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The Strike That Shook Nazi-Occupied Italy
Published 3 weeks, 2 days ago
Description
On this day, 1 March 1944, a series of coordinated general strikes took place across Nazi-occupied northern Italy. One estimate put the number of strikers at 1.2 million while an article in the New York Times claimed between three and six million.
The strikes were superficially about economic issues with demands like a freeze on food prices, increases in wages and rations, and the payment of bonuses. But the strikes were also aimed at undermining the fascist state and was organised by participants in the anti-fascist resistance.
Major factories in northern Italy, particularly in Milan and Turin, were shut down. There was also significant sabotage of rail and electricity infrastructure by partisan units to coincide with the walkouts while the country’s main newspaper, Corriere della Sera, was unable to publish for three days due to the printers' strike.
The repression of the strike was extremely harsh with many workers even being deported to concentration camps in Germany. But the strike was a major blow to Italy's Nazi-backed fascist regime and, by the following year, it had been brought down.
Learn more about the Italian resistance to fascism in our podcast episodes 77-80: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e77-80-italian-resistance/
Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.
The strikes were superficially about economic issues with demands like a freeze on food prices, increases in wages and rations, and the payment of bonuses. But the strikes were also aimed at undermining the fascist state and was organised by participants in the anti-fascist resistance.
Major factories in northern Italy, particularly in Milan and Turin, were shut down. There was also significant sabotage of rail and electricity infrastructure by partisan units to coincide with the walkouts while the country’s main newspaper, Corriere della Sera, was unable to publish for three days due to the printers' strike.
The repression of the strike was extremely harsh with many workers even being deported to concentration camps in Germany. But the strike was a major blow to Italy's Nazi-backed fascist regime and, by the following year, it had been brought down.
Learn more about the Italian resistance to fascism in our podcast episodes 77-80: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e77-80-italian-resistance/
Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.
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