Separatism, the allies and the mafia: the struggle for Sicilian independence, 1943-1948

657 Pages·1998·1.5 MB·English

by  Monte S. Finkelstein

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
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Associated University Presses
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Associated University Presses
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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