Thread by @Timotero2

Thread based on the result of the poll.

Nicola Bombacci

What is to be said about Bombacci that hasn't been explained before?

Initially a Communist, Nicola Bombacci would be one of the founders of the Italian Communist Party. He would also be a friend of Vladimir Lenin, a close one in fact, to the point Nicola would name his son...

after the Soviet Statesman. Nicola would be picked on by Blackshirts and many of the chants that the Fascist movement would march under the streets with, would involve mocking him, and talking about brushing Mussolini's bald head with Bombacci's beard.

If one thing can summarize his ideological development, it can be the one of redemption, and, that of the fact that Bombacci came from an ML line of thinking. In fact, one of the main reasons he came to the conclusion that Mussolini was a person worth following...

would be the fact that Bombacci applied ML Dialectics to the development of Fascist Italy. Which funnily enough, it can and has been made several times. This can be possibly explained due to the fact that for Gentile, Fascism was Practical Marxism. Or as Mussolini...

would recall in his testament: "As the natural development of society proved more and more of Marx's predictions to be wrong, true socialism retreated from the possible to the probable."

In this form, we must understand Fascism in the Italian Context, as a form of Non-Marxist Socialism that had adapted itself to the context of Italy, but was still subject to being interpreted through an ML view, like Bombacci would do throughout his conversion to Fascism.

This delves into the understanding that Italy carried a developmental approach at the control of the country. Going through three different periods, each with a different socioeconomic approach. Heroic Capitalism, Corporate State, and State Socialism.

In this way, we can see Bombacci mention how it was not true that Fascist Italy had been a Capitalist Nation. It had been affected by inner forces, that's for sure, but its goals were clear. And periods such as the 20s could be easily compared to Lenin's NEP.

Bombacci would be an outcast in his former groups, and he'd be rejected by Communists. Leading him to be in years of silence, and by the end of this period, he'd be able to create his own magazine called "La Verita". In this years we see his "conversion" to Fascism.

It must be pointed out however, that throughout most of the years in which Bombacci showcased support for the regime, he did not consider himself a Fascist and rejected the term, nor did he join the Fascist Party. At his view, Fascism was realistic Communism.

He would owe extreme loyalty to Mussolini and in several moments he'd take the chance to directly praise Mussolini in several letters:

"Duce, I am eager to be able, under your leadership, to continue fighting with you and for you"

Bombacci would manage to get people to collaborate with him throughout the years, by convincing them that Fascism was still Socialism, such as: Giovanni Bitelli, Federico Giannini, Dino Fiorelli, Mario Guarnieri, Bruno Ricci, Sigfrido Barghini and Alibrando Giovannetti.

By the end of the regime, Mussolini would make Bombacci a far more important figure in the regime, not only for his contributions to the doctrine, but because he had been a familiar face to the working class, that could generate popular support in their last moments.

Bombacci would develop along Mussolini things like the Manifesto of Verona and the Socialization Bill of Law, the latter was meant to enable the final stage of Fascist Corporatism, or, as they called it, their Fascist Socialism.

Despite the fact that Socialization laws never got to be fully implemented, a certain amount of companies still fell under their effect, and actually proved to have good results. The program as a whole would be limited due to German occupation.

Nicola Bombacci remained true to Mussolini until his very last days, and acknowledged the fact that Death was his only destiny, especially if it meant staying at the side of Mussolini. He'd die while chanting "Long Live Socialism!"

The End.