Fascist Legacy
Encyclopedia
Fascist Legacy is a documentary film
about Italian war crimes
during World War II
. It was recorded by the BBC
in 1989 and consists of two parts.
----
Fascist Legacy, UK (BBC) 1989, 2x50 minutes
Director: Ken Kirby; History consultant: Michael Palumbo; Photography: Nigel Walters; Cut: George Farley; Narrator: Michael Bryant.
----
The first part was aired on November 1st, 1989, on BBC and was called A Promise Fulfilled. It concerns war crimes committed during the Italian invasions of Ethiopia
and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
. Emphasis is placed upon Marshal Badoglio
's use of mustard gas, bombing of Red Cross-operated hospital
s and revenge massacres after an attempted assassination
of the Italian governor of Ethiopia
. The section examining the Italian pro-Nazi occupation of Yugoslavia focuses on witnesses at the Rab concentration camp
and atrocities in the Croatian village of Podhum near Rijeka
.
The second part, called A Pledge Betrayed and aired on November 8th, 1989, concerns the period after the Italian capitulation in 1943 and is mostly about American and especially British
hypocrisy during this period. Ethiopia
, Yugoslavia and Greece
requested extradition
of 1,200 Italian war criminals (the most wanted were Pietro Badoglio
, Mario Roatta
and Rodolfo Graziani
), and provided full documentation of their crimes. Both the western allies' governments saw in Badoglio's government a guarantee of an anti-communist post-war Italy, so they did their best to delay the requests until 1947 when the Peace Treaty with Italy
returned full sovereignty
to Italy: sovereign states usually do not extradite their citizens to foreign countries.
A pathetic detail of the history is that one of the few Italian officer prosecuted and executed by the British controlled court was an anti-fascist, Nicola Bellomo
, responsible for the death of British prisoners of war. It was on September 9, 1943, the day of Allies' invasion of the Italian mainland, that general Bellomo, then commander of the
XII MVSN
Zone, formed a makeshift Italian force and counter attacked Germans that tried to occupy the port of Bari
http://www.comandosupremo.com/1943.html. In this successful defence action, general Bellomo was wounded. As an anti-fascist, general Bellomo may have been considered a threat to the Badoglio government.
Bellomo, as a gesture of military honour, preferred not to escape from the prison when the door was intentionally left open, after he was sentenced to death.
The documentary cynically ends with Churchill's
quote about "the better tomorrow with a new world order."
Italian public television RAI
bought a copy of the film but for years it was never shown to an Italian audience because it would significantly change the opinion Italians have about their role during World War II . Italian channel La7 has shown large excerpts of "Fascist Legacy" in 2004. Showings of the documentary are organized in Italy by groups with an anti-fascist orientation.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about Italian war crimes
Italian war crimes
Italian war crimes are a well documented but poorly publicized aspect of the history of Italy during the 20th century.-War crimes:During the first half of the 20th century, Italy was involved in several colonial wars, notably against the then only independent African states, Ethiopia , and in World...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was recorded by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in 1989 and consists of two parts.
----
Fascist Legacy, UK (BBC) 1989, 2x50 minutes
Director: Ken Kirby; History consultant: Michael Palumbo; Photography: Nigel Walters; Cut: George Farley; Narrator: Michael Bryant.
----
The first part was aired on November 1st, 1989, on BBC and was called A Promise Fulfilled. It concerns war crimes committed during the Italian invasions of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
. Emphasis is placed upon Marshal Badoglio
Pietro Badoglio
Pietro Badoglio, 1st Duke of Addis Abeba, 1st Marquess of Sabotino was an Italian soldier and politician...
's use of mustard gas, bombing of Red Cross-operated hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
s and revenge massacres after an attempted assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
of the Italian governor of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. The section examining the Italian pro-Nazi occupation of Yugoslavia focuses on witnesses at the Rab concentration camp
Rab concentration camp
The Rab concentration camp was an Italian concentration and internment camp on the Adriatic island of Rab, now part of the Republic of Croatia, during World War II. The camp was located at...
and atrocities in the Croatian village of Podhum near Rijeka
Rijeka
Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
.
The second part, called A Pledge Betrayed and aired on November 8th, 1989, concerns the period after the Italian capitulation in 1943 and is mostly about American and especially British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
hypocrisy during this period. Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Yugoslavia and Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
requested extradition
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
of 1,200 Italian war criminals (the most wanted were Pietro Badoglio
Pietro Badoglio
Pietro Badoglio, 1st Duke of Addis Abeba, 1st Marquess of Sabotino was an Italian soldier and politician...
, Mario Roatta
Mario Roatta
Mario Roatta was an Italian general, Mussolini's Chief-of-Staff, and head of the military secret service.-SIM:From 1934 to 1936, Roatta headed up the Italian Military Intelligence Service .-Spain:...
and Rodolfo Graziani
Rodolfo Graziani
Rodolfo Graziani, 1st Marquis of Neghelli , was an officer in the Italian Regio Esercito who led military expeditions in Africa before and during World War II.-Rise to prominence:...
), and provided full documentation of their crimes. Both the western allies' governments saw in Badoglio's government a guarantee of an anti-communist post-war Italy, so they did their best to delay the requests until 1947 when the Peace Treaty with Italy
Treaty of peace with Italy (1947)
The Treaty of Peace with Italy was a treaty signed in Paris on February 10, 1947, between Italy and the victorious powers of World War II, formally ending the hostilities...
returned full sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
to Italy: sovereign states usually do not extradite their citizens to foreign countries.
A pathetic detail of the history is that one of the few Italian officer prosecuted and executed by the British controlled court was an anti-fascist, Nicola Bellomo
Nicola Bellomo
Nicola Bellomo was a general in the Italian Army during World War II. He was tried for war crimes at a courts martial for the murder of a British prisoner of war, and was found responsible...
, responsible for the death of British prisoners of war. It was on September 9, 1943, the day of Allies' invasion of the Italian mainland, that general Bellomo, then commander of the
XII MVSN
MVSN
MVSN can refer to:* The Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale of the Italian Fascist movement.* The Milice de Volontaires de la Sécurité Nationale better known as the Tonton Macoutes....
Zone, formed a makeshift Italian force and counter attacked Germans that tried to occupy the port of Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
http://www.comandosupremo.com/1943.html. In this successful defence action, general Bellomo was wounded. As an anti-fascist, general Bellomo may have been considered a threat to the Badoglio government.
Bellomo, as a gesture of military honour, preferred not to escape from the prison when the door was intentionally left open, after he was sentenced to death.
The documentary cynically ends with Churchill's
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
quote about "the better tomorrow with a new world order."
Italian public television RAI
RAI
RAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
bought a copy of the film but for years it was never shown to an Italian audience because it would significantly change the opinion Italians have about their role during World War II . Italian channel La7 has shown large excerpts of "Fascist Legacy" in 2004. Showings of the documentary are organized in Italy by groups with an anti-fascist orientation.
See also
- Italian invasion of Ethiopia
- Italian invasion of YugoslaviaInvasion of YugoslaviaThe Invasion of Yugoslavia , also known as the April War , was the Axis Powers' attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II...
- Italian invasion of Greece
External links
- Italy's bloody secrets, BBC 1989 documentary Fascist Legacy, from The Guardian, London, UK, 25Jun03 http://www.derechos.org/nizkor/impu/itaimp1.html
- http://www.pane-rose.it/files/index.php?c3:o5730
- http://www.indicius.it/massmedia/fascist_legacy.htm