Giuseppe Bastianini
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Giuseppe Bastianini (8 March 1899 – 17 December 1961) was an Italian politician and diplomat. Initially associated with the hard-line elements of the
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 ...
movements he later became a member of the dissident tendency.


Early years

Bastianini was born in
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. At an early age he became a local fascist leader in
Umbria Umbria ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region of central Italy. It includes Lake Trasimeno and Cascata delle Marmore, Marmore Falls, and is crossed by the Tiber. It is the only landlocked region on the Italian Peninsula, Apennine Peninsula. The re ...
where he garnered a reputation as a member of the hard-line ''intransigenti'' wing of the movement. Following the seizure of power Bastianini was appointed head of the ''Fasci Italiani all'Estero'', a movement aimed at co-ordinating the activities of Italian fascists not currently living in Italy. He called on members to seek to diffuse proper
Italian fascist Italian fascism (), also called classical fascism and Fascism, is the original fascist ideology, which Giovanni Gentile and Benito Mussolini developed in Italy. The ideology of Italian fascism is associated with a series of political parties le ...
ideas wherever they were living. This group gained a considerable following amongst Italian expatriates in the mid-1920s. Indeed, in 1925 he submitted a report to the Fascist Grand Council claiming to have groups in 40 countries worldwide. Bastianini's activities brought him into conflict with Italian diplomats, who felt that his movement was overtly politicising their work. For his part Bastianini called for a complete reform of the diplomatic service, insisting that the only true Italians were also fascists and that therefore all diplomats should be convinced fascists. In the end
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 ...
pursued a middle ground by dismissing diplomats who had not declared for the
National Fascist Party The National Fascist Party (, PNF) was a political party in Italy, created by Benito Mussolini as the political expression of Italian fascism and as a reorganisation of the previous Italian Fasces of Combat. The party ruled the Kingdom of It ...
but also limiting the power of Bastianini's movement, which was taking on many of the functions of foreign affairs for itself, to ideological instruction, sport and charity work by restoring power to the Italian consuls. Bastianini resigned from his position as head of the ''Fasci Italiani all'Estero'' in late 1926.


Diplomat

Somewhat inevitably following his drive to replace established diplomats with fascists Bastianini entered the diplomatic service himself. In 1927 he became Consul General in the
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. From 10 August 1928 to 14 November 1929 he was Italian envoy to Lisbon. In 1932 he became Italian ambassador to Poland and as a consequence he was one of those who helped to convince Mussolini to delay entry into the
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, knowing that
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Poland was a country admired by many Italians. It was around this time that he also served as ambassador to the
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.


Dalmatia

In 1941 Bastianini was appointed Governor of Dalmatia. In this role Bastianini oversaw the deportation of a number of the region's Jews, including many refugees fleeing the German-occupied areas of
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, to concentration camps in Italy. Bastianini also established a policy of Italianisation, changing place names from Croatian to
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
, insisting that the press had to publish in Italian and bringing in a number of teachers from Italy to take lessons in Dalmatian schools.Tomasevich, p. 132 To those Croats who resented the changes he offered one piece of advice: emigrate. Bastianini would spend the latter part of his period as governor in conflict with elements of the Italian military, in particular Generals Quirino Armellini and
Mario Roatta Mario Roatta (2 February 1887 – 7 January 1968) was an Italian general. After serving in World War I he rose to command the Corpo Truppe Volontarie which assisted Francisco Franco's nationalist forces during the Spanish Civil War. He was the d ...
. Armellini had concentrated his troops in
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, a move Bastianini feared would breed fear and resentment amongst the inhabitants. Roatta declared that the civilian administration must have no saw in troop deployment although he and Bastianini eventually reached a compromise whereby local authorities would be consulted before large scale troop movements. Bastianini also managed to secure the removal of Armellini, with whom he did not get along. Bastianini was recalled in January 1943 after a government reshuffle in
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and was replaced as governor the following month by
Francesco Giunta Francesco Giunta (21 March 1887 – 8 June 1971) was an Italian Fascist politician. A leading figure in the early years of fascism, he helped to build the movement in several regions of the country and was particularly active in Trieste. Duri ...
.


Foreign Ministry

He was appointed undersecretary at the Foreign Ministry in February 1943, effectively replacing
Galeazzo Ciano Gian Galeazzo Ciano, 2nd Count of Cortellazzo and Buccari ( , ; 18 March 1903 – 11 January 1944), was an Italian diplomat and politician who served as Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Minister in the government of his father-in-law ...
.Morgan, p. 24 Mussolini himself was the official
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although his ill health and plethora of other roles meant that Bastianini effectively acted as minister. In his role he suggested two possible approaches that he felt could help to frustrate the
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, although neither seemed likely to occur. On the one hand he felt that Mussolini could get
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
to negotiate a settlement with the
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and that
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forces could then be redeployed in Italy, a tactic that he felt would force the western Allies to accept a compromise peace settlement. His other idea was for Mussolini to convince Hitler to allow Italy to leave the war altogether and declare neutrality. Both suggestions however had no hope of success as Hitler would never be convinced and Mussolini had no desire to attempt to convince him. Bastianini sold the notion of Mussolini as the man who could end the war to the governments of
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,
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and
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as these minor
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were also desperate for an exit as they were facing destruction at the hands of the advancing
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. Mussolini's refusal to even attempt to reason with Hitler at the meeting held in Feltre with the German dictator on 19 July 1943 saw him challenged by Bastianini, Dino Alfieri and General
Vittorio Ambrosio Vittorio Ambrosio (28 July 1879 – 19 November 1958) was an Italian general who served in the Italo-Turkish War, World War I, and World War II. During the last phase of World War II Ambrosio supported the fall of Benito Mussolini and Italy ...
for his failure to try to get Italy out of the war. The incident damaged Mussolini's credibility and provided impetus to
Dino Grandi Dino Grandi, 1st Conte di Mordano (4 June 1895 – 21 May 1988), was an Italian Fascist politician, minister of justice, minister of foreign affairs and president of Parliament. Early life Born at Mordano, province of Bologna, Grandi was ...
, who soon launched an attempt to oust Mussolini. Bastianini was present at the Fascist Grand Council meeting held on July 25, 1943 at which the mood was decidedly anti-Mussolini as Grandi made his play. Although he was not overly enthusiastic about the plot Bastianini stated that Mussolini had ruined Italy through his inaction and so gave Grandi his support. Nonetheless he refused to follow the likes of Giuseppe Bottai in being openly condemnatory of ''Il Duce'', preferring to continue to promote his aim of seeing Italy negotiating a separate peace as quickly as possible.Hibbert, p. 204 Bastianini died in
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, aged 62.


Notes


References

* * * *Hibbert, Christopher ''Benito Mussolini: The Rise and Fall of Il Duce'', Penguin Books, 1965 * * *


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bastianini, Giuseppe 1899 births 1961 deaths People from Perugia Italian fascists Italian mass murderers Italian military personnel of World War I Italian military personnel of World War II Italian war criminals Ambassadors of Italy to Portugal Ambassadors of Italy to Poland Ambassadors of Italy to the United Kingdom History of Dalmatia Ministers of foreign affairs of Italy People sentenced to death in absentia at the Verona trial