The Republic of Salo and the government of the south

Question 1

28 august

Answer 1

Mussolini transferred to prison on Gran Sasso, highest mountain in Abruzzi region of south east Rome, isolated location

Question 2

12 September

Answer 2

rescued by German commandoes in aerial raid and brought to Germany

Question 3

13 September

Answer 3

Mussolini met with Hitler at Nazi control centre in East Prussia
Hitler demanded Mussolini to return to Italy as head of new fascist government that Nazis would establish
If Mussolini refused, Hitler would destroy Milan, Genoa and Turin
Mussolini spent 2 weeks in German, making radio broadcasts to Italy that he would establish new fascist government and continue fighting alongside Germany

Question 4

25 September

Answer 4

Mussolini returned to Italy and established capital in Gargano on Lake Garda. New government was puppet of Nazi Germany

Question 5

Gargano

Answer 5

At Gargano, it was easy for Germans to control Mussolini
Germans ensured government bodies spread over 100 miles to stop efficiency
Foreign Ministry and Ministry of Popular Culture established at small town in Lake Garda called Salo
Germans exercised considerable control, appointing officials in various parts of the RSI without consulting Mussolini and forcing new republic to sign deal that required it to pay Germans 7B lire a month

Question 6

Salo

Answer 6

controlled richest, most populated areas of Italy: Piedmont, Liguria, Lombardy

Question 7

new cabinet

Answer 7

Mussolini established new cabinet of radical fascists, mainly those who were violent blackshirt militia purged in 1920s

Question 8

14 November

Answer 8

first congress of new fascist party in Verona. Drew up Verona Manifesto that attempted to take fascism back to original form proposed in 1919 programme
Anticlerical republic; nationalised industry; cooperative state run by workers and management

Question 9

12 February 1944

Answer 9

all private companies with >100 employees or 1M lire in capital would be managed equally by workers and employees
Mussolini never had time, support or willingness from Germans to enforce these policies

Question 10

January 1945

Answer 10

fascists who were arrested in Salo Republic, including Ciano (Mussolini’s son-in-law) were sentenced to death for treason due to involvement in Grand Council that removed Mussolini from power

Question 11

Jews

Answer 11

Fascists in Salo Republic active in assisting German plans to send Italian Jews to Nazi death camps.
Verona Manifesto declared Judaism as a nationality and all Jews were the enemy
7,500 taken to Italian camps, nearly 7,000 executed

Question 12

support

Answer 12

Mussolini able to draw on support of large body of radical fascists
New militia formed (GNR) and was able to recruit 140,000 men
1944: RSI had 200,000 army, 20,000 navy, 28,000 air force; more than those in antifascist partisan forces
RSI mainly engaged in civil war against partisans

Question 13

northern population

Answer 13

Northern population terrorised to ensure they would not shelter partisan soldiers and would report their presence

Question 14

Germans killed

Answer 14

German police set out that, for every German dead, 10 Italians executed. March 1944 Partisan attacks killed 33 Germans; 335 Italian executions
10% of the total Italian executions were carried out by RSI forces operating on their own

Question 15

client state

Answer 15

King established royal government in the Kingdom of the South
Client state; government had little say in its own affairs and under control of Allied occupation

Question 16

local leadership in south

Answer 16

Little change in local leadership

Question 17

allied purge

Answer 17

Allies spoke about mass purge of those in government and police who had worked with fascists, but this was not carried out.

Question 18

pódestas

Answer 18

King preferred to leave conservatives who held posts of prefects and pódestas to remain
Conservative elites strong supporters of monarchy and helped to control social unrest across south
conservatives feared re-emergence of communism and socialism

Question 19

Italian soldiers

Answer 19

Following declaration of war, king and Badoglio made little attempt to organise Italian contribution to fighting
After Allied occupation of Rome in June 1944, King encouraged by Allies to broaden government to include antifascist parties

Question 20

Bonomi

Answer 20

Badoglio removed as head of government; replaced with former PM and antifascist liberal Ivanoe Bonomi
His government tried to conscript 100,000 men for army
Anger at king and Badoglio’s actions in 1943 meant conscription order was resisted
50,000 men fought alongside Allies

Question 21

north-south

Answer 21

Antifascist war of liberation fought by Italians was almost solely confined to north and differing experiences between north and south accentuated divisions in post-war era