Pietro Badoglio

**Marshal** **Pietro Badoglio** (born 28 September 1871) is an Italian general and the incumbent Prime Minister of Italy. Appointed by King Vittorio Emanuele III in May 1928, he is widely considered a dictator, being the leader of the military government known as the Governo Militare. He is also the incumbent Minister of the Colonies.

## Early life and career

Badoglio was born in 1871. His father, Mario Badoglio, was a modest landowner, and his mother, Antoinetta Pittarelli, was of wealthy bourgeois background. On 5 October 1888 he was admitted to the Royal Military Academy in Turin. He received the rank of Second Lieutenant in 1890. In 1892, he finished his studies and was promoted to Lieutenant.

After completing his studies, he served with the Italian Army from 1892, at first as a Lieutenant (*Tenente*) in artillery, taking part in the early Italian colonial wars in Eritrea (1896), and in Libya (1912).

## Great War

At the beginning of Italian participation in the Great War, he was a Lieutenant Colonel (*Tenente Colonnello*); he rose to the rank of Major General following his handling of the capture of Monte Sabotino in May 1916 and by the late months of 1917, by now already a Lieutenant General, was named as Vice Chief-of-Staff (*Sottocapo di Stato Maggiore*) despite being one of those mainly responsible for the disaster during the Battle of Caporetto on 24 October 1917.

With regard to the Battle of Caporetto, although he was blamed in various quarters for his disposition of the forces under his command before the battle, a commission of inquiry rejected most of the criticisms made upon him. In the years after the Great War, in which he held several high posts in the Italian Army, Badoglio exerted a constant effort in modifying official documents in order to hide his role in the defeat.

## March on Rome

Post-war, Badoglio was named as a Senator, but also remained in the army with special assignments to Romania and the U.S. in 1920 and 1921. He was recalled to Italy in 1922 and was present in Rome when the fascist March on Rome occurred. Badoglio opposed the fascists, seeing them as a potential threat to the monarchy, and played a major role in convincing the King to crush the fascists. He subsequently led the army in Rome against the fascists, who mostly surrendered not long after the army was deployed. Badoglio grew closer to the King after this, advising him on multiple other political fronts.

## Colonial governor and the Second Italo-Senussi War

Badoglio gained enough favor with the King to receive a special appointment as Governor-General of Tripolitania in November 1923. A few months later, in January 1924, he was appointed Governor-General of Cyrenaica, making him the de facto governor of all of Italian North Africa. Under his governorship, the years long conflict against the Senussi Order escalated into war. Humiliated by the Central Powers-aligned Senussi during the Great War, Italy had previously been forced to recognize the "autonomy" of Senussi-controlled Cyrenaica through a series of treaties. These treaties were broken by Badoglio, who began gathering forces and material to wage a campaign against the Senussi.

These campaigns were initially successful, with major gains being made in the coastal regions of Cyrenaica and Tripolitania. However, in 1925 Badoglio launched an offensive towards the Senussi-controlled town of Sirte. In the battle that ensued, Italian forces were overwhelmed, lost most of their supplies and were forced to retreat to Misurata. The defeat became known as the "disaster at Sirte" and the blame was placed primarily on Badoglio.

Badoglio lost favor with the Italian government and even the King, and resources and troops were gradually pulled away from the campaign. Operations continued, but little gains were made, and by 1927 it was clear the conflict had been won by the Senussi. The humiliated King was forced to dismiss Badoglio in September, and hostilities ceased by early 1928.

## Governo Militare

After his dismissal, Badoglio spent the subsequent months rebuilding his reputation both privately and publicly. On the public front, his efforts were mostly a failure. Privately, however, Badoglio managed to rebuild his relationship with the King and cemented his prestigious position in the military. After the assassination of then-Prime Minister Luigi Sturzo during the violent period known as the Decennio Rosso, a political vacuum was left as the parliament struggled to form a government. Badoglio, a nonpartisan figure, was offered the position of Prime Minister in a situation akin to Luigi Pelloux three decades prior. He succeeded Alcide De Gasperi, the former Prime Minister who had assumed the position of acting Prime Minister after Sturzo's assassination. With the support of most liberal democratic political parties, the 1928 elections were suspended indefinitely. His first term ended on 5 October, with his appointment having always been intended as provisional. The term helped to rebuild his public image and set the stage for his later consolidation of power.

The government that followed under Giuseppe Spataro experienced great problems with labour unrest and protests over the election suspension that escalated to violence. Having failed to quell the situation and losing the support of parliament, he resigned on 15 January 1929. There was no clear successor at the time, and the memory of Luigi Pelloux's administration was once again brought to the forefront. Badoglio was offered the position again, but this time during a private discussion between him and the King.

Only five days later, on 20 January, martial law was declared by royal decree, and lethal force against the protestors by the military was not only authorized but extensively employed. On 1 February five opposition political parties were banned by royal decree: the Communist Party of Italy, Unitary Socialist Party, Italian Republican Party, Sardinian Action Party and Lion of Saint Mark. The Decennio Rosso was brought to an end with bloodshed and mass repression. In the aftermath a number of regional separatists were radicalized into engaging in an insurgency against the government.

Aside from his position as Prime Minister, Badoglio was also appointed, on request, as the Minister of the Colonies. He allegedly has ambitions to wage another campaign against the Senussi to avenge his previous failures. Badoglio also created the rank of Marshal of Italy in 1929, which he had bestowed upon himself by the King. The title was bestowed upon only one other person, Prince Emanuele Filiberto, who died in 1931.