Giorgio Almirante facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Giorgio Almirante
President of the Italian Social Movement
In office 24 January 1988 – 22 May 1988
Preceded by	Nino Tripodi
Succeeded by	Alfredo Pazzaglia
Secretary of the Italian Social Movement
In office 29 June 1969 – 13 December 1987
Preceded by	Arturo Michelini
Succeeded by	Gianfranco Fini
In office 15 June 1947 – 15 January 1950
Preceded by	Giacinto Trevisonno
Succeeded by	Augusto De Marsanich
Member of the European Parliament for Southern Italy
In office 17 July 1979 – 22 May 1988
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office 8 May 1948 – 22 May 1988
Constituency	Rome
Personal details
Born	(1914-06-27)27 June 1914 Salsomaggiore Terme, Italy
Died	22 May 1988(1988-05-22) (aged 73) Rome, Italy
Political party	National Fascist Party (1930s–1943) Republican Fascist Party (1943–1945) Italian Social Movement (1946–1988)
Spouses	Gabriella Magnatti (m. 1930s; div. 1969) Assunta Almirante ​ (m. 1969)​
Children	2
Parents	Mario Almirante Rita Armaroli
Occupation	Journalist, politician
Military service
Allegiance	Italian Social Republic (1943–1945)
Branch/service	National Republican Guard
Years of service	1943–1945
Rank	Capomanipolo
Battles/wars	World War II Italian Campaign

Giorgio Almirante (born June 27, 1914 – died May 22, 1988) was an important Italian politician. He started a political party called the Italian Social Movement, which was a neo-fascist party. He led this party for many years until he retired in 1987.

Early Life and Education

Giorgio Almirante was born in Salsomaggiore Terme, a town in Italy. His family had noble roots from a region called Molise. His aunt, Italia Almirante Manzini, was a famous actress.

Because his parents worked in the theatre, Giorgio spent his childhood moving around. He lived in cities like Turin and Rome. He studied literature and graduated from university in 1937.

Early Career and World War II

Almirante first trained to be a schoolteacher. However, he soon started working as a journalist. He wrote for a fascist newspaper in Rome called Il Tevere.

He was greatly influenced by another journalist, Telesio Interlandi. Almirante wrote many articles for Interlandi's journal, La Difesa della Razza, which focused on ideas about race. During World War II, he also helped set up the Italian Social Republic. In 1944, he became the Chief of Cabinet for the Minister of Culture in this government.

The Italian Social Movement

Leading the Party

After World War II ended, Almirante returned to Italy. In 1946, he started his own small political group. This group quickly joined a new, larger party called the Italian Social Movement (MSI).

Almirante was chosen to lead the MSI. This was partly because other high-ranking members from the previous fascist government preferred to work behind the scenes. At first, Almirante represented a more extreme part of the party. However, more moderate members gained influence, and he stepped down as leader in 1950.

A Voice of Opposition

Almirante in 1963

In the mid-1950s, Almirante became concerned that the MSI was becoming too conservative. He resigned from the party's main council and became a critic of its leaders. He believed that the party should remember its working-class roots.

He argued for "quality" in government, meaning that experts should lead, rather than relying only on liberal democracy. Even though he disagreed with the party's direction, he chose to stay within the MSI. He also became interested in the ideas of philosopher Julius Evola.

Almirante was known for his strong opinions. In 1968, he was involved in a clash with student protesters at the University of Rome. He and about 200 followers were eventually protected by the police during this event.

Return to Leadership

Almirante became the leader of the MSI again in 1969. By this time, his own views had become more moderate. He began to support democracy and wanted to attract more conservative voters to the MSI. He also made changes to strengthen the party leader's power.

He tried to make the party's image less extreme. He stopped using obvious symbols of fascism, like the black shirt and the Roman salute. His new approach was called the strategia del doppio binario, or "double track strategy." He wanted the MSI to challenge the main conservative party, the Christian Democrats.

Almirante believed that by focusing on being against communism, the MSI could attract both its current followers and more moderate conservatives. He brought in different right-wing groups to join the MSI. However, this plan did not fully succeed in winning over many new voters.

Despite this, under Almirante's leadership, the MSI became more accepted in Italian politics. For example, in 1984, Almirante was allowed to visit the headquarters of the Communist Party to pay respects to their deceased leader, Enrico Berlinguer. This was a very significant gesture at the time.

During his time in parliament, Almirante faced investigations related to his political past. However, these issues were later resolved by a general pardon in 1987.

Retirement and Legacy

Due to his declining health, Almirante stepped down as leader at the 1987 National Congress. His chosen successor was Gianfranco Fini. Fini had been close to Almirante since 1977 and continued Almirante's goal of changing Italy's political system.

Giorgio Almirante passed away in Rome on May 22, 1988. He died on the same weekend as two other important Italian political figures, Dino Grandi and Pino Romualdi.

Electoral History

Election	House	Constituency	Party		Votes	Result
1948	Chamber of Deputies	Rome–Viterbo–Latina–Frosinone		MSI	15,501	Y Elected
1953	Chamber of Deputies	Rome–Viterbo–Latina–Frosinone		MSI	51,923	Y Elected
1958	Chamber of Deputies	Rome–Viterbo–Latina–Frosinone		MSI	49,828	Y Elected
1963	Chamber of Deputies	Rome–Viterbo–Latina–Frosinone		MSI	46,597	Y Elected
1968	Chamber of Deputies	Rome–Viterbo–Latina–Frosinone		MSI	54,200	Y Elected
1972	Chamber of Deputies	Rome–Viterbo–Latina–Frosinone		MSI	218,642	Y Elected
1976	Chamber of Deputies	Rome–Viterbo–Latina–Frosinone		MSI	123,331	Y Elected
1979	Chamber of Deputies	Rome–Viterbo–Latina–Frosinone		MSI	114,258	Y Elected
1979	European Parliament	Southern Italy		MSI	519,479	Y Elected
1983	Chamber of Deputies	Rome–Viterbo–Latina–Frosinone		MSI	129,375	Y Elected
1984	European Parliament	Southern Italy		MSI	503,881	Y Elected
1987	Chamber of Deputies	Rome–Viterbo–Latina–Frosinone		MSI	108,821	Y Elected

See Also

In Spanish: Giorgio Almirante para niños