facist ideology, organization, or government, on all levels. ... The Parliament of Italy (Italian: Parlamento Italiano) is the national parliament of Italy. ... The Aventine Secession is the common reference to an Italian movement reuniting parties in opposition to Fascism and Benito Mussolinis regime. ... The Acerbo Law was a 1923 electoral law, ostensibly proposed by Baron Giacomo Acerbo, forced through the Italian Parliament - if a party gained 25 percent of the votes, they gained 2/3 of the seats. ...

Works

• 1924 The Fascisti Exposed: A Year of Fascist Domination, ISBN 0433761513