Separatism, the allies and the mafia: the struggle for Sicilian independence, 1943-1948 PDF
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Separatism, the Allies and the Mafia : The title: Struggle for Sicilian Independence, 1943- 1948 author: Finkelstein, Monte S. publisher: Lehigh University Press isbn10 | asin: 0934223513 print isbn13: 9780934223515 ebook isbn13: 9780585188980 language: English Sicily (Italy)--History--Autonomy and independence movements, Sicily (Italy)-- Politics and government--1870-1945, Sicily subject (Italy)--Politics and government--1945- , Italy--History--Allied occupation, 1943- 1947, Mafia--Italy--Sicily. publication date: 1999 lcc: DG869.2.F56 1998eb ddc: 945.091 Sicily (Italy)--History--Autonomy and independence movements, Sicily (Italy)-- Politics and government--1870-1945, Sicily subject: (Italy)--Politics and government--1945- , Italy--History--Allied occupation, 1943- 1947, Mafia--Italy--Sicily. Page 5 Separatism, the Allies, and the Mafia The Struggle for Sicilian Independence, 1943-1948 Monte S. Finkelstein Bethlehem: Lehigh University Press London: Associated University Presses Page 6 © 1998 by Associated University Presses, Inc. All rights reserved. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use, or the internal or personal use of specific clients, is granted by the copyright owner, provided that a base fee of $10.00, plus eight cents per page, per copy is paid directly to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, Massachusetts 01923. [0-934223-51-3/98 $10.00 +8¢ pp, pc.] Associated University Presses 440 Forsgate Drive Cranbury, NJ 08512 Associated University Presses 16 Barter Street London WC1A 2AH, England Associated University Presses P.O. Box 338, Port Credit Mississauga, Ontario Canada L5G 4L8 The paper used in this publication meets the requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials Z39.48-1984. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publicatio Data Finkelstein, Monte S., 1950- Separatism, the allies and the mafia : the struggle for Scilian independence, 1943-1948 / Monte S. Finkelstein. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-934223-51-3 (alk. paper) 1. Autonomy and independence movementsItalySicily. 2. Sicily (Italy)Politics and government1870-1945. 3. Sicily (Italy)- Politics and government1945 4. ItalyHistoryAllied occupation, 1943-1947. 5. MafiaItalySicily. I. Title. DG869.2.F56 1998 945.091dc21 98-13534 CIP PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Page 7 Contents Preface Introduction 13 1. Sicily from Mussolini to Badoglio 18 2. The Birth of the Separatist Movement 36 3. The Struggle Begins 53 4. Separatism and Its Enemies 69 5. On the Rise 93 6. At the Height 106 7. In the Balance 126 8. The Radical Phase 137 9. Decline 150 10. The State Acts 163 11. The End 175 Epilogue 186 Notes 196 Bibliography 267 Index 277 Page 9 Preface Regionalism has played a crucial role in shaping Italian history. Today, 125 years after the Risorgimento, unity is again threatened by calls for separatism or federalism. The popularity of Umberto Bossi and the Northern League is a reflection of the more materially advanced north's desire to rid itself of southern Italy's social and economic ills. Rather than being dismissed as an impractical idealist, or threatened with imprisonment for his views, Bossi has become a preeminent politician on the national level. Fifty years ago, Andrea Finocchiaro Aprile met a quite different fate. As head of the Sicilian separatist movement, Finocchiaro Aprile called for Sicilian independence within a federal state. But, instead of gaining the status of a rather serious national leader, Finocchiaro Aprile and his followers were reviled as betrayers of the Risorgimento, and traitors to the nation. Instead of attaining the pinnacle of political power, Finocchiaro Aprile was imprisoned by the Italian state, and his movement dismantled. The separatist movement of 1943-1948 represented the climax of regionalism in Sicily. It expressed the frustrations of one of the poorest regions of Italy, which felt it could prosper only by freeing itself from an abusive national government. It is a cruel irony that the strongest calls for federalism now emanate from the most prosperous provinces of Italy. The complaints may have a different twist, but the parallels between Bossi's Northern League and Finocchiaro Aprile's separatist movement are striking. Both show that Italian unification is not yet complete. The Sicilian separatist movement had its roots in a long-standing historical tradition dating back to the Middle Ages, and its modern expression placed the island at the center stage of the Italian political scene from 1943 until 1946. This book examines the movement's origins, its leaders and followers, the actions in which separatists engaged in their attempt to establish a free Sicily, the factors that led to the movement's demise, and its legacy. The separatist movement did not operate in a vacuum. Its fate was linked to the policies of the United States and Great Britain, and to Page 10 the Sicilian mafia. To understand the successes and failures of the movement, its relationship with those forces must be examined. No complete study of the Sicilian separatist movement has been published in any language. During the last forty years, memoirs and popular treatments of the subject have appeared that provide useful but often misleading information. Much of the previous work sensationalized the events of the period or assumed a journalistic tone. Legends and exaggerations have been spun based on hearsay, unfounded speculation, and ideological imperatives. My purpose has been both to clarify the record and to add to it by relying heavily on documentary evidence located in archives in the United States, Great Britain, and Italy. Much of this documentation has never before been used. To obtain a complete picture of the times, I have also reviewed and incorporated separatist and non-separatist memoirs, books, speeches, pamphlets, and newspapers. Of the areas researched for this book, the mafia presented the most difficulties. The origins, character, and organization of the mafia have been analyzed in many scholarly and popular works, but the prevailing view remains the one derived from Hollywood, from embellished memoirs of former mafiosi, or from the transcripts of criminal proceedings. The mafia's survival in the face of constant prosecution has further added to its mystique. Much of its history remains obscured because the mafiosi of the past held more tightly to the code of omereta. To decide what the mafia was in 1943, I relied on the most recent scholarly works and published documentary sources. American archival sources, however, were the key to uncovering the mafia's role during the separatist period. The diplomatic dispatches sent by the American Consul in Palermo, Alfred T. Nester, to Washington, D.C., were especially helpful. Nester had good ties with leading mafiosi, as well as an excellent network of informers. The Office of Strategic Services also had sources which provided much
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