La seduzione squadrista in un fascismo periferico. Memoria e ceto politico a Palermo

Abstract

During Mussolini's dictatorship, the concept of squadrismo was an essential aspect of the Fascist identity. Squadrismo was widespread in Central and Northern Italy in particular, and certain cities in the South subsequently resorted to fabricating their own squadrist myths and traditions. This essay focuses on the case of Palermo. The relationship between the fascist squads' origins and certain local leaders' life histories is underlined. More specifically, an attempt is made to show how Palermo had more "political" prefects than many other Italian provinces. As Fascism emerged later in the South than elsewhere in Italy, the local party hierarchies had not taken part in the original Fascist struggles. These “Political” prefects were thus used in order to ensure the presence of a ruling class that was linked to squadrismo within the city. The analysis of memories, ceremonies and commemorations shows how the myth of squadrismo was created in Palermo in the 1930s, through an enduring network of local representations and national depictions