* Italian Fascist youth: race








Italian Fascist Youth: Race


Figure 1.--Here we see a Bailla unit in Libya, at the time an Italian colony. We see both Arab and black boys togetgher here under what seem equal conditions. We think Italian boys are also present, but we are not entirely sure. Notice the rifles. This means that they were full Balilla members. This is an image you would never see with the Hitler Youth, Germans boys associating with blacks. Interestingly, it appeared in a book punlished in Germany: 'GIL, Jugend in Italien: ein Bilderwerk über Aufgaben, Aufbau und Arbeit der italienischen Staatsjugend' and edited by Heinz Wilke.

One of the elements commonly associated with Fascism is a concern with race. This of course took its most toxic form with the NAZIs who pursued the biological concept of race with unparaleled ferocity. This is not, however, how Fascism began in Italy. At first Jews were members of the Fascist Party and we believe that Jewish children could join the Balilla. This needs to be confirmed. And in Italy's African colonies, we see Balilla groups with blacks and Arabs as full members, carrying rifles along side the Italian boys. Thhe attitudes toward race, at least Jews, began to change with the rise of Hitler and the NAZIs in Germany, especially as Mussolini and Hitler began to move closer together politically (1935), eventually forging the lRome-Berlin Axis. The turning point on Jewish policies was under pressure from Hitler, the issuance of Anti-Semetic Race Laws (1938). The trend toward anti-Semtism and racial concerns was a naturl evolution, albeit speed up by increasing NAZI influence. The core of Fascism was xenephonic natiionalism. And as European states were commonly built around a core ethnic group, it is only natural that race would take on increasing importance. This inevitably put minority groups at risk, especially the Jews for which strong ahnti-Semetic attitudes existed even begfore the rise of Fascism. What is interesting about Italy is that the Jews were a very small minority group--only about 40,000 people. While small in numbers, it was of some cultural importnce. As aresult of Italian colonial policy befiore Mussolini abnd then the invasion of Ethiopia (1935), Italy in its colonies had a very substantial population of Africans, including some Arabs, but mostly blacks. And as far as we can determine, the Italian Government never adopted a racial law dealing with these people.

Fascist Principle

One of the elements commonly associated with Fascism is a concern with race. This of course took its most toxic form with the NAZIs who pursued the biological concept of race with unparaleled ferocity. As might be expected with race, the NAZIs focused on observable featyres like skin color, eye color, mose shape, and hair color as well as imaged characteristics invented by NAZI race charlatans. ThevNAZIs were really talking about Nirdic characteristucs, but only northern German tribes were Scandanavians. Germany itself at the time the NAZUs seized power was much more diverse than the NAZIs dared admit (1933). And many of other European countries when Fascism took a hold were even more diverse.

Italian Cutural Race Concept

We habe found very little information on Italian racism. Mussolini used the term Italian tace very commonly. But for years, unlike Hitler and the NAZIs, he never really defined it clearly. And his vuews changed over time. He sometimes thought og it in bioligical/ethnic terms. He at times he spoke of alarm about the possible extinction of 'white people' meanibg Eurooeans. In other speeches he denied the biological theory of race. But he comminly used the term refering ro the 'Italian Race' in countless speeces. Hitler in contrast spole of the German Volk, but not the German Race. As best we can tell he was not usung it as a bioligucak/ethnic concept like the NAZIs. Rather for Mussolini it seems to have been a cultural concept. [McLean] This made a lot of sence because it could united people of diverse ethnic backgrounds. The ancestors of Italians are mostly pre-Indo-Europeans (Etruscans, Rhaetians, etc.) and Indo-Europeans (mostly Italic peoples, but also Greeks and Celts).The Germamic invasions accompamying the collapse of the Roman Empire do not seem to have significantly impacted the Italian ethnic make up. The cultural definition mant that Jews could join the Fascist Party and Balilla. And as we see here Arabs and Africans in the Balilla (figure 1). An Italian reader tells us, "The Fascist regime established colonial corps of Balilla in Libya, Somalia, and Eritrea. I know they were different corps although in the same organization of Italian Balillas. Probably that was made to have an organization to control the youth, and maitain the separation of races, according the law about races segregation issued in 1938." That is something you would never have seen in the Hitler Youth. The Hitler Youth leaders were not even interested in allowing itger Eurooeans to participate. Africans were only slightly above Jews in the NAZI racial hyerarchy. This is concept that Hitler found repungent. We see this fairly commonly in Italy's African colonies. They were full members, carrying rifles along side the Italian boys. There were not yet many Africans in Italy itself.

NAZI Influenced Race Concept

The attitudes toward race, at least Jews, began to change with the rise of Hitler and the NAZIs in Germany, especially as Mussolini and Hitler began to move closer together politically (1935), eventually forging the lRome-Berlin Axis. The turning point on Jewish policies was under pressure from Hitler, the issuance of Anti-Semetic Race Laws (1938). The trend toward anti-Semitism and racial concerns was a naturl evolution, albeit speed up by the increasing NAZI influence. The core of Fascism was xenephonic natiionalism. And as European states were commonly built around a core ethnic group, it is only natural that race would take on increasing importance. This was excelerated by increasing Grman miltary power, eventually occupying much of Europe, giving it the power to ductate to other countries. This evitably put minority groups at risk, especially the Jews for which strong anti-Semetic attitudes existed even before the rise of Fascism. What is interesting about Italy is that the Jews were a very small minority group--only about 40,000 people. While small in numbers, they weew it was of some cultural importnce. As a result of Italian colonial policy before Mussolini and then the invasion of Ethiopia (1935), Italy in its colonies had a very substantial population of Africans and Arabs, but mostly blacks. And as far as we can determine, the Italian Government never adopted a racial law dealing with these people. We do not know if Arabs and Africans were banned from the Balilla after the adoption of the Race Laws, We think that they were mostly Aimed at Jews. Ir should be bited that while the Fascist Party became essentiaaly an arm of the German occuoarion and Holocaust (1943). ManynItalians did nor share the varabaric NAZI values and as a result, some 75 percent of Italian Jews survived the Holovaust. While still terrible, this was better than mostbother European countries occupied by th Germans. s

Sources

Mc Lean, Eden K. Mussolini's Children: Race and Elementary Education in Fascist Italy (University of Nebraska Press: 2018), 354p.





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Created: 4:16 PM 6/10/2013
Last updated: 4:24 AM 6/13/2020