Francesco Fausto Nitti (born 2 September 1899 in Pisa – died 28 May 1974, in Rome) was an Italian journalist and fighter against

fascism Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hie ...

. His father Vincenzo (1871–1957) was an evangelical preacher of the Italian Methodist Church, his mother was Paola Ciari (1870–1932).

Biography

When Francesco Fausto Nitti was seventeen, he fought in 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 ...

. In 1924, after the death of Giacomo Matteotti (a socialist deputy killed by the will of

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...

), Nitti became an active anti-fascist propagandist, and as a result, in December 1926 he was arrested and confined in

Lipari Lipari (; ) is a ''comune'' including six of seven islands of the Aeolian Islands (Lipari, Vulcano, Panarea, Stromboli, Filicudi and Alicudi) and it is located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the northern coast of Sicily, Southern Italy; it is ...

. Along with two other

political prisoner A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although ...

s, Carlo Rosselli and

Emilio Lussu Emilio Lussu (4 December 1890 – 5 March 1975) was a Sardinian people, Sardinian and Italian writer, anti-fascist intellectual, military officer, Italian resistance movement, partisan, and politician. He is also the author of the novel ''One Yea ...

, he managed to escape in July 1929 and take refuge in France, where they founded ''

Giustizia e Libertà Giustizia e Libertà (; ) was an Italian anti-fascist resistance movement, active from 1929 to 1945.James D. Wilkinson (1981). ''The Intellectual Resistance Movement in Europe''. Harvard University Press. p. 224. The movement was cofounded by ...

'', a

resistance movement A resistance movement is an organized group of people that tries to resist or try to overthrow a government or an occupying power, causing disruption and unrest in civil order and stability. Such a movement may seek to achieve its goals through ei ...

opposing fascism. Nitti went to Spain in March 1937 and served the Republican faction as a

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. After the defeat of his side, he came back to France where he was held in a

concentration camp A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...

, later being sent on the Nazi Ghost Train in order to be deported to Germany; Nitti (as well as one hundred of the seven hundred prisoners) fled when the train was near the frontier, after removing some planks from the floor of his carriage. He returned to France and joined the '' maquis'', helping the

French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...

. After rejoining his family at Tolosa, in 1946 he eventually returned to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Taking a variety of roles in anti-

fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...

associations, he was director of the ANPI publication ''Patria Indipendente'' and became a commune councilman in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. Nitti died in Rome on May 28, 1974.

Sources

* Francesco Fausto Nitti, Escape: The personal narrative of a political prisoner who was rescued from Lipari, the fascist "Devil's Island". Putnam(1930) ASIN: B0006AKUZY * Francesco Fausto Nitti, Nitti F. F., Le nostre prigioni e la nostra evasione, Edizioni Scientifiche Italiane, Napoli, 1946. * Francesco Fausto Nitti, Neofascismo allo specchio, ANPPIA, Roma,1968. * Francesco Fausto Nitti, Chevaux 8 – Hommes 70, Éditions Chantal, Toulouse, 1944. The escape from the train deporting him to Germany. * Francesco Fausto Nitti, Il maggiore è un rosso, Edizioni Avanti! Milano - Roma, 1953. The taking part in Spanish Civil War. * Pietro Ramella, Francesco Fausto Nitti - L'uomo che beffò Hitler e Mussolini, Aracne editrice, Roma, 2007. Biography of F.F. Nitti. 1899 births 1974 deaths People from Pisa Italian male journalists Italian exiles Italian anti-fascists Members of Giustizia e Libertà Italian military personnel of World War I 20th-century Italian journalists 20th-century Italian male writers {{Italy-journalist-stub