Francesco Coppola (September 27, 1878 – 1957) was a prominent Italian journalist and politician in the twentieth century who associated with Italian nationalism and later Italian Fascism.Cannistraro, Philip V. 1982. Historical Dictionary of Fascist Italy. Westport, Connecticut; London, England: Greenwood Press. Pp. 136
From 1904 to 1908 Coppola wrote for Il Giornale d'Italia, a Rome newspaper in which he was known for expressing anti-democratic and anti-socialist sentiments.Cannistraro, pp. 136 In 1908, Coppola moved to writing for the Rome newspaper La Tribuna where he began to strongly support Italian nationalism and imperialism.Cannistraro, pp. 136 Two years later Coppola became one of the founders of the nationalist political party called the Italian Nationalist Association and with the support of two other prominent nationalists, Enrico Corradini and Luigi Federzoni, he launched the party's official newspaper, L'Idea Nazionale.Cannistraro, pp. 136 Coppola strongly supported Italy's actions in the Italo-Libyan War which resulted in the capture of Libya from the Ottoman Empire.Cannistraro, pp. 136
During World War I, Coppola demanded that Italy join the war. In 1916, Coppola fought on the front in the Italian army.Cannistraro, pp. 136 From 1917 to 1918 he undertook various nationalist propaganda missions.Cannistraro, pp. 136 Coppola attended the Paris Peace Conference and was enraged with the territorial settlement that Italy received, accusing the Italian government and the Allies of giving Italy a "mutilated victory".Cannistraro, pp. 136
In the aftermath of World War I, Coppola joined Benito Mussolini's Fascist movement in 1919.Cannistraro, pp. 136 Coppola by this time was known for advocating racist philosophy within the Fascist movement.Cannistraro, pp. 136 In 1923, Coppola participated in influencing the Italian Nationalist Association to join the National Fascist Party.Cannistraro, pp. 136 In 1923 and 1925, Coppola served the Fascist government as an Italian delegate to the League of Nations.Cannistraro, pp. 136 In 1929 when he was made a professor at the University of Perugia, Mussolini made him a member of the Royal Academy of Italy in 1929.Cannistraro, pp. 136
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