Figure 1.-- Here Party Secretary Starace and King Victor Emanuel visit a children's clinic. The press caption read, "Italian Babies Salute Their King: King Victor Emanuel of Italy smiling as he receives the Fascist salute from babies who have barely learned to walk , during a visit he paid to a children'sclinic in Rome. Signor Starace, General secretary of the Fscist Party, nd othr officers of the organization are accompanying him." The photograph was dated August 1, 1937. By this time, observing Hitler's success in Germany, Mussolini was beginning to have second thoughts about his hand selected Party secretaty.

Achille Starace was a prominent Italian Fascist leader, primarily before World War II. He was born in Sannicola, the son of a wine and oil merchant. He earned a degree in accounting. He enlisted in the Regio Esercito (Italian Royal Army) (1909), becoming a Sottotenente (Second Lieutenant) of the Bersaglieriélite (sharpshooters), an elte unit (1912). From an eraly point, he was a strong believer in war and made a name for himself when he alone attacked pacifist demonstrators in Milan protesting the ourbreak of World War I (1914). He served in the war and was highly decorated. Starace after the War moved to Trento and soon became involved in the growing Fascist movement. He was attracted by the ultra nationalism of Fascism. He joined the Fascist movement (1920) and quickly became the local Party secretary. He soon came to the attention of Benito Mussolini, who appointed Starace to lead the Fascist organization in Venezia Tridentina, beginning his rise to prominance in the Party. Mussolini made him Vice-Secretary of the Partito Nazionale Fascista (National Fascist Party--PNF). Starace participated in the (Marcia su Roma (March on Rome) at the head of a (squadristisquadron) of Blackshirts at the time was essentilly an unorganized uniformed mob. The March was a key step in Mussolini's rise to power. Starace from the beginning ideolized Mussolini and was an unquestioning devote. Mussolini then made Starce a member of the PNF Executive Committee. Next after Starace after resigning as PNF Vice-Secretary, Mussolini gave him command of the Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale (National Security Volunteer Militia--MVSN) in Trieste. This was an effort to organize the Blackshirts, the PNF's part militi, anagous to the subsequent NAZI Brown Shirts or Stormtoopers (SA). Starace as a Fascist candidate was elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies (1924) and made National Party Inspector. He was appointed PNF Vice-Secretary for the second time (1926) and then Secretary of the important PNF Milan branch. Finally Mussoli chose him as PNF Party Secretary 1931). Here Mussolini was not impressed with Starace's competence, describing Starace as "Un cretino, si, ma un cretino obeddente" (a jerk indeed but an obedient one). He served as PNF Secretary for most of the decade, except for a brief sint with the army in Ethiopia (1935). As Party Secretary he came to be lapooned as a bafoon--even by his Fascist collegues. There are numerous stories such as showing up late for a prestigious medical symposium to deliver the key note address and explain he was busy horseback riding. When the doctors involved criticized him, he told them to drop their books and do more gymnsstics. Starace successfully in increased PNF membership. His forte was pagentry. Starace staged huge parades and marches to homor Mussolini, proposed Anti-Semitic measires, and attempted to build Mussolini's cult of personality. Apparently all this pleased Mussolini until the spectaculr rize of the NAZIs in Germany. Eventually Mussolini began to see him as a failure. He failed to make the Opera Nazionale Balilla. (Italian Fascist Youth Organization) any where near the success of the NAZI Hitler Youth movement. Nor did he genrate a national enthusiasm for Fascism remotely similar to what Hitler achieved for the NAZIs in Germany. Mussoline finally dimissed him as PNF Secretary in favor of the popular Ettore Muti. Missolini made him Chief of Staff of the Blackshirts, but then dismissed him for incompetence (1941). After the Allied invasion, he was arrested by both the Badoglio Governent and his former Fascist colleagues who concluded that his incompetence had hurt the Party. He tried to join Mussolini's puppet Italian Social Republic of Salò, but Mussolini wouldn't have him. Finally Partisans in Milan spotted him while he was jogging. They dragged him to Piazzale Loreto where they had already strug up his idol. They had him look at Mussolini haning there and then shot him. The Partisans then strung him up next to Mussolini.

Created: 10:32 PM 5/26/2016
Last updated: 10:33 PM 5/26/2016