by Raffaele Barbiero
The work developed for a graduation thesis (master degree) in Contemporary History is consisted in considering almost 16 months of the Resistance’s period, spent in the whole territory of the Forlì’s district (from July, 25th 1943, day of Musssolini’s fall, to 9th November 1944, Forlì’s liberation day) and investigating in this period facts and events that can be determined under a more extended conception of NPD.
I speak obviously of a more extended conception of NPD, because about Resistance in Italy and particulary in Forlì noone had theorized and supposed a method of defence based on nonviolence. People behaved with nonviolent modality, because people could/would not reply with an armed way, besides the Armed Resistance was considered the chief reply, while the nonarmed Resistance was considered not so much as the Armed Resistance was.
Five essential streams have been reconstructed where forlivese nonarmed Resistance was comparable to NPD’s forms. The streams in question are: BOYCOTT, SABOTAGE, STRIKES and DEMONSTRATIONS, COMMUNICATION and PROPAGANDA, ACTIONS of SUPPORT to ALLIES and PARTISANS.
Boycott consisted in all those actions that could cause serious problems to enemies.
It was developed in four ways:
1) social way (to let feel unwelcome the enemy with lawful acts that showed intolerance by people towards occupants);
2) economic way (to weaken enemy’s economy trying to make them the occupation more anti-economic than it was possible. This happened chiefly taking away foodstuffs and cattle from public hoards and many times allowing partisans to take away foodstuffs);
3) army’s way (to put in practice the saw “neither a man nor a penny for war” not answering to the call to arms);
4) work’s way (especially restraining war productions and industrial machineries’ removal by Germans in retreat. Germans had demanded 15,000 men from the district of Forlì for agricultural works in Germany in January 1944. At 29/09/1944 only 1,777 workers were left in spite of all the authority’s efforts maken to manage to the demanded number. There is to bear in mind that there was, for each agricultural worker maken emigrate in Germany, Lire 100 as a reward).
Sabotage consisted in damaging equipments and constructions, so that every kind of activity was slackened. This method was used very much and was hard punished by the Nazi-Fascists. Nevertheless this did not stop from sabotage of roads, constructions for war activity, means of communication, every kind of installation (electric plants, warehouses of methane, etc.). The most important sabotage in Forlì obstructed the wheat’s threshing and therefore Germans could not take away the most part of cultivated wheat.
As regards strikes and demonstrations in Emilia-Romagna during the 600 days of German occupation, 171 days were marked by organized demonstrations of protest.
In Forlì the strikes on 16th/18th February 1944 and on 24th/29th March 1944 were particularly important because these strikes were able to gain their end: to save antifascists and absentees from shooting.
In the field of communication and propaganda there were the most important efforts maken by the partisans. During the 468 days of occupation, 400 leaflets (everyone of them in 3,000 copies) were given out. About 80/90 leaflets were directly conceived in Forlì, the others were of national character and when they reached Forlì, they were already prepared on <tissue-papers>; therefore in Forlì they were only printed and given out. In the four locals clandestine printing offices were printed about 100,000 copies of 14 newspapers’ heads. Writing texts for leaflets and newspapers, taking articles to destinations, printing material of propaganda and contra-information and lastly divulging them were evidently all actions that required engagement and collaboration of many persons. These engagements were not free from dangers, because the arrested persons risked the torture and the death just as the partisans were. Songs and poems were important to create in the people a feeling of greater unity to partisans. Last bills, wall posters hung in the night-time and antifascists wall writings were numerous.
Action of support to allies and partisans let to save many allied prisoners, some of them were led back to the war front. In Forlì, in spite of all money’s rewards promised by Germans, the 40% of shot down aviators were able to save themselves.
From 14/09/1943 to 04/04/1944, around 200 aviators and 100 soldiers were succourred and lastly 25 high officers and English generals were rescued and led back to non-occupied zones. Population supported actively partisans finding arms, munitions, food, clothes, shoes, passing messages, propagating clandestine press, procuring falsified documents, gathering information, even military information, locating hiding-places, etc.
In conclusion it is difficult to give a correct balance estimating the contribution given to Resistance by these actions.
However it is possible to do some comments:
a) noone had theorized the nonviolence as a way to follow in reply to nazifascists;
b) in spite of this, nonarmed action and activity proved important for the total result of partisan action;
c) without these kinds of aid and collaboration almost certainly the armed Resistance would have been not able to survive to nazifascists’ force and repression;
d) it is important to lay stress on nonarmed Resistance’s forms that were always well-liked, while, on the contrary, some retaliations or violent actions put in practice by partisans did not only alienate people’s likes but they incited enemy to fight with more obstinacy and cruelty.