Argo Secondari
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Argo Secondari (12 September 1895 – 17 March 1942) was an Italian
anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...
and militant
anti-fascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were op ...
and one of the founders of the anti-fascist group
Arditi del Popolo The ''Arditi del Popolo'' () was an Italian militant anti-fascist group founded at the end of June 1921 to resist the rise of Benito Mussolini's National Fascist Party and the violence of the Blackshirts (''squadristi'') paramilitaries.
.


Biography


Early life

Secondari was born to a large middle-class family. His father Giuseppe was among the first Italian homeopaths and
Giovanni Giolitti Giovanni Giolitti (; 27 October 1842 – 17 July 1928) was an Italian statesman. He was the prime minister of Italy five times between 1892 and 1921. He is the longest-serving democratically elected prime minister in Italian history, and the sec ...
's doctor. At a very young age, he embarked as a hub for a ship bound for South America. He returned to Italy to enlist as a soldier during the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. Starting as a simple soldier, he reached the rank of lieutenant in a
battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...
of the
Arditi Arditi (from the Italian verb ''ardire'', '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 s ...
and was decorated with three medals for military valor. After the war, he was one of the founders of the National Association of Arditi d'Italia (ANAI) and was part of the revolutionary fringe of the association. On 5 July 1919, he attempted, together with anarchists and republicans, to start a popular insurrection to overthrow the parliament. The plan failed due to one of the Arditi members informing the police forces, who arrested the participants. Secondari was arrested in an attempt to flee to Switzerland. He was released in March 1920 following an amnesty for crimes against state security.


Leader of the Arditi del Popolo

On 22 June 1921, Argo Secondari convened a general assembly of members and sympathizers, which saw heated debates between supporters of fascism and anti-fascists. It was also decided to form the Arditi del Popolo association, of which Secondari published the first poster in the press. At a subsequent meeting on 27 June 1921, the new Directory was elected, a triad of which Secondari was president together with Lieutenant Ferrari and Sergeant Major Pierdominici. During the assembly, it was decided to create a Battalion of the Arditi del Popolo, whose task was to defend the seats hit by
squadristi The Voluntary Militia for National Security (, MVSN), commonly called the Blackshirts (, CCNN, singular: ) or (singular: ), was originally the paramilitary wing of the National Fascist Party, known as the Squadrismo, and after 1923 an all-vo ...
violence. The Battalion was immediately supported by the Proletarian defense Formations, which came to be set up in response to the Fasci Italiani di Combattimento and was initially named ''Association of the Arditi del Popolo.'' On 27 June 1921, Secondari proclaimed:
"As long as the fascists continue to burn the houses of the people, sacred houses to the workers, as long as the fascists assassinate their fellow workers, as long as the fratricidal war continues, the Arditi of Italy will have nothing in common with them. A deep furrow of blood and smoking rubble divides Fascists and Arditi."
The public presentation of the Arditi del Popolo took place on 6 July 1921. On the occasion of the anti-fascist rally, organized by the Proletarian Defense Committee, at the Botanical Garden of Rome, Secondari, at the head of the Arditi, paraded through the crowd in ovation, in a march attended by about two thousand people. After the
March on Rome The March on Rome () was an organized mass demonstration 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, Fascist Party leaders planned a march ...
on 31 October 1922, Secondari was attacked by some fascists armed with clubs who, repeatedly hitting him on the head, caused him a concussion. Secondari never recovered from the attack, and he suffered so much so that he had to move to Camerino with his brother Biante.


Later life and death

On 20 June 1924, as described by a report from the Rome commissioner in 1931, he bears signs of mental imbalance for which he was hospitalized in the psychiatric hospital of
Camerino Camerino is a town in the province of Macerata, Marche, central-eastern Italy. It is located in the Apennines bordering Umbria, between the valleys of the rivers Potenza and Chienti, about from Ancona. Camerino is home to the University of Ca ...
. Later he was transferred to the asylum of
Montefiascone Montefiascone is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Viterbo, in Lazio, central Italy. It stands on a hill on the southeast side of Lake Bolsena, about north of Rome. History The name of the city derives from that of the Falisci (''Mons Fa ...
and was finally interned permanently in the asylum of
Rieti Rieti (; , Sabino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of 47,700. It is the administrative seat of the province of Rieti and see of the diocese of Rieti, as well as the modern capital of the Sabina region. T ...
. His brother Epaminonda, a cardiologist in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, tried in vain to have him be expatriated in order to be able to treat him, but the fascist regime always refused permission. Secondari remained in the asylum of Rieti for eighteen years until 17 March 1942, where he died at the age of forty-six. His funeral by order of the police, which feared the occurrence of unrest, took place in private. Secondari is buried in the monumental cemetery of
Rieti Rieti (; , Sabino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of 47,700. It is the administrative seat of the province of Rieti and see of the diocese of Rieti, as well as the modern capital of the Sabina region. T ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Secondari, Argo 1895 births 1942 deaths Italian anarchists Italian anti-fascists 20th-century Italian military personnel Deaths in mental institutions