ENGLISH The book reconstructs the history of the Associazione nazionalista italiana (Italian Nationalist Association - ANI) from its establishment (1910) to the merge with the Partito nazionale fascista (1923). The Association featured the Italian version of the imperialist-authoritarian nationalism, which, in the late XIX and early XX century, spread all over Europe. Within a few years, the ANI was able to develop from a pressure group to a real political party, the first «modern» party arisen in Italy in the conservative field. Thanks to the organization and to the funds at its disposal, nationalism had a significant political weight, greater than its numerical strength. The ANI was never the party of the bourgeoisie, as some leaders proposed, but it found followers in several categories: on the one side, the intelligentsia hostile to Giovanni Giolitti and the university students, which mainly supported the Association in its first years; on the other side, the landlords and, more relevantly, the large-scale industry, main reference category of nationalists. After the World War I, the ANI modified its structures and the tools for building consensus, also establishing a paramilitary militia, but its rigid ideology prevented it from becoming a mass party. In this, it was overcome by Fascism, with which nationalism had a relation of cooperative competition, trying to influence it choices. The 1923 merge enabled the nationalists to directly participate in the building of the regime, to which they contributed in a very significant way. In short, the story of Italian nationalism is an aspect of the crisis of the liberal State: since the Giolitti era, indeed, it contributed to create the political and cultural climate in which later Fascism arose; the ANI anticipated, at least in part, its policies and its tools for building consensus.
Il volume ricostruisce la storia dell’Associazione nazionalista italiana (ANI) dalla fondazione (1910) alla fusione con il Partito nazionale fascista (1923). L’Associazione rappresentò la versione italiana del nazionalismo imperialista-autoritario, che negli anni a cavallo tra ‘800 e ‘900 si affermò in tutta Europa. Nel giro di alcuni anni, l’ANI fu capace di trasformarsi da semplice gruppo di pressione, quale era in origine, a vero e proprio partito politico, il primo partito «moderno» sorto in Italia in ambito conservatore. Grazie all’organizzazione e ai finanziamenti di cui disponeva, il nazionalismo riuscì ad avere un considerevole peso politico, superiore alla sua consistenza numerica. L’ANI non fu il «partito della borghesia», come alcuni suoi dirigenti avrebbero voluto, ma trovò adepti in diverse categorie: da un lato, l’intellighenzia antigiolittiana e gli studenti universitari, che le fornirono appoggio soprattutto nei primi anni di esistenza; dall’altro, i proprietari terrieri e, in modo molto più rilevante, la grande industria, che fu la principale categoria di riferimento dei nazionalisti. Dopo la prima guerra mondiale, l’Associazione modificò la struttura e gli strumenti di creazione del consenso, dotandosi anche di una milizia paramilitare, ma la rigida ideologia le impedì di diventare un partito di massa. In questo fu superata dal fascismo, con il quale il nazionalismo ebbe un rapporto di cooperazione competitiva, cercando, spesso con successo, di influenzarne le scelte. La fusione del 1923 consentì ai nazionalisti di partecipare in prima persona alla costruzione del regime, alla quale contribuirono in maniera molto significativa. In sostanza, la vicenda del nazionalismo italiano è un aspetto della crisi dello Stato liberale: sin dagli anni dell’età giolittiana, infatti, esso contribuì a creare il clima politico e culturale sul quale si innestò il fascismo, del quale l’ANI anticipò, almeno in parte, le idee politiche e gli strumenti di creazione del consenso.
Storia dell'Associazione nazionalista italiana (1910-1923)
Erminio Fonzo
2017-01-01
Abstract
ENGLISH The book reconstructs the history of the Associazione nazionalista italiana (Italian Nationalist Association - ANI) from its establishment (1910) to the merge with the Partito nazionale fascista (1923). The Association featured the Italian version of the imperialist-authoritarian nationalism, which, in the late XIX and early XX century, spread all over Europe. Within a few years, the ANI was able to develop from a pressure group to a real political party, the first «modern» party arisen in Italy in the conservative field. Thanks to the organization and to the funds at its disposal, nationalism had a significant political weight, greater than its numerical strength. The ANI was never the party of the bourgeoisie, as some leaders proposed, but it found followers in several categories: on the one side, the intelligentsia hostile to Giovanni Giolitti and the university students, which mainly supported the Association in its first years; on the other side, the landlords and, more relevantly, the large-scale industry, main reference category of nationalists. After the World War I, the ANI modified its structures and the tools for building consensus, also establishing a paramilitary militia, but its rigid ideology prevented it from becoming a mass party. In this, it was overcome by Fascism, with which nationalism had a relation of cooperative competition, trying to influence it choices. The 1923 merge enabled the nationalists to directly participate in the building of the regime, to which they contributed in a very significant way. In short, the story of Italian nationalism is an aspect of the crisis of the liberal State: since the Giolitti era, indeed, it contributed to create the political and cultural climate in which later Fascism arose; the ANI anticipated, at least in part, its policies and its tools for building consensus.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
