(Second Lesson in Ferrara– The Rise of Fascism and Nazism)
The project “Le Case di Micòl” aims to identify the different “Micòls” and their houses — that is, the stories of girls who were discriminated against and deported, and the places from which they were violently torn away — within a European framework and in the specific historical context of the Shoah.
For this reason, the second lesson led by Professor Ronchi Stefanati focused precisely on the historical background in which the various Micòls’ lives unfolded: the rise of Fascism and Nazism in the period between the two World Wars (1918–1939), racial laws, and the persecution of Jews and other minorities.
In 1919, in Milan, the “Fasci di Combattimento” were founded, promoted among others by the former socialist Benito Mussolini, with the San Sepolcro programme that combined social themes with nationalism. Fascism would change its appearance several times during the twenty years in which it rose to power and eventually collapsed, but one element remained constant throughout: violence. During the Biennio Rosso (1919–1920), this violence was seen by major industrialists and landowners as an opportunity to crush the struggles of workers and peasants for their rights, and the occupation of land and factories that had marked that period. Landowners and industrialists planned to use the Fasci di Combattimento as a tool for the violent repression of dissent and for maintaining exploitation and class privileges. This supported the growth of Fascism and its rise to power, which took place in 1922 with the March on Rome and the appointment of Mussolini by King Victor Emmanuel III to form the government, in coalition with nationalists and liberals. These were also the years in which the National Fascist Party (PNF) was born.
Fascism came to power in Italy in 1922, during a severe economic and social crisis. After the March on Rome, organised to demonstrate the strength of his movement, Mussolini gradually transformed the State into a true dictatorship. The turning point was 1924: after the PNF won the elections, the socialist MP Giacomo Matteotti publicly and in Parliament denounced that the victory had been achieved through fraud and violence and was therefore illegitimate. Shortly after that speech, Matteotti was murdered. The country fell into an unprecedented political crisis and Fascism seemed close to collapse. After initial hesitation and attempts to distance himself from the crime, Mussolini, in a famous parliamentary speech, took political responsibility for the murder and began dismantling democracy without restraint. With the so-called “Fascistissime” laws of 1925, freedom of the press was abolished, parties and free trade unions were dissolved, Parliament was placed under the control of the PNF — now the sole party — and an authoritarian, totalitarian regime was established, founded on the cult of the “Duce,” Mussolini.
In the mid-1930s, the Fascist regime’s attempt to complete its colonial expansion in Ethiopia pushed Italy into international isolation, leading to its alliance with Nazi Germany. In 1938, racial laws against Jews were enacted in Italy as well, inspired by the Nazi model. They excluded Jews from schools, public employment, and any role in civil life, inaugurating a policy of discrimination, persecution, and finally forced deportation to concentration, labour, and extermination camps. In 1940, Italy entered the war — one year after the beginning of World War II — alongside Germany, but it often suffered heavy defeats, forcing the ally to intervene repeatedly to prevent Italy from collapsing.
In 1943, after the Anglo-American landing in Sicily, Mussolini was removed from power and arrested. Following the armistice of 8 September between Badoglio’s new Italian government and the Allies, the Germans occupied part of Italy and Mussolini founded in the North the Republic of Salò, or RSI, a puppet state serving the Nazis. This was the bloodiest period in terms of persecution and deportations, both against Jewish citizens and political dissidents, within the context of a true civil war between Fascists and partisans.
On 25 April 1945, Italy was liberated thanks to the combined action of the partisan Resistance, coordinated by the CLN (National Liberation Committee), and the Anglo-Americans. Mussolini was captured by a partisan brigade and killed on 28 April. His body was displayed in Milan, in Piazzale Loreto, symbolically marking the end of Fascism.
Zohra El Maachi and Giorgia Raisi
Class 5B
IIS “Luigi Einaudi”
Ferrara, Italy
“Le Case di Micòl”: Second Lesson
Today, 16 October 2025, the second lesson on the project “Le Case di Micòl” took place. During this session, the historical context in which the story of the Finzi-Contini family is set was introduced in a broad and in-depth way.
We discussed the rise and fall of Fascism, addressing and analysing the key dates. We are in the period between the two World Wars (1918–1939), but Fascism officially ended on 28 April 1945 with the execution of Benito Mussolini and his lover Claretta Petacci and the display of their bodies in Piazzale Loreto, Milan.
The only element that always characterised Fascism and never changed over the years is violence: the seizure of power was carried out with violence, the pursuit of objectives was carried out with violence, and the suppression of resistance was carried out with violence. Ideologically, on the other hand, Fascism was chameleonic, pragmatic, and often contradictory.
We discussed fundamental events such as the March on Rome in 1922, following the Biennio Rosso, when landowners and industrialists turned to the Fasci di Combattimento to crush workers’ struggles; the assassination of Giacomo Matteotti in 1924, who had the courage to denounce the abuses of Mussolini’s followers; the Fascistissime laws of 1925; the Rome–Berlin Axis in 1936; and finally the racial laws of 1938 — one of the worst years for Jews, together with 1943 — when they were discriminated against, segregated, and deported. From that moment, Fascism began to decline, and through arrests, armistices, and unexpected alliances, its collapse was completed in 1945 with the liberation of Italy from Fascist horrors by the Resistance and the Anglo-American Allies.
Nicole Borsetti
Class 5B
IIS “Luigi Einaudi”
Ferrara, Italy