Fernando Tambroni Armaroli (; 25 November 1901 – 18 February 1963) was an Italian politician. A member of Christian Democracy, he served as the 36th Prime Minister of Italy from March to July 1960.Fernando Tambroni Armaroli – Senato della Repubblica, senato.it He also served as Minister of the Interior from July 1955 until February 1959, Minister of Budget and Treasury from February 1959 to March 1960, and Minister of the Merchant Navy from August 1953 until July 1955.
Despite having started his political career as a reformist and supporter of centre-left economic policies,Paul Ginsborg A History of Contemporary Italy: Society and Politics, 1943-1988, pp.256-7 while in government he became a right-wing, conservative politician, implementing law and order policies. Moreover, he was accused as Interior Minister of having created his own secret police to produce dossiers on his political opponents.La polizia segreta di Tambroni, Micciacorta His role as Prime Minister is best remembered for the riots which resulted from the possibility that he might look to the neo-fascist Italian Social Movement for support against the parliamentary left.Profile of Fernando Tambroni
Early life Tambroni was born in Ascoli Piceno, Marche, Kingdom of Italy, in 1901.Fernando Tambroni Armaroli – Scheda di attività, senato.it His father, Arturo Tambroni, was the director of a youth re-educational institute, while her mother Amalia Laurenti was a housewife.Fernando Tambroni Armaroli, Enciclopedia Treccani After attending the classical lyceum, he studied law at the University of Macerata, where he graduated a few years later. In those years he became a member of the Italian People's Party (PPI), the Christian-democratic party led by Don Luigi Sturzo, of which he was appointed provincial secretary for Macerata. He served also as vice president of the Italian Catholic Federation of University Students (FUCI), under the presidency of Giuseppe Spataro.Giuseppe Spataro – Dizionario Biografico, Enciclopedia Treccani
Fascist regime In November 1926, after the dissolution of the PPI imposed by the Fascist regime in Italy, Tambroni published an article on the Corriere Adriatico, in which he declared that he had "abjured [his] previous political ideals" and that he had become uninterested in any activity contrary to the fascist regime. He described Benito Mussolini as "the man designated by the providence of God". After a few years, in 1932, he joined the National Fascist Party (PNF). Once the regime had fallen, he declared that he had not written the article willingly but had been forced to do so by PNF bosses' threats.Il premier marchigiano , altervista.org
Tambroni entered the legal profession in 1923. He started out in the law firm of Augusto Giardini. During the 1920s, he became a rather well-known and appreciated criminal defense lawyer. In 1927, he welcomed his sister Rina, the second female lawyer in Ancona, as a colleague in the firm. After the war, Rina would take over the running of the firm.Prefazione, in Il senso dello Stato, 1960, page 7 During these years, Tambroni married Mafalda Giacopelli. Two daughters were born to the couple: Maria Grazia and Gabriella.Tambroni, Archivio Storico Istituto Luce
The Second World War found Tambroni serving in the Voluntary Militia for National Security (MVSN), commonly known as the Blackshirts, the paramilitary wing of the PNF. His squad was an anti-aircraft battery in the Ancona area.Fernando Tambroni Armaroli – Dizionario Biografico, Enciclopedia Treccani Once the Duce had been overthrown in July 1943, Tambroni left the PNF and did not follow Mussolini in the Italian Social Republic,Fernando Tambroni, ANPI returning instead to more moderate political activity and contributing in December 1943 to the foundation of Christian Democracy (DC), the new centrist and Catholic party led by Alcide De Gasperi. Tambroni soon became one of the main DC figures in the Marche region.Fernando Tambroni – Biografia
Political career In the 1946 Italian general election, he was elected in the Constituent Assembly of Italy for the constituency of Ancona–Pesaro–Macerata–Ascoli Piceno, receiving almost 20,500 votes.Elezioni del 1946: Collegio di Ancona–Pesaro–Macerata–Ascoli Piceno, Ministero dell'Interno In the Constituent Assembly, he was appointed in the electoral commission and then in the 4th commission for bills' examination.Fernando Tambroni Armaroli, Assemblea Costituente
In the 1948 Italian general election, he was elected in the Chamber of Deputies with more than 45,000 votes.Elezioni del 1948: Collegio di Ancona–Pesaro–Macerata–Ascoli Piceno, Ministero dell'Interno In these years, he became a vocal critic of De Gasperi's policies, advocating for more incisive social reforms.Il Popolo, 18 November 1948 Between June 1948 and January 1950, he served as vice-president of the public works commission of the Chamber, therefore, from January 1950 to July 1953, under-secretary of the Merchant Navy in the sixth and seventh governments chaired by Alcide De Gasperi.Governo De Gasperi VI, governo.itGoverno De Gasperi VII, governo.it
Minister of Merchant Navy In the 1953 Italian general election, the government coalition won 49.9% of national vote, just a few thousand votes of the threshold for a supermajority, resulting in an ordinary proportional distribution of the seats.Also its parliamentarian exam had a disruptive effect: "Among the iron pots of political forces that faced in the Cold War, Senate cracked as earthenware pot": Technically, the government won the election, winning a clear working majority of seats in both houses, but frustration with the failure to win a supermajority caused significant tensions in the leading coalition, which ended on 2 August, when De Gasperi was forced to resign by the Parliament. On 17 August, President Luigi Einaudi appointed Giuseppe Pella as new Prime Minister,Mattarella cita Einaudi e l'incarico a Pella: fu il primo governo del presidente while Tambroni became Minister of Merchant Navy.Il governo del Presidente Pella He would remain in office until July 1955, serving also in the governments of Amintore Fanfani and Mario Scelba.I Governo Fanfani, camera.itComposizione del Governo Scelba, senato.it
