15 Facts About Giuseppe Bastianini

Giuseppe Bastianini was an Italian politician and diplomat.

Giuseppe Bastianini called on members to seek to diffuse proper Italian fascist ideas wherever they were living.

Giuseppe Bastianini's activities brought him into conflict with Italian diplomats, who felt that his movement was overtly politicising their work.

Giuseppe Bastianini resigned from his position as head of the Fasci Italiani all'Estero in late 1926.

Somewhat inevitably following his drive to replace established diplomats with fascists Giuseppe Bastianini entered the diplomatic service himself.

Giuseppe Bastianini established a policy of Italianisation, changing place names from Croatian to Italian, insisting that the press had to publish in Italian and bringing in a number of teachers from Italy to take lessons in Dalmatian schools.

Giuseppe Bastianini would spend the latter part of his period as governor in conflict with elements of the Italian military, in particular Generals Quirino Armellini and Mario Roatta.

Armellini had concentrated his troops in Split, a move Giuseppe Bastianini feared would breed fear and resentment amongst the inhabitants.

Roatta declared that the civilian administration must have no saw in troop deployment although he and Giuseppe Bastianini eventually reached a compromise whereby local authorities would be consulted before large scale troop movements.

Giuseppe Bastianini managed to secure the removal of Armellini, with whom he did not get along.

Giuseppe Bastianini was recalled in January 1943 after a government reshuffle in Rome and was replaced as governor the following month by Francesco Giunta.

Giuseppe Bastianini was appointed undersecretary at the Foreign Ministry in February 1943, effectively replacing Galeazzo Ciano.

Mussolini himself was the official Foreign Minister although his ill health and plethora of other roles meant that Giuseppe Bastianini effectively acted as minister.

Giuseppe Bastianini sold the notion of Mussolini as the man who could end the war to the governments of Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary as these minor Axis powers were desperate for an exit as they were facing destruction at the hands of the advancing Red Army.

Giuseppe Bastianini was present at the Fascist Grand Council meeting held on July 25,1943 at which the mood was decidedly anti-Mussolini as Grandi made his play.