Italian Neofascism - Fascist or Cap

Italian Neofascism: Fascist or Cap

Final project

Trevor Yuge

Zack Bekowies

28 November of 2022

Faces of Fascism

Giorgia Meloni and the Center-Right Coalition

Brothers of Italy (FdI): A national-conservative and right-wing populist political party (split from the People of Freedom Party) led by Giorgia Meloni

Forza Italia: A centre-right political party in Italy with liberal-conservative, Christian-democratic, liberal, social-democratic and populist tendencies led by Salvio Berlusconi

The League (Lega): is a right-wing populist political party in Italy, led by Matteo Salvini

Giorgia Meloni

• 15 January, 1977: Giorgia Meloni was born in Rome
• 1992: at 15, Meloni joined the Youth Front, the youth wing of the Italian Social Movement (MSI),
• 1996: became the national leader of Student Action, the student movement of the post-fascist National Alliance (AN), the national-conservative heir of the MSI
• 2014: Became leader of Fdl
• October 22, 2022 - Giorgia Meloni was legally appointed prime minister of Italy

I am Giorgia, I am a woman, I am a mother, I am Italian, I am Christian."

The Question

Is Giorgia Meloni and her party Fascist???

Neofascism

Fascism

According to Griffin 2018:

• The definitional components of the ‘empathetic’ ideal type of fascism are
• Ultranationalism

• “The belief in a crisis threatening the ultra-nation”
• “Calls or plans for the total conquest of (political or cultural) power:”
• “The goal of creating a fascist (and neo-fascist) new order”
• “A modern(ist) vision of the fascist new order which embraces elements of a mythicized past”

According to the European Center for Populism Studies:

• Espouse a modified form of fascism and partake in constitutional politics.
• More blame for their countries’ problems on non-European immigrants than on leftists and Jews, displayed little interest in military conquest, and concerted efforts to portray themselves as democratic and “mainstream.”

• Includes ultra-nationalism, racial supremacy, populism, authoritarianism, nativism, xenophobia and opposition to immigration, as well as opposition to liberal democracy, parliamentarianism, Marxism, communism and socialism.

My Claim

Giorgia Meloni and her party are indeed neofascist

History of the Brothers of Italy Party

• 1946: The Italian Social Movement (MSI) was founded by Giorgio Almirante, a chief of staff in Mussolini’s last government
• 1950-1980s: MSI remained a small right-wing party.
• 1990s: Gianfranco Fini took charge and projected a new moderate face of the Italian right. In 1994, Fini renamed the MSI the National Alliance.
• 2009: Fini was succeeded by Ignazio La Russa, who managed the merger of the party with Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia (FI) into The People of Freedom (PdL)
• 2012: Former AN members, led by La Russa, left PdL in order to launch the Brothers of Italy (FdI)

Expert Consensus

• Anti-immigrant, calling for a zero-tolerance policy,
• Opposes same-sex marriage, and "pro-family" (the traditional family unit)
• Xenophobic especially Islamaphobia

• Defense of the Italian identity
• Nationalistic attitude and sovereignism

Fdl Claim

The FRATELLI d'ITALIA Movement promotes the peaceful coexistence of peoples, states, ethnic groups and religious confessions while respecting sovereignty, independence and national unity.

Propaganda Piece - Social Media

Propaganda Piece - Social Media cont.

Duplicity

As per the definition of neofascsim by the ECPS, neofascist groups often attempt to portray themsleves as more moderate or mainstream when in reality they still hold many overalapping values as a fascsist regime.

Conclusion

Although I claim that Meloni and FdI are neofascist, I recognize that her term has just begun and many things can happen. However, as it stands she has not done a very good job at convincing me that she is not a neofascist since taking office.

Thanks