As minister, he approved the so-called "Tambroni law", which for the first time attempted to resolve the shipyards situation, with a 10 year concession of tax relief and state aids to encourage the reduction of production costs, promoting their competitiveness in the international market.Legge Tambroni – Cantieri navali
Minister of the Interior
In July 1955, the newly appointed Prime Minister, Antonio Segni, selected Tambroni as his Minister of the Interior.Composzione del Governo Segni I, senato.it Tambroni would remain at the Viminale Palace until February 1959, serving also in the cabinets of Adone Zoli and Amintore Fanfani.Governo Zoli, camera.itGoverno Fanfani II, senato.it
During his ministry, he was accused of using prefects in favor of the political interest of the government and his party. In 1956, he sent a confidential note to all Italian prefects inviting them to produce a report that not only illustrated the political ideals of the population, but also indicated measures that "could be implemented before the 1957 local elections to favorably influence voters, with the aim of starting a more effective fight against communism.Archivio centrale dello Stato, Ministero del’Interno, Gabinetto 1957–1960, b. 356, f. 17225 He also created an ad hoc office, with some of his close and trusted advisors. Politicians, militants and citizens with leftist sympathies and ideas ended up in these files, but dossiers were also opened on party comrades and politicians close to the DC, to have instruments of conditioning, if not blackmail, other politicians.La polizia segreta di Tambroni, Il Sole 24 Ore
As minister, he organized the electoral campaign of the 1958 Italian general election. He also approved interventions on municipal laws and local finances, prepared plans for reforming public assistance and Protezione Civile law and reorganized the Vigili del Fuoco, the Italian firefighters corp. Tambroni authorized also the translation of Mussolini's body in the family chapel in Predappio and dissolved the city council of Naples, earning the hostility of mayor Achille Lauro.Fernando Tambroni Armaroli, centrostudimalfatti.eu
During these years, he was ranked among the main supporters of centre-left politics, becoming a close ally of Amintore Fanfani. In 1956, speaking at the party congress in Trento, he openly supported an alliance with the Italian Socialist Party (PSI), calling for an "innovative government program" and describing the centrist policies as "absurd".Radi, 1990, page 47
In January 1959, a conspicuous group of Christian Democrats started voting against their own government, forcing Fanfani to resign on 26 January 1959, after only six months in power."Italy's Fanfan", Time, 16 June 1961. On 16 February, Antonio Segni sworn in as new Prime Minister and Tambroni was appointed Minister of Budget and Treasury.Governo Segni I, senato.it
Prime Minister of Italy In March 1960, the Italian Liberal Party (PLI) withdrew its support to his government and Segni was forced to resign. President Giovanni Gronchi gave Tambroni the task of forming a new cabinet. Tambroni formed a one-party cabinet composed only by DC members, with the sole external support of the neo-fascist Italian Social Movement (MSI), a unique case in the history of the Italian Republic.Ginsborg (1990) pp.256-7
On 8 April, the Chamber of Deputies gave the confidence vote to government, with the fundamental support of the MSI. However, the neo-fascist vital supported created growing tensions within the DC and with some ministers who threatened their resignations, Tambroni was forced to resign. President Gronchi gave then the task of forming a new cabinet to Fanfani, to verify the possibility of starting a centre-left government. However, he was opposed by an important part of the DC, so Tambroni returned to the Senate, where he received the confidence vote on 29 April.Composizione del Governo Tambroni, Senato della Repubblica
Tambroni listed among the main focus of his government's program the institution of regions with a special statute for Friuli-Venezia Giulia, the reform of local finances, the modernization of public administration, a wide program of social and economic interventions, the reorganization of the state railways and a new foreign policy to improve bilateral relations with emerging countries like China, India and Arab countries.Chamber of Deputies, Atti Parlamentari. Discussioni, III Legislatura, 4 April 1960, page 13424
Since the beginning, Tambroni's premiership was characterised by a strong social conservatism on social issues, often pursued with authoritarian manners. Governo Tambroni: 60 anni fa il rientro del neofascismo nel gioco politico, Corriere della Sera On 21 May 1960, a rally led by Communist deputy Giancarlo Pajetta was broken up by the police with the total support from the government, causing riots. While on 15 June, the Minister of Culture, Umberto Tupini announced plans to censor all movies with "scandalous subjects, harmful for the consciousness of Italians", including Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita.15 giugno 1960 Il ministro Tupini censura “La dolce vita, Il Messaggero
Anti-fascist riots
The most controversial decision of his cabinet, was the permission to the MSI to hold its national congress in Genoa, one of the capitals of Italian Resistance against Fascism.Il governo Tambroni, Rai Scuola This move was considered by the public opinion as a further and unacceptable opening to the neo-fascists, by the government.