Formations of proletarian defense

The formations of proletarian defense are fighting formations Italy opposition to the Fascisme spontaneously born between 1920 and 1922, then organized militarily in united front .

Opposition to the squadristi

The course which carries out, in 1921 with the rupture of the association of Arditi of Italy with the creation of the Arditi del Popolo date of the attack of the squadristi and the Arditi of the working chamber of Milan. Arditi del Popolo is an organization Antifasciste united front with strong communist component and anarchistic. The formations of proletarian defense as the Red Guards take part during the Biennale red ( biennio rosso ) in the occupation of the factories of Turin.

The various formations antifascists intended to be opposed to the squadrismo were born spontaneously but remain related to the political positions their parties. They are pressed on men who extremely of an experiment obtained during the First World War (they could use weapons) showed themselves sometimes naive in the art of warfare and the defeat of the Red Guards in Turin is the illustration. It is for this reason, that such formations enlarged the rows of Arditi del Popolo attracted by effective military chiefs coming from Arditi among which Argo Secondari, Vincenzo Baldazzi, Alberto Acquacalda, or of the rows of the officers of the army or who had taken part in the undertaken of Fiume like Antonio Cieri, Guido Picelli, Gaetano Perillo, Alceste De Ambris, Emilio Lussu, all valorous war veterans of the First World War, often several times decorated.

The Arditi del Popolo

The appearance on stage of Arditi del Popolo causes a military change of tactic with the use of the preventive attack: when a knack squadristo was known in preparation, it was envisaged a military framing of the men or the use of battalions according to military techniques.

Reconciling tactics of the Italian Socialist party and the Italian Republican party, which repudiates them; the sectarianism of the majority of the group directing of the Communist party of Italy (Antonio Gramsci proposes the support), which contravenes the instructions of the Internationale, and persecutions implemented by Ivanoe Bonomi prevent the development of the new military structure antifascist. One should not neglect incomplete support which would have been necessary adherent base not fighting to the parties because of the confused positions taken by the leaders.

The militants continue to adhere to the military organization antifascist. Many historians affirm that the formations of proletarian defense, once organized like Arditi del Popolo, could stopped Fascism on its own ground, that of armed confrontations, as Tom Behan evokes it.).

Groups and zones of operations

Formations of proletarian defense before July 1921

Abbasso the legge ( With bottom the law ): anarchists (Carrara marble)
Gruppi Arditi Rossi ( arditi group red ), or simply Arditi Rossi: Socialists, then communist (Venezia Giulia) of Vittorio Ambrosini, captain of Arditi, it creates with Giuseppe Bottai, Mario Carli, and others the " Associazione FRA gli Arditi d' Italia" ( association between Arditi del Popolo ) and it follows Argo Secondari in the scission which gives rise to the Arditi del Popolo. Mario Carli and Giuseppe Bottai change orientation and the second becomes even Minister for the fascistic mode.
Gruppi rivoluzionari di azione ( revolutionary group of action ): anarchists and Socialists (Turin and of the close industrial centers)
Guardie Rose ( red guards ): Socialists, then communist (Empoli, Turin, Alessandria and of the close industrial centers). A strong formation of Red Guards also acts with Empoli and Imola in collaboration with the formations anarchistic antifascists
Squadre di azione antifascista ( team of action antifascsite ): anarchists and Communists (Livorno)
Centurie proletaria: Communists and Socialists (Turin)
Figli di nessuno ( wire of anybody ): anarchists (Genoa, Vercelli, Novara)
Lupi Rossi ( red wolves ): Socialists (Genoa)

Important characters for the history of the Antifascisme: the génois Gaetano Perillo and the vercellese Francesco Leone, which successively will be the founders of the united front Arditi del Popolo of the zones of Genoa, Vercelli, Novara.

Formations of proletarian defense of the summer 1921 with the autumn 1922

Arditi del Popolo: fronte unito (nazionale)
Legione Arditi Proletari Filippo Corridoni (Legione Proletaria Filippo Corridoni): revolutionary republicans, Socialists, revolutionary trade unionists (Parma)
Arditi Ferrovieri ( arditi railwaymen ): Arditi del Popolo (Milan and surroundings)
Centurie proletarie ( centuries proletarian ): Arditi del Popolo (low the Friuli)
Ciclisti Rossi ( red cyclists ): Socialists, Communists, anarchists, Arditi del Popolo (Casement bolt and province, Venezia Giulia)
Corpo di Difesa Operaia ( body of working defense ): Arditi del Popolo (close Turin and industrial centers)
Guardie Rose Volanti ( flying red guards ): Arditi del Popolo: Communists and Socialists (Creamed and surroundings)
Squadre Comuniste of Azione ( communist teams of action ): Communists (north-Western Italy)
Squadre Difesa Proletaria ( proletarian defense teams ): anarchists and Communists (Fermo)
Squadre Azione Repubblicana (" " teams action républicaine" "): republicans (Romagna, Steps, Bari, carried out by Giuseppe Di Vittorio and the Latium, particularly Rome, zones of intense activities; The presence of the organizations is important after the scission between Arditi which took place in the capital which had a strong insurrectionary tradition.

The Emilie-Romagna and the Marches had formations of very active proletarian defense because of a strong insurrectionary tradition and anarchist (Red Semaine and Révolte of the bersagliers).

It is necessary to underline the tradition antifascist of Leghorn with the lieutenant of the First World War Quagliarini and its Arditi del Popolo, always present in the memory of the Tuscan city:

… turn, turn in the streets of Leghorn, but in the districts you cannot go because there is Arditi who are around you and Ardenzini want to be avenged… |stanza of the song of the united front Arditi del Popolo of Leghorn

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