MANIFESTO OF RACE OR CHARTER OF RACE BY MUSSOLINI

 

Manifesto of Race, a symbol of human folly, Anti-Jewish, Anti-African, Nazi Racism published by Mussolini in Italy on 14th July 1938

The "Manifesto of Race", also known as the Charter of Race, was published on July 14, 1938, in Fascist Italy under Benito Mussolini's regime. It laid the ideological groundwork for the Racial Laws enacted in October 1938, marking a shift toward explicit racial policies influenced by Nazi Germany. The manifesto, falsely presented as the work of a group of "Fascist scholars" and coordinated by the Ministry of Popular Culture, declared Italians to be of Aryan descent and promoted biological racism. It asserted that human races exist, distinguished by physical and psychological traits, and categorized Italians as part of the "Aryan race." It explicitly targeted Jews as not belonging to the Italian race and deemed non-Europeans, Africans, as inferior. It advocated for racial purity, forbidding marriages and sexual relations between Italians and Jews or Africans. Jews were singled out as a non-assimilated group, despite their long history in Italy, and were stripped of citizenship, professional roles, and property rights under the subsequent Racial Laws. Africans in Italy’s colonies, like Eritreans and Ethiopians, were also marginalized, with policies enforcing racial segregation. Before 1938, Mussolini criticized Nazi racial theories, Nordicism, and viewed race as a cultural rather than biological concept. Some Italian Jews, like Ettore Ovazza, even supported the Fascist regime. The manifesto reflected Mussolini’s alignment with Adolf Hitler post the 1936 Italo-Ethiopian War and the 1939 Pact of Steel, likely to strengthen ties with Nazi Germany rather than due to widespread Italian anti-Semitism. While attributed to 180 signatories, including academics like Guido Landra (the primary author), the manifesto was largely drafted under Mussolini’s direction. It faced opposition from some Fascists, like Italo Balbo, who saw anti-Semitism as contrary to Italian Fascist ideals. The laws were unpopular among many Italians, contributing to declining support for Mussolini’s regime. Enacted in October 1938, these laws banned Jews from public office, education, banking, and other professions, and restricted their property ownership. They also enforced colonial racial policies, prohibiting unions between Italians and colonial subjects. The Racial Laws were repealed by the Badoglio government in January 1944 after Mussolini’s fall in July 1943. However, they remained enforced and were intensified in the German-backed Italian Social Republic (1943–1945) until the end of World War II. The manifesto marked a departure from earlier Fascist ideology, which had not emphasized biological racism. Its adoption was seen as an imposition of German values, alienating many Italians and highlighting Mussolini’s increasing subordination to Hitler. The manifesto’s scientific claims were baseless, mixing pseudoscience with political propaganda. Its contradictions, such as claiming Italians were both uniquely Aryan and culturally distinct, caused confusion and resistance among Italian intellectuals and Fascists.